Legs And Feet Flashcards
Ujaayi breath - throat
You create a constriction in the throat as if breathing in and out of a thin straw
Ujjayi breath - lips
The lips gently close and although the breath is passing through the nostrils the emphasis is in your throat.
Ujjayi breath - back of throat, noise
You can feel the breath stroke the back of your throat as you inhale and exhale. This comes hand in hand with the audibility of the breath, compared often to the sound of waves, Darth Vader and my husband in deep sleep.
Ujjayi breath - smooth
With an even tone and length of breath, the last refinement is to breathe fully, deeply and completely. Within each cycle you spend the entire inhale filling up and entire exhale releasing breath – at no point do you hold the breath – seamless and smooth, try not let the breath run out.
Ujjayi breathe steps
Rest one hand in front of your mouth, Palm facing towards you.
With your mouth open exhale into your palm, imagining you are steaming up a mirror/ glass and feeling the warm breath on your palm. On your next inhale keep the hand where it is, breathe in making that same sound. Practise this for 2 cycles (4 count in, 4 count out).
Notice if you find the inhale or exhale more difficult.
Start closing the mouth on the inhale but opening mouth on the exhale. See if you can maintain the sound even with the lips are sealed. Next inhale with mouth open and exhale with mouth closed, keeping sensation in your throat and the sound of breath the same.
Do each for 5-10 cycles.
How to use ujjayi
Ujjayi hold a mirror up to your existing unconscious habits but it soon becomes a new habit, one that can soothe, lull and seduce your body and mind into a state of increased and progressive ease.
Toolbox
Ujjayi Pranayama is another tool to add to our box, another practice which encourages the mind to rest its awareness on the present moment, and identify with our immediate experience
Stillness
Build stillness in these challenging poses on the mat so when you experience challenges off the mat you know you can draw on this inner strength
Synchronise
Feel the flow of breath and movement synchronise and come to the present. Reduce your minds ability to jump around like a monkey from thought-branch to thought-branch.
Thoughts
Listen to and watch your thoughts pass by like the clouds in the sky. As though they are a fantasy tv show, the radio, the person chatting next to you. They are not absolute truth.
Check-in
Observe your feeing in this pose
- are you calm, calming your nervous system
- or is this a fiery pose
- can you use your breath to calm you
Legs
Just like an architect plans a safe, strong building that will withstand the test of time, yogis need to create strong bodies, resistant to injury, from the ground up.
