yoga practice guidelines
WARNINGS
1. You should never get out of breath, feel tired or feel as if you are straining yourself when practicing yoga āsanas or prānāyāma. Try to keep cool and never over-do it, especially if you are over 40 years of age.
2. Do not practice Bhucha Phra-Athit or āsanas between 12 noon and 1 p.m. The sun is at its zenith and the body may easily get over heated. Finish up by 12 o’clock or start after 1 p.m. The reasons for this may be less apparent in the winter season and in places far from tropical climes, but it remains a standard rule.
3. It is fine to practice prānāyāma from noon and 1 p.m.
4. You may practice prānāyāma up to of four times a day: at sunrise, noon, sunset and at midnight. Yet, once a day is more realistic.
5. Do not shower, bathe or immerse the body right after practicing yoga āsanas or prānāyāma. You may catch a cold or pneumonia. You should wait at least 45 minutes. [Commentary: Jumping in the snow or in an ice-cold lake after coming right out of a sweltering Swedish sauna may indeed be tonic for a person's health: the body has absorbed external heat and then is tempered by extreme external cold. But yoga is different. When practiced correctly, yoga generates a special internal calming warmth. You should let this energy slowly equilibrate after yoga exercises. Please remember: In the afterglow of yoga, important effects are still taking place and the sudden shock from immersing the body may, figuratively speaking, trip the body's automatic thermostat and cause its defenses to momentarily shut down. In this faltering state one is vulnerable to lingering germs and disease.]
OBSERVANCES
The Practice Time. Early in the morning is the best time to practice yoga, or late in the afternoon.
The Practice Place. The actual place where you practice yoga should be quiet, clean and open. It should be naturally ventilated. The floor or surface should be flat and smooth. If out of doors, the area should be shaded from direct sunlight and out of the way direct wind.
What You Don’t Need. Try to avoid unnecessary forms of commercially generated yoga accessories such as belts, ropes, pulleys, curiously designed cushions, plastic mats, etc. Such paraphernalia is not without its place, but it all too frequently acts to obscure that unadorned simplicity, which is the hallmark of post-Classical Yoga Sritantra.
What You Do Need. All you really need for practicing yoga is to wear light clothing in which you can move about freely. Have as little clothing on as possible. Practice with bare feet if temperatures permit. You need to have a large beach towel: it’s a must.
The Towel Explained. When practicing yoga āsanas one has to use a very large beach towel. Its dimensions depend on the size of each person. The length of the towel should extend – when draped – from the tip of your nose to the ground (when standing): when folded in half the towel should be square. Fold the towel in half and lay it on the floor. It is only used for the head and shoulders as you lay on the floor. Never sit or step on the towel.
The important idea behind this Oriental custom is that a person’s head is looked upon as the high and therefore pure part of the body, whereas the feet are considered to be low and unclean. Therefore something that is meant for your head must not be used for your feet. Conversely, something intended for your feet must never be used for your head.
Extra Gear. Apart from loose clothing and a large beach towel, the only other piece of gear likely needed is a blanket or a moderately thick piece of cloth. You can spread it as a cushion against back and knee pain for certain exercises, especially when practicing on an uncarpeted floor.
Eating Before Practice. It is correct to eat something before you practice yoga. Food gives necessary energy to burn. But not right before. Allow an hour or two before you start practicing, depending on light or heavy meals. Practicing yoga on an over-loaded stomach will make you feel bloated, sluggish and uncomfortable. It is not, however, a dangerous thing. Through experience you will learn what is right for you.
Vegetarian Diet. When practicing yoga you must eat nourishing foods that suit your personal constitution. Drastically altering your dietary habits may cause both physical and mental disruptions. That being said, you should not be afraid to experiment in the direction of a nutritious vegetarian diet. Try to understand that it simply isn’t necessary for humans to depend on slaughtered animals when ample varieties of grains, salads, root and herbs, and when yogurt, cheese, nuts and fruits are readily available almost everywhere you go. Abstaining from poultry, meat and fish is for many a natural and healthy way to eat. What is more, a tasty, well-balanced vegetarian diet sould not at all be costly.
Re. Faintness and Hypotension. Persons with hypotension (i.e. “low blood pressure”) may feel light headed or faint when first learning to hold the breath during āsana or prānāyāma practice. One should not be alarmed by this: it is common. If you ever feel faint while practicing yoga, lie down on your back and take a short rest. From then on follow two simple rules. 1) Do not practice holding the breath (kumbhaka) while performing āsanas and prānāyāma. 2) Keep your eyes open while performing āsanas. With regular practice the feeling of faintness will probably stop. Then you can practice holding the breath.
SOME TIPS ON YOGA TECHNIQUE
1. Yoga exercises should always be performed slowly and softly, never with quick or jerky movements. Never sway or rock your body. Yoga should be done with beauty and grace. Don’t forget to rest in between the various āsanas by lying on your back for a few moments, shoulders and head on your folded towel.
2. Breathing should always be done through the nose. It should be natural. Never strain your neck or facial muscles. Breathing should be silent and as smooth as silk. It is suggested that you practice deep abdominal breathing at all times during your āsana practice. If possible, you should practice it in your daily life until it becomes an unconscious habit. As a result, you will hardly ever catch a cold.
3. Remember: Meditation and yoga are not separate things. All the while you are practicing yoga, you should think of your body as the basis of your meditation. Think to yourself, ‘My body … my meditation.’
anuloma viloma pranayama (alternate nostril breathing)
The science of breath has its foundations in the control of prana or vital energy. The important starting exercise for the student of yoga is the alternate breathing exercise, known as Anuloma Viloma Prānāyāma. The reason for doing alternate breathing is that the breath alternates between two nostrils. You can easily find this out for yourself by placing your palm near the nostrils. One of the nostrils will always be partially blocked, and the flow of air in and out of the lungs will be mainly through only one of the nostrils. If a person is in normal health, the breath will alternate approximately every hour and fifty minutes. This normal period of breath alternation is established only when one has perfected prānāyāma, starting with alternate nostril breathing.
In the vast majority of persons, this change of the breath from one nostril to the other varies a great deal, owing to such conditions as unnatural living habits, wrong diet, diseases and the lack of proper exercise. All these incorrect living habits have an effect on the breath, diverting it from its normal flow.According to yoga, the breath in the right nostril is said to be hot, while the flow from the left is cool. Therefore, symbolically, the right channel is known as “sun breath,” and the left channel is referred to as “moon breath.” The energy that flows through the sun breath produces heat in the body; this is catabolic, efferent and acceleratory to the bodily organs. Conversely, the energy that flows through the moon breath produces coolness in the body; this is anabolic, afferent, and inhibitory to the organs. When the breath continues to flow through one nostril for more than two hours, it is a symptom of derangement caused by excessive heat or cold. Consequently, if the sun breath is more active, the heat of the body increases and there can be mental and nervous disturbances. Conversely, when the moon breath is more active, the metabolic activity of the body becomes low, cold and lethargic, and mental activity is suspended.
This Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise is mainly for maintaining equilibrium in the catabolic and anabolic processes in the body. According to yoga, when a person’s breath flows through only one nostril for hours without changing, it is a sign that some illness is at hand. This abnormal flow is caused by the ganglia of a particular nerve center being over-worked by a longer than normal flow of breath (or prana) in a particular center. The longer the flow of breath in one nostril, the more serious the illness will be.
Exercise 1 – Single Nostril Breathing
Sit in any one of the meditative poses (or sit on a chair in a pose called the Egyptian seat) keeping the spine, neck and head in a straight line. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril, counting mentally five times. Exhale through the same nostril while counting ten times. That makes one round. Exhalation time is always twice the inhalation time. The proportion is 1:2. Repeat this exercise fifteen to twenty rounds through the left nostril, keeping the proportion five seconds inhalation and ten seconds exhalation.
Now, close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger and inhale through the right nostril. Count five times for inhalation. Exhale through the right nostril while counting ten times. Repeat this fifteen to twenty rounds. Do not make any sound during inhalation. Apply the basic rule of low, mid and high breathing during inhalation. In exhalation, try to expel as much foul air as possible from the lungs. You should practice Exercise 1 for fifteen days and then slowly increase the proportion to six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. Do not attempt the higher proportion until you are able to do the lower proportion very easily. This is the main rule in every breathing exercise. Always keep within your capacity and never overdo.
In Exercise 1, there is no retention. The purpose of inhaling and exhaling through one nostril is to correct wrong breathing habits. Unless one is able to do low, mid and high breathing perfectly and automatically, one should not attempt advanced prānāyāma. Practice Exercise 1, Single Nostril Breathing, for at least a month, even though you may feel the urge to increase the count or attempt Exercise 2. If you have a strong foundation, you can build a strong building.
Exercise 2 – Alternating Nostril Breathing
After a month of practicing Exercise 1, move on to the alternate nostril breathing. You no longer need to practice Exercise 1, single nostril breathing. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Now close the left nostril immediately with your right ring finger and little finger. Remove your thumb from the right nostril and exhale through that nostril. This is a half round. Now without pausing, inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left, as previously done. This makes one full round. The proportion of breathing in and out is 1:2, as in exercise no. 1, or six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. The same general rules for Exercise 1 apply for Exercise 2.
Do fifteen to twenty rounds. When you are able without difficulty to do fifteen to twenty rounds at six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation, then increase to seven and fourteen seconds, and then to eight and sixteen seconds. These increases must be slowly undertaken. You should practice this exercise for two to three months before increasing to eight and sixteen seconds. Within this period, you can see tremendous change taking place in your body and mind. The breathing will become perfect, especially the movement of the diaphragm. The body will be light and the eyes will shine.
Exercise 3 – Full Alternate Breathing
In this third exercise, we include retention or holding of the breath. This is the only difference between the second and third exercise. The correct ratio between inhalation and retention is 1:4. But beginners are advised to follow the 1:2 ratio for a few months before taking up the 1:4 ratio. The minimum starting proportion is 4:8:8, or four seconds inhalation, eight seconds retention, and eight seconds exhalation. When you are holding the breath, you must close the right nostril with the right thumb, and the left nostril with the right ring finger and little finger. Do not use the index finger for closing the nostril because the magnetic current from that finger is polluted. In Sanskrit, inhalation is known as pūraka, retention as kumbhaka, and exhalation as rechāka.
Inhale the air through the left nostril while counting, mentally, four times. Retain the air while counting eight times. Exhale through the right nostril while counting eight times. Now without stopping, inhale through the right nostril, retain the breath, and then exhale through the left nostril, all with the same 4:8:8 proportion. This is one full round.
Full Alternate Breathing should be practiced daily, fifteen to twenty rounds. After a month, increase the proportion to 5:10:10. Increase it gradually until you reach 8:16:16. When you are able to do the 8:16:16 proportion, comfortably, then change the ratio to 1:4:2. Start with four seconds inhalation, sixteen seconds retention and eight seconds exhalation. Gradually work up to 8:32:16. It should take from eight to twelve months of practice to reach this timing. Do not try to rush it.
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