About SPB and breath restriction

[apatride]

Hi there

After a few weeks of doing 10 mn SPB before DM, I've been consciously trying to restrain my breath. It feels unnatural for a moment, then it *clicks* and goes very well.

I can feel my breath is very tenuous, but "something" is moving inside me, as some kind of liquid or densified air. It comes with tingling in perineum and lower belly. My perceptions then become more spacey and it's like I'm floating.

I'd like to be sure it's okay to consciously restrain breath, as long as it remains easy and not a struggle, because it enhances a lot the depth and quality of my practice.

Also I prefer to actually feel the breath comes-and-goes, rather than visualize it, given that the feeling remains very vague and unprecise. It's much more natural and easy to me to feel rather than visualize. I can visualize but I lost it very quickly, and it's much more an effort than feeling it. Is feeling "not ideal but correct", or "not correct at all"?

Any insight welcome

[SeySorciere]

Feeling instead of seeing is just as fine. As for restrain of breath, it is recommended on the out breath to do ujjayi breathing, i.e. restriction through the throat..so that the out breath is long. Complete stopping of breath should be allowed to happen on its own.

[apatride]

Weird thing, I thought I had answered this post but seems like not...
SeySorciere, I thank you for taking some time to answer.

Though it's not breath suspension I'm doing, but breath restriction; I do ujjayi breathing on the out breath, but I restrain the breath on the in breath as well, not with ujjayi breathing but rather with a deep focus on the breath being pulled out from perineum.

Seems like it's pulling out something else from there, which provocks pleasurable tingling. Don't know if anyone can relate to this?

[bewell]

Yes, I can relate[] That is an interesting variation on the SBP practice.

[apatride]

How is it a variation of SPB practice? I thought that would be it actually.
Combined with a slowing in breath, the focus on the path of breath deepens and get more and more sensitive.
So you think this it not SPB practice anymore?

[SeySorciere]

Apatride, this is exactly what I do as well, but whilst my in-breath is long and slow, drawing up prana /energy (hence the tingling you're feeling)from the perineum up the spinal nerve, it is not a restriction per say but deep slow breathing. Restriction is Ujjayi on the out breath. At some point the breath will want to stop but the energy will still flow. SBP is all about drawing prana with breath and awareness up (and down)the central channel. Some people are good at 'feeling' that energy and any blockages along the way; some 'see' it. I 'see' it.
Try traveling inside the spinal nerve instead of tracing it from an outside perspective. Tricky but makes it much more interesting.



Sey

[apatride]

Ok then my mistake for using the wrong term... I'm doing deep slow breathing on the in breath indeed, and Ujjayi on the out breath.
Travelling inside the spinal nerve is something I can get sometimes, after a few minutes of SPB, when the breath has remained constantly deep and slow for a while, all seems to widen suddenly and it's like I'm surrended by something. But it's still rare for the moment.

[bewell]

quote:Originally posted by apatride

How is it a variation of SPB practice? I thought that would be it actually.
Combined with a slowing in breath, the focus on the path of breath deepens and get more and more sensitive.
So you think this it not SPB practice anymore?

The AYP lessons are very carefully crafted. They are very simple, sometimes so simple that they leave gaps for our own interpretations and variations. I don't necessarily get anxious about experiences and interpretations that are my own, my peculiar variations, but I like to be aware of them as such. In the case of your post where you wrote of: "...the breath being pulled out from perineum," I didn't recall Yogani writing anything quite like that. Unless I'm forgetting or missing something in the AYP teaching, this seems like your own take on the teaching for this phase of your journey (one that I can relate to). No worries. It's cool. We all have our variations. But since I find it helpful to aware of variations as such, I periodically re-read the teaching, looking for ever finer nuances in understanding of Yogani's intention as expressed in his use of language. You might find this helpful too. In the meanwhile, if what you were doing keeps you motivated to do you chosen practice, then it seems to me you are on track, close enough. Enjoy! I've done variations that were a little off for years, and I trust I am still doing some, with and without knowing it.

[apatride]

Thanks bewell for your explanations. Indeed there may be some confusion between actual AYP teaching, and sensations or perceptions one may have and associates with those teachings.

Re-reading lessons is something I do quite often, but you remind me I've not done it for a few weeks. Time to get back to them maybe

[amitraghat]

I found the discussion interesting and creative. I would like to take the opportunity to clear my own doubts on this. I do kumbhaka and restrain my breath in my chest for some time, while in moolbandha & Sambhavi mudra simulataneously. Then I release the breath exhaling while doing Ujjayi till the entire breath or air, is out of my body. I stop there, restraining the intake of breath for some time. Then i again inhale deeply doing moolbandha. Question is, is it right to stop breath after kumbhak & rechaka?
Please help. Regards....

[mathurs]

Hello Amitraghat,
As per standard AYP Spinal Breathing pranayama there is no kumbhaka the end of the inhale or end of exhale. If it happens automatically that is different.

Other practices such as Yoni Mudra Kumbhaka and Chin Pump incorporate Kumbhaka. These are done after the Spinal Breathing Pranayama practice.

[amitraghat]

Hello Mathurs,
                         Thanks for the reply. Oops! I missed out informing in my post that i do spinal breathing as a warm up. Then I do Pranayam, regular kumbhaka and rechak stuff with moolbandha, uddyana and Jalandhar. Then meditation and lastly Shavasana.Hope I am following the correct process?
          regards. Hope we keep in touch.

[mathurs]

Hi Amitraghat,
Spinal Breathing would equate to Pranayam but with attention going up and down your spine.  So if you do Pranayama after Spinal Breathing that is too much. Do you also do any meditation?

In AYP one would start with Meditation - Dhyana Meditation. Once stable one would pick up Spinal Breathing and that would be done just before meditation. So the Pranayama develops the energy side of things and Meditation would bring the silence and stability - shakti/ shiva.

Yes sure - we will keep in touch

[amitraghat]

Hi Mathurs,
                    Thanks for the reply. Yes, I do Pranayam with moolbandh etc. after spinal breathing. While doing pranayam i restrain my breath trying to concentrate on the mool chakra. As i inhale, in kumbhak, i do moolbandh imagining the rising if kumdalini in my spinal nerve. I immediately go into sambhavi with my attention on the rising kundalini. Then rechak with descending kundalini. And lastly, Dm. Then Shavasan. Hope its ok?
              Regards......

[mathurs]

Hi Amitraghat,
If you are doing Pranayama and Spinal breathing - then you are doing too much and this could have overload effects.If you just did Spinal breathing you could apply mula bandha, shambhavi mudra, and ujjayi breath while doing spinal breathing. There is no need for additional Pranayama.

Please see the lesson below for a base line routine:
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/385.html

Hope this helps...