open mouthed pranayama

[snake]

i assume the way spinal breathing is taught in AYP is consided more usefull then  the open mouthed variety as taught by SRF?

Has anyone tried both and what were your experiences?
 thanks

[snake]

no Kriyabans from srf here then?

[gumpi]

Chris, i've tried both but i don't do kriya pranayama any more.  I can't say there is probably any great difference other than in the advanced stages the tongue might go into automatic khechari which neccessitates closing the mouth and breathing through the nose.  

I guess the point is this.  If you mimick the bodily mudras instead of having them come automatically, the results are deemed better.  I don't personally believe this but it could be true.  

As far as Kriya is concerned, you are burning the carbon in the blood whether with open mouth or not.  However, i did read in a hatha yoga book that when you breathe through the mouth you are not filtering out dust that would otherwise get trapped in the nostril hairs.  

People may say it has nothing to do with oxygen, co2 etc and that it is pranic.  I say it is both.

[snake]

thanks David,I think we are quite similar in trying  Iam meditation and hong sau,I find it hard to settle on one path lol
Guess thats my gemini sun and aries rising:)

[Sparkle]

I'm interested in this Pranayama through the mouth from the point of view that one of our AYP group members has great difficulty with sinus blockages.
I have been told repeatedly over the years, through various traditions, that breathing through the nose is more beneficial from an energy point of view. Never gave much thought to the acceptability of pranayama through the mouth. (Zen running is always through the nose - Kung Fu, in through the nose, out through the mouth - Aikido, through the nose etc.)

The next step was to suggest jala neti to help clear the sinuses - but maybe the above would be a simpler first step.

Is there a particular way of breathing through the mouth so one does not loose or dissapate energy? - also just trying it now, it seems more difficult to take the energy to the brow when breathing through the mouth??

[Christi]

Hi all,

I would say it is always better to breath in an out through the nose if you can, for any spiritual practices. The prana is better absorbed, and the air currents activate the spiritual aparatus in the nostrils. At some point breathing itself becomes ecstatic.
See this quote:

 

quote:"My breath had changed, but not in the sense of stopping or becoming extremely slow or rapid. It was, perhaps, just a little slower than normal. The notable change was in a subtle quality associated with the air breathed. Over and above the physical gases of the air there seemed to be an impalpable substance of indescribable sweetness which, in turn, was associated with a general sense of well-being, embracing even the physical man. It was like happiness or joy, but these words are inadequate. It was of a very gentle quality, yet far transcended the value of any of the more familiar forms of happiness... introspective analysis revealed the fact that the elixir-like quality was most marked during the exhalation, thus indicting that it was not derived from the surrounding air. Further, the exhaled breath was not simply air expelled into the outer atmosphere, but seemed to penetrate down through the whole organism like a gentle caress, leaving throughout a quiet sense of delight."

http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=3626#3626

I experience this often these days. I am sure the same would not happen if I breathed through the mouth.
Sinus problems can often be a result of allergies and sensitivities to foods. I would try a cleansing diet if I could not breathe through my nose. I practiced Kung Fu for many years and the breathing is differnet because it is a fighting system, not a meditation system. I don't know why the kriyabans breathe through their mouths. I think they are missing something... maybe a lot.

Christi

[gumpi]

Christi,

Whoever wrote what you put in quotes is describing breathlessness predominently on the exhale, yes?

And you say you are experiencing this?

I am experiencing it also.  I don't know the physiological exhanges that occur when this happens but i suppose someone can explain it.  This breathless state (kevala khumbaka) is the goal of Kriya yoga practice.  You don't need to do spinal breathing to get it.  I get it with Hong Sau mantra.  So far my breathing is stopping for roughly 20 seconds after the exhale at about 30 minutes into the meditation.  I want to prolongue the pause but i don't know how to do it.  Once the breath has stopped, so has the mantra, and i don't know what to concentrate on.

Apparently, when the breath stops, the kundalini rises.  I am skeptical  of this though because i find the existence of prana hard to accept.

[Steve]

Hi Snake,

For regular spinal breathing pranayama practice, I use nose breathing.

As a sometimes starter option, used as a priming breath to sensitize the spine(sushumna) and stimulate the energies within it, one can begin a spinal breathing session with a breath that combines breathing through both the mouth and nose together.  For a couple of breaths (inhalation and exhalation) both up and down the spine one simultaneously breathes in through both the mouth and nose without kechari.  

During the inhalation an aspirated HAH sound is made by the breath while feeling the cool current ascending.  On the exhalation an aspirated HEE sound is made by the breath while feeling the warm current descending.  Care should be taken to perform it properly.  An indication that it is being done so is that it will engage and help open up the full range of the throat, both the upper portion of the throat and nasal area (from the nose breathing) and the lower and deeper part of the throat (down through the larnyx, vocal cords) through the mouth breathing.  There is a very open physical sensation in that area which is unmistakable.

It is a somewhat coarser practice than standalone nose-breathing but when used as a starter-primer for a few breaths can help to open up the full range of the throat and medulla oblongata and get the energies flowing in the spine-sushumna.  After a couple of breaths in this fashion, one can then switch back to normal AYP spinal breathing through the nose (with kechari if you are using).  

Hi Sparkle,

For those that have sinus problems that neti has not corrected, one natural over the counter product, a nose spray called XClear has helped some.  It is a saline solution that contains xylitol.  The bacteria feed on the xylitol.  The xylitol particle is too big for the bacteria to digest so they basically eat themselves into extinction.  It has helped some folks where a simple saline solution did not.

There is also another product carried in health stores called Advantage Sinus Aid.  Distributed by Wisdom of the Ages, it is a saline solution that also contains Advantage Liquid Concentrate (ie. ALC) an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral solution that contains grapefruit seed extract, green tea extract and jasmine tree extract.  My fiance who teaches kindergarten and has had sinus difficulties, uses both of the products I described during flu season when alot of her children are sick to help keep healthy herself and they have proved very helpful.

Love and Light,
Steve

[snake]

thanks Steve