Spinal breathing visualization question

Ionia · March 28, 2020, 7:24pm

Hey everyone,
I’m fairly new to this particular practice and was hoping you could help me clarify where exactly my focus of visualization should be. I’ve been sort of visualizing my spine in front of my inner vision and tracing the path with my attention from that “outside” point of view and I just realized this may not be usual/correct. Is it important to be tracing the path with your attention actually inside the spine?
Thanks!

Dogboy · March 28, 2020, 7:49pm

Welcome Ionia
Yogani’s advice from lesson 229:

: It is everyone’s tendency to begin spinal breathing looking from the outside, imagining the tiny thread of a nerve between the perineum and brow. Over time it internalizes due to the rise of inner sensory experience. The experience of the cool and warm currents is the beginning of that, an excellent “handle” to bring the attention inward during spinal breathing, and that is why it is discussed in the lessons (#63). On our journey from external to internal, we can imagine being inside, but not to the point of strain, as this will detract from the natural flow of spinal breathing. It is like meditation in that sense - we just easily favor the direction we want to go in, not forcing.
There are many forms of spinal breathing (Lesson 206). This is acceptable because spinal breathing is not nearly as delicate a procedure as deep meditation due to the physicality of breath, which regulates the overall process. So, there is room for variations while maintaining effectiveness. This is not so with deep meditation, which involves the management of attention only. That is why we are “stingy” with our attention in meditation, always favoring the easy procedure of picking up the mantra and letting it refine naturally to stillness in the mind.
In spinal breathing, as long as we are slowing down (restraining) the breathing and cycling the attention with it going between the brow and the perineum, it will work. Due to this relative sturdiness of spinal breathing, we are able to introduce and stabilize into habit many of the other practices in the lessons. It is relatively easy to incorporate new practices while doing spinal breathing without disrupting our practice excessively. Of course, if we shift to the crown instead of the brow in our attention cycle with breathing, all bets are off. That dramatically increases the risk of instability of our inner energies.

As long as you end the inhale at the third eye and the exhale at the root, you should be fine. Visualizing the spine can be done with soft attention/intention. Hope this helps.

Ionia · March 28, 2020, 8:28pm

Dog boy,
Thank you very much. That was just what I needed#128522;

SparklingDiamond · May 31, 2020, 8:09am

Hi Anyone in the Know
What if you run out of inbreath before you get to the Brow? Should your attention/visualisation still follow on to the brow?

BlueRaincoat · May 31, 2020, 9:40am

Hello Sparkling
Yes, this can easily happen at the beginning.
As long as your attention is
at the root at the end of the outbreath
and at the brow at the end of the inbreath
you are doing SBP correctly.
The tracing in between will sort itself out in time, be relaxed about it.
And welcome back to AYP!

SparklingDiamond · May 31, 2020, 10:11am

Thank you so much Bluecoat ! And for the welcome back!
My inbreath, at times, is all gone before I reach the third eye, so not sure what to do when i have run out of oxygen? Obviously I need stronger, or bigger lungs

BlueRaincoat · May 31, 2020, 10:21am

You skip the lengh of spine you haven’t covered and go straight to the third eye.

SparklingDiamond · June 1, 2020, 10:06pm

Thank you bluecoat !

SparklingDiamond · June 10, 2020, 12:02am

Hi Dogboy
Thank you for sharing that !
I had the feeling during SBP to allow the tracing to go through the crown, but did not. I see now its not a good idea as you say it can cause instability!

kensbikes100 · June 12, 2020, 6:50am

Some disciplines say the breathing should be “light”, but I find that comes with time and with focus on the tracing rather than on the breath.

kensbikes100 · February 4, 2022, 2:39pm

I also find, as a singer, that the breath control skill of a musician can be useful. You can control the rate of breath flow, not just the initiation and termination of an inhalation or an exhalation. That is another skill which will be gained in practice of pranayama, to take a full breath and to reach the point when you are full at the same time as your attention point reaches the correct chakra.
Also Sparkling, I have also read in other disciplines that the tracing should go through the crown, but I don’t know the relative benefits of the variations in this detail of practice.