I learned to use the ujjayi breath on both in and out breath from another yoga tradition. I am doing the pranayama like this for the last two years. Its pretty good so far.
I am just curious about the difference between this and the AYP method where in we do ujjayi breath only on the out breath. If anyone can throw some light on difference between these two methods, I would appreciate that.
In my practice I will have to agree with Yogani on this. To restrict the inspiration of prana seems to resist the energy flow rather than help. If you look at the traditional 1/4/2 breath of pranayama you see that the inhalation is shorter and therefore less restricted than the exhalation.If however one instead chooses to smooth the inhalation rather than restricting it then I would agree that it is fine. Just don’t restrict the inflow of breath. To exhale a bit reluctantly and slowly using Ujjayi is good but To allow the smooth and not hasty inhalation to be received seems like the way to go
I have had automatic ujjaji breathing from the start and it has always naturally been both on the inhale and exhale. I had to go against this automatic breathing when I started with AYP and it felt very, very strange and tense. The inhales became extremely hasty and uncomfortable. I started to go with the flow instead of blindly following the instructions. It has with time stabilized as a somewhat smoother and less restricted inhale, only somewhat shorter that the more restricted exhale. It has worked fine and renders no complications that I’m aware of.
I think that emc has a point. If Ujjayi feels natural and easy on the inhale I wouldn’t try to stop the sound. All I am saying is that I would not deliberately restrict the inhalation, just smooth it out a little.
For me it was not automatic. I learned it that way. I am very comfortable with it so far. When I try the in-breath without ujjayi now, that feels strange to me. The inhale becomes hasty sometimes. So, I am going to stick with ujjayi in and out for now.
Also in the practice that I learned, the in breath is shorter than the out breath. The out breath is more slow, restricted. We do not try to restrict the in-breath so much.
Thanks for your replies!
In Yogani’s lesson he tells to open your throat wide during inhalation.
This is very useful when you have a throat block.
I thought Yogani said not to do ujiya on inhalation because it’s tough on the lungs (something I find, as well)…?
Thank you for that reminder, Shanti!
I just did my practice with my throat conciously more open and I could feel my upper chest expanding more deeply as well as some emotional opening in the heart. I would say that the open throat feels much better than even a slight Ujjayi on inhalation.
I also feel that with these practices especially with the pranayama that it is best to follow the details of Yoganis teaching rather than to try to cobble together practices from different teachers, at least until one has had quite a few years experience doing AYP. I know this from experience after doing Iyengar pranayama for many years and am now learning to practice differently with very good results, but it can be tough to unlearn old habits.
This stuff really works and it works well if it is followed close to the lessons.
It felt hasty for me too when I started it. I don’t think Yogani says anything about ratios, but I think most styles of kriya pranayama (which I guess AYP spinal breathing is most closely related to?) go for 1/2 or 1/1. Especially if you want to try and even out the inhalation/exhalation times (lengthening inhalation), you might try and imagine the sensation that your inhalation is hardly an inhalation at all, but rather that the air just kind of floats into your lungs until they are full. At first when I tried ‘active’ inhalation, I found that I had to resist the ease and speed with which my lungs filled - and this created tension. By imagining that the air floats almost by its own will into your lungs, it can be so subtle that you might not even really feel the movement of air at all, especially if your throat and nasal passages are really open.
Hope this helps!
Victor, one thing to try: you know the move you do in airplanes to clear your ears? Sort of a muscular dilation, that goes in a sort of dynamic wave through the ears and sinuses?
Try doing THAT sort of opening of the throat on inhale. For one thing, it’s a very powerful throat chakra opener. And it pulls the prana along, almost like peristalsis (sp?).
It works on other chakras as well, but you need a lot of concentration. The throat’s relatively easy because we can easily visualize it as tubular, like the ear canal, and so it lends itself to that sort of waving/dilating action.
Thanks Jim, that does feel right. it feels like it moves into a deeper opening of the ribs and heart as well as throat
I’ve been doing this intuitively in SB almost since the beggining, it’s very simmilar to yawning, but lasts much longer. It pulls the energy up very nicely.
But why should it be specifically a throat chakra opener? It feels more like energizing the whole body/spine, expanding it, all the way up to the third eye.