Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 13, 2013

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HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 13, 2013 

HOW CAN YOGA HELP 

SAMA VRITTI


ene
Sama Vritti refers to pure breathing. It means equal wave or equalizing breath. It is 1:1 
breath - the equal inhale and exhale. It should be smooth. It is a stabilizing breath. 

This breath is great at the beginning of class, or for anyone having trouble with breathing, 
because we need to get a handle on breath. The practice of yoga is about self-reliance. Our 
breath is a good indicator of how we are doing. The breath may be grasping, irregular or 
emotional. But we want it to be smooth. We want to remain calm and centered in the midst 
of change, in the midst of challenges. So we train ourselves to keep on the path and stay balanced. 
The first and best way to do this is by learning to control prana (energy)and prana 
rides on the breath. So we use smooth breathing (the equal inhale and exhale). This also gives 
the mind something to do or concentrate on.

Later, we move on to 1:2 breath. We can learn to let go by lengthening the exhale. This 
calms us down. It is not the volume of the breath, but the amount of prana we absorb from 
the breath that energizes us. Most of us need to learn to absorb more. The less we can hear 
the breath, the more internalizing it is and the more we can be aware of the prana carried on it.

It is important to learn breath practices form a knowledgeable teacher. Have fun getting to 
know your breath!

Namasté,