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| Art by Arna Baartz |
PRANA.
BREATH. LIFE FORCE.
It's
no secret that —for women,
people of color, children, and the LGBT+ community—living
under patriarchy is a struggle. There is no denying that we are
devalued, demeaned, de-humanized, and destroyed little by little at
the core of who we are. For some, this means death—as we are killed
by our partners, by officers of the law and those in authority.
As
you will see throughout this book, there are many techniques for
coping with the daily struggle.
One
of these is pranayama, conscious breathing. Prana is your breath,
what you bring in; it is your life force, for without breath, you
would cease to be.
Your
breath is a fundamental tool in being able to control your emotions
and your mood. It can reduce stress and tension; give you clarity of
thought; increase focus; increase patience; reduce and prevent toxins
in your body that we are continuously bringing in via food, drink and
air. It does this while also expanding your lung capacity; cleansing
your blood and relaxing and calming you. Just a slight change in the
breath creates a huge impact.
To
have a daily pranayama/meditation practice, it is optimum to have a
designated place in your home. You can have a small altar or just
some flowers, incense, and a candle. There is some wonderful
meditation music out there; find some that speaks to your spirit.
Most importantly, shut off your phone. Let this become your special
place— a place of quiet and
serenity.
Your
candles are lit, incense wafting through the room. Sit yourself
comfortably in easy pose, cross-legged on the floor. If you are
unable to sit on the floor, a straight-backed chair works well. You
want to be comfortable, but it is important that the spine be
straight.
You
want to center yourself, to be in the moment, in that time, in that
place. Bring your hands into prayer position at your chest, or you
may simply rest your hands on your knees. Close your eyes and gently
roll them up so that they are focused upon your third eye, that space
between your eyebrows in the middle of your forehead. Begin to slowly
and deeply inhale and exhale. Take your time, don’t
rush through it. Really feel each breath; on your breath. Now, with
each inhale, bring into your body a sense of peace, a sense of calm.
Let it infuse your entire being, beginning with the heart chakra and
working outward. With each exhale, release any stress, tension or
negativity you are holding within your body, even that of which you
may not even be consciously aware. Allow yourself to let it go.
You
can continue this for as long as you are comfortable. If monkey-mind
thoughts come calling, gently push them away and continue with the
breath. When you are finished, take several deep breaths while
stretching your arms up to the skies.
This
long, deep breathing is for when you have the time to sit and focus
on that precious conscious breath. This breath can also be used as a
"quick fix." Find someplace quiet and breathe
in the positive and
breathe out the negative. The perfect thing with conscious breathing,
is that it is always with you. Calm is only a breath away.
I
will be sharing with you some breath techniques, all of which come
from Kundalini Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, which I have been
honored and proud to be teaching for 20 years.
****************************
For
Calmness – Inhale
for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 8. This is a good breath
to practice when you are feeling stressed or anxious. It produces a
calm and relaxed state of being.
For
Relaxation –
Breathe only through your
left nostril. The left side of your body relates to the moon, which
is the calming and receptive side of your body. For women, this will
connect you to the feminine energy of the moon.
"U"
Breathing –
Purifying breath. Try to visualize the path of the breath.
Inhale and visualize light flowing down the same side of the nostril,
down the spine to your first chakra. As you hold the breath, feel and
see the light swirling and growing at the base of the spine.
One
Minute Breath –
Inhale for 20 seconds, hold for 20 seconds, exhale for 20 seconds.
There will be an immediate calming of anxiety, fear and tension.
Stress
Relief and Cleansing of Past Emotions
–
Hands are in front
of your heart center in a tent - fingers touching; palms not. Long,
slow deep breathing, segmented inhaling for a count of 5, suspend the
breath for a count of 5 and segmented exhaling for a count of 5. Eyes
should be focused at the tip of the nose.
Anti-Stress
Breathing –
Sit in easy pose (on floor, legs crossed, spine straight) or sit in a
straight-backed chair. It is important that your spine be straight,
your shoulders back and your head level. Press the tips of your
thumbs and little fingers together. Extend your arms out somewhere
between your heart and belly button, arms slightly bent at elbows.
Focus your eyes on the tip of your nose (if this makes you dizzy,
close your eyes).
Inhale through the mouth with a long, deep and powerful breath and
exhale through the nose. Then inhale through the nose and
exhale through the mouth. It may take a little bit of time to
start to work, but it will calm inner stress and tension. Continue
for at least 3 minutes.
Mudra
for Preventing Stress
– Try this one to
prevent stress from even starting. (The Sanskrit word "mudra,"
in yoga, is a hand position. Mudra is a Sanskrit word.) Sit in easy
pose with a straight spine. Relax your arms, and bend your elbow,
bringing your forearms in front of you and parallel to the ground.
Bring your hands, palms up, to meet in front of you, a little above
your belly button. Rest the back of the left hand in the palm of
the right hand. Keep
your fingers together and straight. Your breath will be long, slow
and deep and through the nostrils only. Do for at least 3 minutes.
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All
of these breaths can be done for any length of time, and/or are
available for immediate use. There's nothing wrong with finding a
quiet spot or even a public restroom to focus on your breath and
re-gain control of yourself or a situation.
While
nothing is a miracle, I am positive that, with practice of these
breaths, you will find yourself feeling calmer and better able to
cope with some of the injustices and atrocities that are present in
the patriarchal world.
Sat
Nam!
(Truth
is My Identity)
An excerpt from How To Live Well Despite Capitalist Patriarchy.
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