Dear friends!
As you might know, there are some exceptional points in the Sri T. Krishnamacharya Yoga about breathing, which differ essentially from other yogaschools.
Its very basic and at the same time very mystical - as the breath is the tool of transformation.
There is the first element - and this is UJJAYI-breathing in our tradition.
Breathing without Ujjayi is called here, in the Krishnamacharya Tradition, "WITHOUT BREATH" - so far it goes, that Sri Sribhashyam taught a whole weekend - always letting us do an asana
several times "without breath" and then with breath - with Ujjayi!
Ujjayi - some people translate it with victory breath - but victory about what? About the material, about the karmic patterns to transform, to accumulate Ojas, spiritual energy, to ascend, to go
beyond - beyond the mind stuff, beyond karmic patterns.
The Vital Point (or Marma Stahna - secrat point) which is connected with Ujjayi is called KANTA, its one of the most important concentration points - it is defined as - "to clean us from
everything, which is not really belonging to us".
How much is this? Its almost everything, all this mind-stuff, which has no real relevance in our lifes. In Yoga we want to transform, to get rid of these old repetitive patterns, we want to
refine our behaviour - beeing able to react and create in a new and more thoughtful, peaceful way.
When Srivatsa Ramaswami checked our breath - he would go along in a distance of 2-3 meters and he wants to hear your breath - it should have a certain strength to work with it internally -
to follow and move the breath intentionally, that the breath is able to flow through and to massage all the tisues and create space, and also to create this opening and closing rhythm in all
levels. With Ujjayi, our diaphram reacts and opens ad hoc, and this opens your lungs from the base to the top, underneath the collar bones.
With Ujjayi, we are able to direct energy - when we unite intention and breath. Where we set our focus on, we are able to release, let go or expand.
And there is an other most important aspect - that the breath is not only an inhale and exhale - BUT, there is this most important little space, which HAS to be there - inbetween ex and in,
and in and exhale - it is to set an INTENTION!
Therefore breath is with
UJJAYI
first always EXHALE
set an INTENTION and keep it, to
INHALE in the chest
set an INTENTION and keep your intention there, to
EXHALE in the lower belly.
You may observe your Ujjayi - breathing -
practice and set mini pauses -
feel, how the breathing opens the chest, and extends the spine,
and how the exhale stabilizes your posture, and releases tension.
Namaste,
Andrea