Thursday, May 14, 2009

The yoga of breath

Recently while teaching class we asked students to see if they could detect how the breath was coming out of their nose. The students looked a bit bewildered but fumbled around their nostrils trying to detect how the air was coming out of their nostrils. Most were amazed that the air was not coming out of both nostrils, and others were amazed that the air was not coming out as they thought it should. The amazement continued with several of the students finding that their results were totally different from their classmates.

In fact the knowledge that the nostril dominance changes is not so esoteric these days with the popluarity of yoga, or is it? The more subtle aspects of the breath are almost unfathomable for the normal person, which is why the say the science of breath is secret. The air exiting the nostril actually has several different directions that it choses. The real secret is that this direction indicates which nerve plexus, which chakra, is active at the time. What wonders does this information hold in helping you with your health and well being?

2 comments:

Agni Sara said...

Hi! First, a note for those with blogger accounts: This is the same as a google account, so no need to create a new profile if you have one...

A question on topic: Is the science regarding different ways of air flowing through the nostrils, beyond nostril dominance, documented? Is there some reading that you might recommend on the topic? If not, I'll just ask more questions in person. :)

IPYC blog said...

Yes there is a source for the information. The original text is called Saiva Swarodaya, but a translation exists in the book Swara Yoga. This book is a clear exposition and gives excellent examples of the known observations related to the subject. It is all about observation.

Peace