[MUSIC] Ayumi, we thank you for demonstrating in the previous exercise. Now that we've talked about breathing, let's actually start doing pranayama. A couple of things to keep in mind, first of all, try to be in a room temperature that is comfortable for you. Not too hot, not too cold. If it's too cold, there's a tendency to sometimes sneeze, or feel like your nose is getting too dry, and we don't want that to happen. And speaking about your nose, you might want to blow your nose right before you start, making sure that your nasal passages are completely clear on both sides. One interesting thing, I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but through the day, most of us don't breathe through both our nostrils, we're usually switching from side to side. And it is said that when you do pranayama and you use breath through the left and the right nostril, it also helps to balance out the left and right sides of your brain. And that's another really great reason to practice pranayama. Did you not know that? >> No. >> So good, learning something new. Then let's talk about how to sit. So if you're comfortable sitting on the floor like we are, that's totally fine. If you're a little more flexible, you can try what's called the half lotus pose. Where you lift one leg as Ayumi is doing and put it closer to your hip. If you're super flexible, you can lift the other leg and also put it closer to your hip. But I think we're not going to do that today. And Ayumi will also show us the hero's pose. So this is another way to sit for pranayama. You'll get onto your knees and then sit between the two heels. Another way to make this comfortable is to sit on a cushion. You can just put it under yourself or on foam blocks. If all of this doesn't work, you can also sit on a chair. Just make sure that you don't use your easy chair and be slouched. We want to have a chair that has a straight back to maintain a good posture, keeping your spine erect, your shoulders back and your chin not lifted up because that's going to constrict your airway, but sort of tucked in. So keeping that in mind, shall we begin? Let's try pranayama. I'm going to be showing you two types of pranayama today, one is called ujjayi pranayama. The word ujjayi means victorious. So ujjayi pranayama means victorious pranayama. Another word for this is actually ocean breath, and you will see what I mean in just a moment. So to demonstrate ujjayi, let's start by holding our hand right in front of our mouth. Imagine that it's a mirror and you're going to fog it up. [SOUND] Now as you do this, try to notice what's happening in your throat. [SOUND] Now, keeping your hand down, try the actual ujjayi breath doing the same inhale or exhalation. Let's do exhale because that's how we fogged the mirror up. And this time, keep your mouth closed. Inhale the same way. And it does sound like the ocean inside your head. It's really a beautiful sound, very calming, very peaceful. And they say the best way to do this is to do it according to count. So let's inhale for six and exhale for six, so three and. One more time, one, two, three, four, five exhale one, two, three, four, five, six. And that's ujjayi. If ever you forget how to do it, just remember [SOUND]. Easy, the benefits of ujjayi pranayama are many. It balances and calms your breath. Encourages the free and healthy flow of breath, increases oxygenation in the body. Tones the lungs, helps to regulate blood pressure, and also builds internal heat. The second type of pranayama that we will try today is called the alternate nostril breath or nadi shodhana. To start with, let's talk about our hand posture. We keep the thumb separate, roll in the index and the middle finger and keep the ring finger and the pinky, or the little finger, up. Next, what you're going to do is close your right nostril and breathe in through your left. Then close your left nostril, open the right, and breathe out through your right Next, breathe in through your right. Close the right nostril, open the left and breathe out through the left. Now this is one cycle, there are Yogi's that I know of who will do this for up to three hours at a stretch. And it has a tremendously calming effect on the body, the mind, and the spirit. Let's do it again. Similar to how we did with ujjayi, let's try to do it to a pulse. Counting six, inhale, and six, exhale. Here we go. Breathing in, two, three, four, five, six close, open, one, two, three, four, five, six. And there you have it, so nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breathing. There are many forms of this. Some people tend to hold the breath after they inhale. They tuck their chin, they hold their breath, and then they release. We're so lucky to be living in a digital age. You don't always need to go and see a guru, although that is really the best way to practice yoga of any form. However, there are extensive archives of online resources, and I'm going to make a list that you can look through later. In the meantime, I wanted to talk about the benefits of nadi shodhana. This type of pranayama is very good for allergies, especially if you have any sort of sinus problem. It allows each side of your nasal tract to remain healthy and strong. It releases accumulated stress in the mind and body effectively and helps you to relax. And it helps to harmonize the left and right hemispheres of the brain, which correlate to both the logical and emotional sides of our personality. I really hope that you will practice pranayama on your own, even if you're not doing exactly everything step by step. The very understanding that you can slow down, you have the choice to slow down and take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale, calmly, using a tempo of some sort, to sort of regulate and ground yourself, this is really what it's all about. We wish you the best in your practice.
