December 04, 2006
A LITTLE BREATHING GOES A LONG WAY
Now that I am back in Melbourne and the family have opened up a cafe-restaurant-health place in Fitzroy... Sustenance, I have gone in to help, and to sit in the wonderful space to get some work done. It seems way too busy at home sometimes. Strange thing is that I keep running into other writers.
In conversation, I have passed on this breathing technique that I use to keep myself together; very portable, especially when travelling. Its an old yogic breathing method that once you've got the sequence, you can practise anywhere, in the car, in the plane, at home. It's that unobtrusive. Here goes:
You always start with the left nostril. There are 2 parts to each cycle. And you repeat the cycle 3 times.
To start, hold the right nostril close with your thumb or forefinger and breathe in the left to the count of 4, hold both nostrils close (betw thumb and forefinger?) to the count of 16, let the breath out the right (holding the left closed with a finger) to the count of 8 and then immediately in to the count of 4, hold the breath again by pinching off both nostrils to the count of 16, and then finish by holding the right and breathing out the left to the count of eight.
2nd part of cycle:Hold the right nostril close with your thumb or forefinger and breathe out the left to the count of 4, hold both nostrils close (betw thumb and forefinger?) to the count of 16, breathe in the the right (holding the left closed with a finger) to the count of 8 and then immediately out to the count of 4, hold the breath again by pinching off both nostrils to the count of 16, and then finish by holding the right and breathing in the left to the count of eight.
Can be used anytime you are feeling off color. But I am in a habit of doing this first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
And now, I don't have to write it out everytime someone needs this method--I'll just refer them to the blog!
Posted by girija tropp at 07:01 PM | Permalink