Wind Blown Grass Across the Moon by Hiroshige
“At the energetic level, imbalances occur primarily from lack of awareness of our own breath. The breath forms a bridge between the physical body and the energy body. Breathing patterns are a window into the energy body.” —Joseph LePage, Ten Steps To FreedomIn today’s post, I’m providing instructions for increasing awareness of the Breath/Energy Body (Pranamaya Kosha), which I described my post Breath and Energy (Pranamaya Kosha). Increasing awareness of the Energy Body is Step 3 in the 10 Steps to Freedom, as outlined by Joseph LePage (I covered Steps 1 and 2 for the Physical Body were covered in my post Physical Body Practice: 10 Steps to Freedom, Steps 1 and 2).
Energy Body Practice
This simple practice includes both a breath inquiry practice and the practice of a basic mudra. All together, this Energy Body Practice should take around 10-15 minutes if you include the longer Breath Inquiry.
1. Come into a comfortable standing, seated, or reclining position with the spine comfortably aligned. Some examples include Legs-Up the Chair Pose, Easy Sitting Pose (Sukasana), and Relaxation Pose (Savasana).
2. Choose between spending 3 to 5 minutes simply observing your breath or conduct what Donna Farhi calls, a “Breath Inquiry practice,” which takes the surface observation deeper. Here’s my version the Breath Inquiry practice. (Helpful option: Record this on your phone or tablet to play back when you want to practice.)
Instructions:
Bring your awareness to your breath. Notice your breath and all its parts: your inhalation and the slight pause before you exhale, and the exhalation and the slight pause before you inhale. Let your breath come and go naturally. Don’t try to change it in any way. Enjoy the ebb and flow, the rise and fall, the in and out of the natural, essential breath. Pause.
Now ask yourself a question, “Where do I feel my breathing?” Is the breath more noticeable in the belly? The abdomen? The chest? The nostrils?
Ask yourself, “Where does the movement of my breath begin? The nostrils? The chest? The ribs? The belly? Or somewhere else in the body?
Ask yourself, “What does my breathing feel like? What is the quality of my breath? Is it smooth or jerky? Labored or light? Notice whatever words or images arise. Please don’t judge your experience. Pause.
Now bring your attention to the inhalation and notice the length of your inhalation. Notice the depth of your inhalation. Is it short or long? Deep or shallow? Just notice, and don’t judge. Pause.
Shift your awareness to your exhalation and notice the length and speed of your exhalation. Is it short or long? Fast or slow? Just notice, and don’t judge. Pause.
Next, begin to sense your breath on a more subtle level as energy. At the subtle level, the breath can move through all parts of the body. Try to sense the quality of energy that moves with the breath through your body. If you don’t notice or feel any this aspect of your being, just do the best you can. Over time your ability to tune in to your subtle energy will increase. Pause.
Ask yourself, “What is the quality of energy in my body in this moment?” Draw your breath and your awareness slowly up your body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. Notice the areas where your awareness and breath enter easily and those where the breath moves less easily. Notice if there are any sensations of blocks, stuck places, aches, pains, imbalances, or lack of energy in any part of the body. Notice any feelings of stress, exhaustion, or fatigue. Pause.
Now draw your breath and your awareness slowly down your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Notice the areas where your awareness and breath enter easily and those where the breath moves less easily. Notice any sensations of tingling, pulsing, feelings of warmth or coolness, a sense of motion, waves of light, or a sense of balance, calm, equilibrium, and joy. Pause.
Now direct your exhalations to a part of the body or one or more of the sensations that seem to be calling for your attention. Continue for a moment or two or longer if you are comfortable.
When you feel complete, allow the breath to become calm and rest.
Most recently, I’ve been using this technique along with Legs Up The Chair Pose to direct my breath/energy to my left foot, which has developed a case of plantar fasciitis. After a few breaths in, I can actually feel additional sensation in my left leg and foot, which is confirmation that ‘energy flows where intention goes.’
See The Breathing Book: Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breath Work, pages 15 – 46, for information about Donna Farhi’s Breath Inquiry Practice.
3. Practice the Hakini Mudra
Mudras can be an essential tool for those seeking healing and balance in the Breath/Energy Body. About the relationship between breath, prana, and mudras, Joseph LePage says:
“As mudras expand and channel the breath, they also promote balance within our subtle anatomy. The breath is the primary vehicle for prana, the ‘life force energy.” By channeling the breath into specific areas of the body, mudras enhance our sensitivity to the flow of subtle energy, removing energy blockages and thereby reestablishing the free flow of prana.” –from Mudras for Healing and Transformation, page 9
You can read more about mudras in the posts About Mudras for Healthy Aging and What’s In a Gesture, Nearly A Year With Mudra.
If I had to choose one mudra to use for balancing the Breath/Energy Body, it would be Hakini Mudra. The quality of this mudra is balance and integration. Hakini Mudra facilitates full yogic breathing, balances all body systems—physical and energetic—and supports overall health and healing. In my opinion it’s an excellent mudra to use as an ending to any yoga practice, whether physical, energetic, contemplative or meditative.
Instructions:
1. Sit with your spine comfortably aligned.
2. Soften your chest and shoulders.
3. Hold your hands facing each other a few inches away from your solar plexus.
4. Touch the tips of the fingers and thumb of your left hand to the corresponding fingers and thumb of your right hand.
5. Create space between your hands as though you are holding a ball.
7. Close your eyes or keep them slightly open and gaze down at the floor.
8. Hold the mudra and sit quietly for 2 - 5 minutes as long as you are comfortable.
9. Focus on your natural breathing process.
10. When you are ready to come out, release the mudra and stretch your body in any way that your body needs to stretch.
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