I got a ton of comments and replies on my “When’s Savasana?” post last week and I want to thank you for sharing your opinions, although I may not agree with all of them! But something most of you on Facebook commented on was how disrespectful students can be at the beginning of class as well. You know who I’m talking about- that person that scares the hell out of you by throwing down their mat in a loud, obnoxious way in order to state “I am here!” and “I am late” and “I am important!” That drives me (and probably you) bonkers when it happens. Especially if you’re totting a Manduka (locally owned yoga company) mat that weighs a good five pounds or so and is the equivalent of dropping a dumbbell next to someone’s head. Am I wrong? No I am not!

Oh! I’ve got some more examples! To quote some of you out there, “How about the people who throw their keys down while in meditation?” and “Why must people slam the door” and “Who needs that many bathroom breaks?” and “Must that guy crack his knuckles throughout savasana?” and my favorite, “What’s with people bringing cell phones into class?” You guys seriously crack me up and I agree with all of these and over time, we’ll get the general masses to do so to! But for now, baby steps…

Today at the health club where I work, I’m into week three of four of the workshop I’m been hosting called Deepening Your Practice. Each week I introduce a new pranayama (breathing) technique and an extension on our meditation practice. So far we’ve explored the pranayama techniques called Sama Vritti and Nadi Shodhana while today I introduced the idea of Kumbhaka, or breath “retention.” As in holding your breath? Yes. But not for a long period of time or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable or not in control. Here’s your Sanskrit 101 for today: You now know that the retention of breath is called Kumbhaka, but so you know, the inhale is called Puraka and the exhalation, Rechaka. When we practice Pranayama, the mind becomes still and as BKS Iyengar says, “we can allow the energy we normally spend engaging with and processing the world to bend inward.” So let’s try, shall we?

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To begin your Kumbhaka Pranayama sesh, sit in a comfortable position. Take a few breaths through your nose (Ujjayi) and then take the longest possible inhale. When you get to the top, lock your chin into your chest (Jalandhara Bandha) and hold or retain your breath. If this is your first time doing this, don’t retain your breath for too long. The count of five is really all you need to get started. I’m up to the count of 30 but that’s after having done this for a few months now.

When you can no longer hold your breath, lift your chin and exhale the air out. This will probably be a forceful, loud and often times short exhale that will leave you breathless for a second or so. Take a few breaths through your nose (Ujjayi) in between and then repeat. I do this for five minutes before my 10 minute meditation practice. It makes my mind much clearer and I’m able to sit for 10 minutes no problem.

Big Sur Redwoods.

For meditation today, I introduced the technique of visualization. We’ve talked about counting the breaths and the use of mantras in our practice but this morning, we created our “inner sanctuary” or that favorite place of yours where you go to ignore your inner dialogue. For me that place is Big Sur, amongst the Redwood trees, playing in the forest! In all honestly, it didn’t go so well for me and I was relieved to know that the students all agreed. Since I’ve been practicing and housesitting in Edna Valley this past week, that image kept popping up in my mind and for 10 breaths I was there and then I was back in Big Sur. I didn’t want to expel any energy on it so I went back to counting and matching the lengths of my breaths instead.

**Remember, it’s not about the quality of the meditation, as long as you feel happier, calmer and more at peace at the end of your practice, then it was successful!**