Legs And Feet

Question 1

Ujaayi breath - throat

Answer 1

You create a constriction in the throat as if breathing in and out of a thin straw

Question 2

Ujjayi breath - lips

Answer 2

The lips gently close and although the breath is passing through the nostrils the emphasis is in your throat.

Question 3

Ujjayi breath - back of throat, noise

Answer 3

You can feel the breath stroke the back of your throat as you inhale and exhale. This comes hand in hand with the audibility of the breath, compared often to the sound of waves, Darth Vader and my husband in deep sleep.

Question 4

Ujjayi breath - smooth

Answer 4

With an even tone and length of breath, the last refinement is to breathe fully, deeply and completely. Within each cycle you spend the entire inhale filling up and entire exhale releasing breath – at no point do you hold the breath – seamless and smooth, try not let the breath run out.

Question 5

Ujjayi breathe steps

Answer 5

Rest one hand in front of your mouth, Palm facing towards you.
With your mouth open exhale into your palm, imagining you are steaming up a mirror/ glass and feeling the warm breath on your palm. On your next inhale keep the hand where it is, breathe in making that same sound. Practise this for 2 cycles (4 count in, 4 count out).
Notice if you find the inhale or exhale more difficult.
Start closing the mouth on the inhale but opening mouth on the exhale. See if you can maintain the sound even with the lips are sealed. Next inhale with mouth open and exhale with mouth closed, keeping sensation in your throat and the sound of breath the same.
Do each for 5-10 cycles.

Question 6

How to use ujjayi

Answer 6

Ujjayi hold a mirror up to your existing unconscious habits but it soon becomes a new habit, one that can soothe, lull and seduce your body and mind into a state of increased and progressive ease.

Question 7

Toolbox

Answer 7

Ujjayi Pranayama is another tool to add to our box, another practice which encourages the mind to rest its awareness on the present moment, and identify with our immediate experience

Question 8

Stillness

Answer 8

Build stillness in these challenging poses on the mat so when you experience challenges off the mat you know you can draw on this inner strength

Question 9

Synchronise

Answer 9

Feel the flow of breath and movement synchronise and come to the present. Reduce your minds ability to jump around like a monkey from thought-branch to thought-branch.

Question 10

Thoughts

Answer 10

Listen to and watch your thoughts pass by like the clouds in the sky. As though they are a fantasy tv show, the radio, the person chatting next to you. They are not absolute truth.

Question 11

Check-in

Answer 11

Observe your feeing in this pose

• are you calm, calming your nervous system
• or is this a fiery pose
• can you use your breath to calm you

Question 12

Legs

Answer 12

Just like an architect plans a safe, strong building that will withstand the test of time, yogis need to create strong bodies, resistant to injury, from the ground up.