By Swami Prajñananda
Twenty minutes twice a day — Ujjayi Pranayama is the first step in your healing.
Your yoga therapist will give you Ujjayi Pranayama to do right away.
They will teach you the practice in your session and make sure you know how to do it for yourself at home. In the beginning, you might think it doesn’t sound like a lot, but this practice gives you so much.
Recently, a woman came in for her first yoga therapy session. She was in a lot of pain. On her intake form, she marked areas of her body at a pain level of 8 or 9 out of 10. It was hard for her to get down on the floor to lay in Shavasana.
By the time she went through the 20 minutes of guided Ujjayi Pranayama with me, she was transformed. She got up easier. Her face was wider and her eyes clear and bright. She reported with surprise that all her pain had gone down and the chronic pain in her shoulder was much less.
What was the most significant was she sounded hopeful that she could actually get better. Amazing!
She was ready to take the practice home with her. That is the key. For the benefits of Ujjayi Pranayama are not only profound, but they are also cumulative. And yet, getting a steady home practice can be a challenge.
I even see longtime yogis who neglect this. When they come in for a session, I’ll ask them, “Have you been doing your Ujjayi Pranayama twice a day?” Often times, they haven’t. So that’s always where we begin. Once they get consistent with their Ujjayi, their healing really takes off.
It works because Ujjayi Pranayama works with your prana, your vital energy. Any tight or painful areas of your body are areas that are low on prana. They are shut down or even dying on the vine. When you do your Ujjayi, you not only move your breath, but you move your prana as well.
Lying on the floor in Shavasana is best so your spine is fully supported. Then as your breath moves, your muscles also release and your slow breath seeps through your body, enlivening even the shutdown areas.
Your mind too is soothed by the sound of your breath, quieting and turning it inward. When you settle deeper inside, you settle into the source of healing itself. Then healing happens from the inside out. It all starts with 20 minutes twice a day.
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