Yoga without pranayama

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

i dont have a yoga instructor, just been doing videos/books only the last few years. and i keep reading how dangerous pranayama is (especially without an experienced guru guiding you)

my question is is there a yoga style that does asanas but not pranayama? I also do tai chi and taichi says never to hold the breath or do anything other than breath naturally. I find that i dont need pranayama to feel energzied or calm… the asanas alone get me energized or calm. ive been mainly studying hatha yoga but hathas MAIN thing is breath control and i dont wanna end up with mental problems from doing them

#2

Dear Happyyoga,

Yogasana is one 8 limbs of Classical Yoga practice. Asana practice permits us to become more sensitive to the physical aspect of our being. Pranayama is a practice which integrates our physical with the other layers of our being, mental, emotional, and subtle life force (prana) - known in other traditions as Qi, Chi, or Spirit.

There are many forms of pranayama, and these have differing effects on our mental state and consciousness. It is recommended that you practice pranayama under the guidance of someone who has experienced these effects and can support and guide you as you chart previously unknown territory.

The simplest form of pranayam is simple breath awareness. Becoming familiar with the pattern, the rhythm and flow of your breath under various conditions (ease, stress, physical or emotional challenge), you can learn much about how you are in relationship to yourself, your thoughts and emotions, and others. It is a heightening and deepening of awareness.

If your goals in practicing asana are for exercise alone, you may want to find a teacher in the YOGAFIT tradition. To experience yoga as a process of wholistic development, I would recommend finding an experienced teacher who can introduce you to pranayama.

If you are interested in a basic breath awareness practice, you can simply sit in a comfortable position with the spine lengthened, and turn your awareness inward, observing the flow of breath as it enters and leaves your body. I instruct my beginning students to begin with simple breath awareness, and to maintain that during asana practice. The breath becomes one’s teacher. When we are calm and there is a relaxation of effort, the breath is naturally relaxed. When we are forcing or resisting, the breath pattern becomes forced as well. In this way, we link our asana practice to pranayama practice, becoming conscious of more subtle aspects of asana practice.

Namaste,
Chandra

#3

Thanks for replying.

I’m not new to the concept of breath awareness. I have been studying the breath for about 10 years now from various sources (tai chi, martial arts, meditation, yoga, psychology, hypnosis, and tons of breathing/relaxation techniques)

However even with all this study i find that the idea of most pranayama that aims to “control” the breath for archaic breathing techniques (that often have to do with holding the breath) range from not good for you to extremely bad for you. I do not practice yoga just for exercise, and i find that the asanas AND the philosphical side of yoga remains extremely amazing in it’s approach after hundreds and hundreds of years.

However, i’m not so sure the breathing (pranayama) aspects of yoga are still practical after what current research has shown about them. The researchers at breathing.com even go on to say that pranayama is a bad idea most of the time and every taichi master i’ve known says to never hold the breath.

So if simple “deep natural breathing” without any holding of the breath, is considered perfect and all you need to relax, why do yogis strive to control the breath? it’s clearly to go beyong simple relaxation. My question is are the altered states of conciousness they must induce healthy?

I would like to someday teach yoga, but i don’t want to teach (nor study) pranayama if i dont believe in it beyond simple breath awareness. So it would be suitable for me if i could train in a branch of yoga that focuses on asana (with simple breath awareness but not extreme exercises). Do you know such a style?

#4

I have certification from White Lotus Yoga Foundation and through Mukunda Stiles in Structural Yoga, and have had various workshops and trainings in other traditions. As an instructor, I need to experience the benefits of any pranayama which I teach, and be able to offer each student the practice which most suits their needs and goals.

Altered states of consciousness, are not necessarily those desired outcomes. Clarity, grounded and stable awareness of Reality, effects on the nervous system to assist to soothe or to invigorate as needed fall more squarely in my use of pranayama. I do not practice nor encourage any sort of forced breath holding or control. When you say you do not “believe in it”, I am hearing you say you do not believe there is a benefit to practicing it, as you clearly believe that such a practice has an effect. Understanding the purpose of the pranayama, and applying it in the correct manner to obtain the desired benefit requires training and experience.

I teach primarily 3 part wave breath, Ujjayi (Ocean Sounding) and alternate nostril breathing in group settings. These are generally calming and soothing practices. Additional pranayam practice is individualized. I do not know of any school of yoga which does not include a component of Pranayama.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras refer to pranayama in II47 to II 53. Serving as a gateway to meditation, and transforming our practice from one of an external to an internal practice - the mind becomes fit for contemplation.

Interesting post, glad to hear your concerns and perspectives. Would be interested to hear from others.

Namaste,
Chandra

#5

I went to Mukunda for his comments on this topic - see below.

Chandra
Moderator

25 May 2005 22:13 Post subject: Pranayama
Dear Mukunda,

There have been several posts on the General Discussion forum regarding the hazards and dangers of a Pranayama practice. Some are looking for a style of yoga which omits pranayama, others are concerned about anxiety, unsteady heart beats and other disturbances.

Your insight and comments regarding Pranayama, its benefits, its dangers and the need for proper guidance would be highly appreciated.

Jai Jai Ma,
Chandra

18 Jun 2005 21:20 Post subject: Pranayama

In general my major recommendation is to not mix styles. Every yoga tradition has a different direction (intention) for pranyama. One can learn the same named technique from 3 or 4 different schools and their prana and mind become confused. Thus its benefits are lost.

Optimal is to study deeply in one tradition that encorporates pranayama as a tool in the direction you wish to pursue. the basic practices balance the mind and can create peace; as in the Sivananda lineage. Other methods focus on pranayama as a healing tool for being free of physical or psychological diseases; as in the Bihar School. Some for directing the mind into positive thoughts and empowering prayer; as in Ananda Yoga. A few focus on pranayama for its ability to awaken the spiritual force and deepen devotion to the God/dess of your understanding; as in Kundalini and Tantrik Yogas. Still other focus on pranayama for maintaining mindfulness as in Asthanga Yoga. Many different directions. Best is to find a teacher you respect, one who has gone deep in the direction you wish to pursue.

namaste mukunda

#6

Hello

Paranayama, as asana, is one of the five steps that build the sequenze which leads to the final goal (samadhi). In this way, mastery of asana is a must so that ‘real’ pranayama happens (prana, and not only breath, control). When ‘real’ pranayama occurs, the state of pratyahara dawns, followed by true meditation (when mental waves flow naturally, without strain, to the object of meditation), and so forth…

In this respect, yoga without pranayama is an incomplete yoga.

It is said that the path of pranayama is prone to dangers as it may awake the coiled power too early harming the practicioner. In my opinion, nothing of this should happen in the case you behaved carefully. Do not overflow your capacity, follow the guidlines of a master, and enjoy.

Important: A satvic state of mind is a requisite when practicing it.

On the other hand, some pranayamas (for instance, auloma viloma, alternate nostril breathing) are not dangerous at all, and could be practiced by anyone.

Hope this helped.

Best regards.

#7

I’m also interested in practicing yoga without pranayama. Some major modern teachers seem to discourage it, e.g. Yogananda and Ammachi, with the apparent exception of Alternate Nostril Breathing in the Latter’s case. Namaste

#8

I have a few thoughts but keep in mind it is very late here, well past Yogic bedtime:-) And I’m already a bit Pitta so bear with eh?

One. A student learns pranayama the way they learn math. You learn rudimentaries first. You do not execute safe calculus before learning proper algebra, trig, division… Math is not unsafe. It has procedures and protocols tested over time. So too does pranayama. It is not pranayam that is dangerous. It is the careless instruction of calculus before division by geography teachers.

Two. Not every holy person is a holy person. Not every sage a sage. not every alruist without motive and agenda. Many claim to “levitate” but of those many only a few have truly white light. As a result, we must use care in tossing our eggs in the basket of this guru or that.

Three, there cannot be Yoga (capital Y) without Klesha, Yama, Niyama. It is not possible. Asana is possible. A warm fuzzy feeling after asana is possible. Weight management, stress reduction, and a cool chat with your friends are possible. But Yoga is not possible without Pranayama.

Four, to be concerned, to wield discernment is a very grounded, wise yogi. But dualities must always be considered. Why is it I am resisting pranayama? What else am I resisting? How am I approachhing pranayama? These are all relevant within the same vessel that “I don’t want to go insane” resides.

If you don’t want to practice pranayama don’t practice it. But make that an informed, conscious decision from some place other than fear or anxiety.

Bottom line of this diatribe is that proper pranayama, proper guidance, attentive student, equals so much more than samadhi which, if you read Auorbindo is a stop short of the bus terminal.

1 Like
#9

The cautions against pranayama are legion, and sadly, usually blithly ignored. Most people will agree that a qualified teacher is a requisite, but then give a very low definition of a qualified teacher - a yogi studio employee. I don’t think that’s what the scriptures had in mind.

We also need to remember that traditionally pranayama was only taught to a qualified student. What’s that? Well, one qualification that’s essential, but is (almost?) always overlooked, or at least defined out of existence, is brahmacharya. This means absolute celibacy - in word, thought or deed, this includes dreams. It does not include ‘sex within a loving relationship’ or anything like that. Sex interest is finished. Any qualified students out there? A qualified teacher would obviously be one who only teaches qualified students. Any qualified teachers out there?

There are other scriptural requirements which are rarely met. I also think many students and ‘teachers’ flatter or decieve themselves about their fitness for pranayama.

Also, BKS Iyengar writes “the yoga texts, including Patanjali’s, are emphatic in their view that one must gain PERFECTION in asanas before practising pranayama. This point is OVERLOOKED today, and many people think that any comfortable sitting asana is good enough for pranayama practice, and that pranayama may be safely practised without the foundation of asana (my caps).” However, I don’t remember reading the texts quite this way, comments? Svatmarama (Hathayoga Pradipika) does caution: “By the faulty practice of pranayama the yogi invites all kinds of ailments.” (2:16) Source: B.K.S. Iyengar’s introduction to Hathayoga Pradipika, visit http://www.yoga-age.com/pradipika/part1.html.

And again, what about the views of the aforementioned masters?

I do think we need more Hatha Yoga without pranayama. By the way, it is said the all the pranayamas happen spontaneously when one has progressed sufficiently (so in this way it’s essential).

It is also said that there’s no need to open the petals of a flower unnaturally.

Namaste.

#10

Ohhh your post is soooo sweet. I wished I had authored it myself. Sweeter still you provide foundation for your assertions in classical text. <deep sigh of relief> Thank you. There is hope.

I am not a Sanskrit scholar. And I do not know if you are.
However there are some other interpretations of Brahmacharya other than the one you’ve outlined. It is not in principal that I disagree. It is in interpretation of brahmacharya.

As I understand it, from my teacher, who is on the earth as a result of Iyengar’s work, began studying with him at age 7, was awarded his Advanced Yoga Teachers Certificate at age 22 (some 25 years ago), and has more degrees than a thermometer, brahmacharya translates as “wise use of sexual energy”. It would be difficult to take a definition that involves the phrase “use” and compare it to “absolute celibacy”.

It is important for others who might read this thread to understand that for some there is only one truth. For others there are layers. There are some things that even scholars still debate. One example is the identity of Patanjali. Many believe Patanjali to be one man. However some have asserted and others have agreed that “patanjali” refers to more than one person and that the writing style in the Sutras is not of one person.

You are right; many teachers take liberties with mudras and pranayama. Many are careless. Many do not teach things they themselves have brought into their body/mind/soul. True, true, and more true.

It would seem prudent for us as yogis, teachers, students, practitioners, ones who are “on path”, to use extreme care in shaping yoga philosophy into dogma. It is so easy, so common to apply western ideology to eastern thought and it defeats the very purpose yoga has come to us.

[QUOTE=amritaraj;3867]
We also need to remember that traditionally pranayama was only taught to a qualified student. What’s that? Well, one qualification that’s essential, but is (almost?) always overlooked, or at least defined out of existence, is brahmacharya. This means absolute celibacy - in word, thought or deed, this includes dreams. It does not include ‘sex within a loving relationship’ or anything like that. Sex interest is finished. Any qualified students out there? A qualified teacher would obviously be one who only teaches qualified students. Any qualified teachers out there?
[/QUOTE]

#11

Dear InnerAthlete,In writing in this forum I try to address the topic under discussion and to refrain from personal comments. I feel the questions in my last post are important and deserve serious discussion. Nothing in my last post was directed at you (if you took it that way). I don’t feel that the sarcasm in your ad hominem response is really justified.

Some of the issues that need to be discussed are certainly a) what constitutes a qualified pranayama teacher, and b) what qualifies a student for practice of pranayama. Any serious discussion of this matter requires that the issue be decided based on valid principles, so the question becomes one of deciding what those principles are. So how do we do that? The reason the scriptures have survived is because for generations, or rather, millenia, the community of serious practicioners have found them indispensible in this area.

#12

You are mistaken. My comments we far from sarcastic. You’ve jumped to two conclusions and they are both innacurrate. The first is that i was sarcastic, which I assure you I was not. And the second, that said sarcasm was a personal attack, which it was not.

It is entirely possible, no probable, for me to find the sweetness in your post. If you did not see it it is unfortunate, as I did. And I was mindful enough to craft my post over quite a period of time with quite a bit of thought and editing so as to not offend. It was honest praise for a post so close to my own position. The crafting of the post was designed to impart how closely aligned I was on the topic with an interpretive exception around Brahamcharya.

You’ve misinterpreted, completely and I am unsure from where you have drawn such a conclusion.

#13

In that case, its my mistake. I apologize.

#14

Perhaps we can consider this pranayam question by cutting to the bare bones of a Pranayama practice. Essentially, it is a practice of (a) becoming aware of one’s breath and life-force (prana) and (b) having a relationship with it.

Various techniques have been developed to control the breath in the hopes of achieving a resulting change in the subtle life-energy. Warnings are clear that instability may result from pranayma practices unless a degree of success with yoga has already brought a degree of stability in the sadhaka (practitioner). Indeed, the aim of in integrated yoga practice as outlined in the Yoga Sutras is one of transformation of one’s limited ego conscious state to one of higher consciousness. Our yoga practice then, is one of clearing away the false, opening the path for this life current to flow.

As Inner Athlete has pointed out, finding that one has a reaction to something (“I’m uncomfortable with pranayama”), whether the reaction is one of attraction or repulsion is a doorway to learning something about one’s ideas which may have been previously hidden. A valuable inquiry.

But back to the bare bones. Pranayama practice is at heart an inquiry. It is a deeply personal inquiry into one’s relationship with Life itself. Our lives are contained between the parenthesis of our first and last breath. It is unavoidably a part of our experience as yogis.

May this inquiry be fruitful and benefit all.
Namaste,
Chandra

#15

Yoga is a series of breathing exercises, often called pranayama, combined with physical postures, called asanas. The physical exercises increase the body's flexibility and strength. Various postures stretch and tone the body muscles and joints, prevent degenerative diseases, improve blood circulation and balance energy flow in the body.

Pranayama consists of inhaling and exhaling techniques that focus on breathing control. Pranayama helps in controlling the mind by controlling the breath. Pranayama also provides fresh oxygen to various parts of the body, thus enhancing their performance.

Pranayama is also a way to regulate one's emotions through certain breathing patterns. For example, if you are angry or excited or upset you can control your emotions by changing your breathing pattern to one that is slow and steady.

#16

If you do yoga asanas and pranayama, practice yoga asanas before pranayama. After practicing asanas, relax in shavasana before doing pranayama.

or you can go on ..
Dr Jambu Jain