MAHAT YOGA PRANAYAMA &
SUKHA PURVAKHA PRANAYAMA
The Nostrils

Introduction

In all human endeavours which require study and many years of practice and training before eventually there is ease and confidence, there is a well defined preliminary process. That is, there are a series of practices and exercises, which slowly bring the student into a deep understanding of the subject matter. This is necessary in order to avoid misunderstandings and to highlight any preconceptions, but more importantly these early stages are the means by which the theories and practices can become a part of the person’s mind and body. It takes time to assimilate any new skill or knowledge so that in time the person comes to manifest and personify the spirit of the discipline. The eventual goal is to reach a point where the action is intuitive and appears to be natural and without strain. , to a time where it will not be possible ‘ to tell the dancer from the dance’ (W.B.Yeats).

An analogy : For the guitarist to learn to play the instrument there is a long period of conditioning the fingers of one hand and bringing dexterity to the fingers of the other. The beginner must come to know the physicality of the guitar, how it feels, how it can be balanced and held. The nature and sounds of the strings and individual notes must become part of the students hearing skills. When the love of the music and the required skill levels to evoke the piece of music come together, then there is something magical: a great musical performance. Can you tell the musician from the music?

When beginning pranayama (the fourth limb of Patanjali’s classical ashtanga yoga), there should be a great similarity in approach to the student of the guitar. I say ‘should be’ , because it seems that in general the yoga student approaches pranayama in a very non-considered way. An approach akin to someone who picks up a guitar for the first time and attempts to play La Grima by Tarrega. ! He or she can’t read music, don’t have the required strength in their fingers, are ill at ease with the shape of the guitar. The sound as you can imagine would not be to the composer’s liking and would be light years away from the original concept of the piece. Similarly a yoga student might attempt an ‘advanced’ pranayama, such as Bhastrika or Sitali etc, or indeed extended Kumbhakas (breath retentions) without having an understanding or awareness of the shape and capacity of the lungs (instrument), how to inhale/exhale (fingering), the nature of the air/prana (music) or the purpose and benefits of the discipline (the inspiration for the piece of music).

Mahat Yoga Pranayama

Mahat Yoga Pranayama means full and complete inhalation and exhalation. This preliminary practice also consists of its own preliminary and intermediate stages. We begin with Vibhagha Pranayama, i.e. sectional or lobular breathing. It is necessary to bring awareness of the sections of the lungs by means of selected asanas, which helps with feeling, or at least ‘sensing’ the breath reaching this area with the inhale and leaving from this area with the exhale. Using the relevant mudra (hand gesture) will also enhance the awareness by effecting the area in the brain, which contains the ‘map’ of the lung section we are dealing with. There have been studies which show that people who’s work requires intricate use of fingers have associated health benefits for the brain and remain lucid well into old age e.g. artists, musicians, craftsmen and women. This seems to suggest a strong link between the use of the nerve lines from fingers to brain. Simply speaking, if areas of the body are under utilised the related areas in the brain quite soon atrophy.

After the sections of the lungs have been explored sufficiently the student can then experience the full yogic breath and practice this for as long as desired. In fact, I feel that this is a complete practice in itself and should always be returned to when energies are low or recovering from an illness, overtiredness or stress.

Section of Lungs	Asana	Mudra	Reason
Adham pranayam Inferior lobe, upper abdomen, diaphragmatic movement	Ustrasana	Chin	enhance awaremness Of lungs, breath & limitations
madhyam pranayam Middle lobe, mid-chest & intercostals,thoracic movement	Matsyasana	Chinmaya	as above
Adhyam pranayam Superior lobe, high chest, clavicular movement,	Mahamudra	Adhi	as above
Mahat yoga pranayam Full & complete breath	Padmasana	Brahma	expand capacity For endurance and ease of breath, to gain longevity and to be more energised.

Sukha Purvaka Pranayama

Sukha Purvaka Pranayama is the next stage of study and work which eventually will lead the practitioner to the more advanced and classical pranayama techniques. There are a number of variations/modifications of Sukha Purvaka (see Fig II), which are all designed to bring increased experiential knowledge of the connection between the breath and the mind, and further, to increase the physical conditioning of the lungs and instil greater confidence with breath elongation and retentions.

There are many potential dangers if a person overlooks this preparation stage, unless they are led skilfully by a teacher or guru and proceed carefully and with patience. It is best not to expect results and just follow the instructions and practices faithfully and in time (though sometimes quite quickly) there will be experiences, which will be pleasant and energising. Sukha Purvaka has the meaning of easily extending the breath. ‘Sukha’, can be translated from the Sanskrit as easy or without stain and is an important word here i.e. pranayama is incorrectly practised if it brings anxiety or exhaustion. Therefore, it is very beneficial to spend some time conditioning the lungs and nadis with the practices outlined below.

I have found from personal experience that Sukha Pranayama and especially the Sama Vrtta stage, to be illuminating with regard to posture, breath and focus. What I mean by this is that, I have discovered the connection between body and mind and how body and mind becomes one by means of the breath. I have felt that in practicing Sama Vrtta I am in fact practicing asana (posture: padmasana), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (fine tuned awareness to breath only), Dharana (counting the length of the breaths and the number of rounds), Dhyana (virtually thoughtless but fully awake state).

The final phase in these practices is Savrtti Pranayama, where the rhythm of the breath is changed, so that the inhale/exhale is twice the length or duration of the held breath (kumbhaka). This is also the point where classical pranayama now begins.

Sukha Purvaka Variation	Rhythm	Difficulty (1-10)
Sukha		1
Loma (holding breath in)	8/8/8	2
Viloma (holding breath out)	8/8/8	2
Sukha Purvaka (holding breath in/out)	8/8/8/8	3
Entending duration	Up to 16/16/16/16/16	5 – 8
Savritti	8/4/8/4/ up to 16/81/6/8	2 – 10
	8/4/8/4 means, inhale for 8 / hold for 4 / exhale for 8 / hold for 4

1	One of the primary purposes of the nostrils is to filter the contents of the air and enable the the sense of smell to identify the chemical make-up of the various particles in the air i.e. the scent of something such as food, flowers, and even on a more refined level, situations containing danger or people’s true feelings about things.
2	Another main purpose of the nostrils is to facilitate breathing.
3	The focus of this review will be to outline all those aspects of the nostrils relating to the act of breathing.
4	With awareness of the skin of the nostrils one can sense to beginning and the end of the breath as the cool air enters the nostrils in inhalation and the warm air exits in exhalation.
5	The nostrils should be kept clean and healthy in order to maintain the vitality of the entire being i.e. body and mind.
6	There is a pranayama called Anunasika which facilitates in keeping both the nasal passages and the inner nostrils clear of mucus, air pollutants and irritants.
7	A more comprehensive method or kriya (cleansing technique), to clear the nostrils is to use a neti pot with warmed, salted water. This is very effective and indeed very energizing because of the stimulating effect on the glands in the head. There is also a pleasant feshness left in the nostrils.
8	The more common method of simply " blowing" the nose is useful to a degree but can never be as effective as points 6 & 7.
9	It is important that the inner lining is cleared and remains sensitive to the "touch" of air during the inhalations and exhalations of pranayama.
10	By means of the warm and moist lining of the inner nostrils the air is conditioned before entering the deeper parts of the respiratory system.
11	The hairs of the inners nostrils are designed to filter the particles that are of no value to the system. It can be noticed that the hairs grow in towards the centre and the front of the nasal passage forming a trellis like structure which is also multilayered making a very effective defence system against airborne particles.
12	If there is too much mucus on the linings or hairs the sound of the breath at the nostril will be noticed, if these are clear the breath will be silent.
13	The air should move centrally through the nasal channel i.e. not ‘bouncing’ off the skin of the nostrils.
14	In Ayurveda it is recommended that after cleansing (especially with neti), that to rub a little almond oil on the inner nostrils would be very beneficial.
15	If a neti pot is not to hand it is quite effective to simply cup the hand and fill with warm water and sniff the contents into one nostril, clear this then the other nostril.
16	The natural and almost involuntary cleansing response is to sneeze. This is generally triggered when the very sensitive membranes at the nostrils detect something unwelcome entering the nasal passages, such as pollen in summer time or dust in a room etc
17	Another important function of the nostrils is to allow the correct volume of air to enter the body. It can be noticed that the outer nostrils will flare when the person is very active and needs extra oxygen such as in walking or dancing etc.
18	Breathing through the mouth is always to be avoided, except in certain circumstances like running and sports in general.
19	It is thought that people who habitually breathe through their mouths can over time weaken their hearts and lungs.
20	In yoga it is purported that the flow of air is generally more dominant in one nostril, and that at different stages in the day the dominant nostril alternates.
21	There is a practice known as Swara Yoga, which outlines how and why the breath alternates between nostrils and moves throughout the body. When the breath is flowing through the left nostril the ida nadi is active and this is conducive to mental activity, when the breath flows through the right nostril the pingala nad is activie and this is conducive to physical activity. When the breath flows evenly through both nostrils then the sushumna nadi is active and this then is conducive to spiritual activity.
22	Some swimmers use a device to close the nostrils when doing the front crawl. I have tried this but feel that it is much better and healthier to manage the nostrils with sensitivity and awareness instead and exhale any excess water through the mouth and nose. This is another exceptional situation where it is preferable to then inhale quickly through the mouth.
23	The nostrils, in panic terms, are also the gateways to the nadis known as ida and pingala.
24	The nostrils are manipulated in pranayama practices such as nadi shodana to adjust to flow of air/prana in the different nadis.