#4 Thai Yoga PranaYama
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Breath science is the facilitation of the five Pranas. We will learn a little later that prana is a word, but there are many kinds – Udana, Samana, Pranaprana, Vyanaprana, Apana etc. When we use the word Prana, in general, it is considered generic. There are different things we can do to bring emphasis and explore these different kinds of Prana. It is very valuable to do so. Learning how to breathe may be one of the most important things a person can learn.
As a practitioner and coaching with your client in how to breathe (that they should have an intentional element in their breath life if they have one) is a miraculous intervention. When you are working with people, you can show them first hand and directly the value of participatory experience in breathing. That is for you also. Bandhas, locks and wind gates (Thai Lom), Mudras and Mantra, focusing and directing energy. Remember we talked about mantras are the manipulation of energy with your mouth making sounds – its Prana and sound. A Mudra is Prana and movement. Mudras are motion and breath. Mantras are sound and breath. These both focus and direct energy.
Cultivate awareness of breath and intention. In other words, breathe on purpose. Another thing I like to say is, “when in doubt, breathe it out.” If you don’t know anything else to do at any given moment in time, then you already know there is one thing you can and must always do; that is to breathe.
Breathe with intention.
If you cant do anything else in a situation in life where there is literally no other choice before you – physically, emotionally, intellectually or otherwise, in the absence of choice, there is always one left – take a breath. Then you find out that since breath is the basis for life…in other words, we are brought into life with breath…then it never goes away. From first to last, the breath is what defines our incarnation in the world of organic life. That’s our story of life – a story of breath.
When I start to consider this, I start to realize that Pranayama might be worth more investigation. Pranayama might be a key to many things. In fact, Pranayama might even be the key to every thing.
What happens when you bring breath focus into any possible human activity? It changes.
Here is a Thai Yoga Therapy exercise: Pick something that you normally do without have a breath focus with intention. It can be anything like reading a newspaper or listening to a song, even making your oatmeal or dinner. Do that activity from beginning to end with a focus on your breath. See how that goes. It will show you something. That’s why in everything we do and in every position, with every touch, it is meant to be an extension of the breath. If everything you do on the mat is not an extension of the breath, you are not doing SomaVeda®. You are doing something LIKE SomaVeda® Thai Yoga. In SomaVeda®, all of the pressure is meant to be an extension of the breath. That’s the first extension of consciousness in the organic world. Physical pressure in the world of me communicating my intention and attention is through the tool of the breath. That’s the tool we’ve been given.
SomaVeda® Thai Yoga Eight Fold Path
Thai Yoga Eight Fold Path is part of the Lines, Wheels, Points and Remedies: SomaVeda® Level Four Ayurveda and Thai Traditional Medicine and Taditional Thai Massage (Yoga Therapy) course taught to all students in the 200 Hr. SomaVeda® Thai Yoga Practitioner Certificate class held at the US National Home for Traditional Thai Massage based healing arts, The Thai Yoga Center in Brooksville, Florida. End hand injury, hand pain and stress now. Learn SomaVeda® Thai Yoga, Ayurveda and Indigenous Traditional Natural Medicine. www.ThaiYogaCenter.Com