Kundalini Yoga – Breath Suspension To Release Addictions

By Author: Guru Rattana
Total Articles: 6
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Pranayama is an integral component of our Kundalini yoga practice. We can take advantage of the powerful effects of the breathing exercises to train ourselves to pay attention and to become more conscious human beings.



Suspending the Breath is one of the powerful breathing techniques in Kundalini Yoga. There is a natural pause between our inhalation and exhalation. During our Kundalini Yoga practice, we prolong this pause to create certain beneficial effects.

When we say hold the breath in or out, we usually mean to suspend the breath, which involves more than simply holding the breath in or out. Suspending our breath is preceded by a long, intentional and complete inhale or exhale. During this pause, the diaphragm, shoulders, face and abdomen relax. In fact, the whole body relaxes and is in a state of dynamic allowing.

During Kundalini Yoga practice, when we suspend our breath, we are in a neutral state, our thoughts stop, our mind stops, and our emotional responses stop because there is no thought to react to. During this brief ...
... moment when our energy is not controlled by outside and subconscious forces, we get a peak at our soul and the Infinite within.

Kundalini Yoga Touchstones during Breath Suspension

During this brief moment of suspended animation, we are indeed very alive! Here are some awareness touchstones to take advantage of these precious moments.

1. Focus your attention in your inner space and become more conscious of the vastness and the unknown within.

2. Pay attention with your subtle sensory system and feeling awareness to what is happening energetically in your being.

3. Practice containing your energy in your body and aura by feeling the aliveness inside your skin.

4. Gently apply the bhandas or locks, to raise the Kundalini and intensify your experience of aliveness. Avoid creating tension while applying the locks.

5. Mentally chant a divine Kundalini Yoga mantra, which makes it easier to hold the breath longer.

Benefits

Kundalini Yoga Pranayama and suspending the breath are both energizing and relaxing.

Holding the breath IN affects the sympathetic nervous system, which is activating and stimulating, puts the body on alert mode and can raise our blood pressure temporarily.

Holding the breath OUT affects the parasympathetic nervous system, which is relaxing, puts the body on let go mode and can lower the blood pressure
temporarily.

In general, the pranayama of Kundalini Yoga balances our blood pressure and many have experiences that the achieve a necessary lowering of blood pressure.



Releasing Addictive Urges Formula

We can stop an addictive urge by suspending our breath on the INHALE. The simple Kundalini Yoga formula is inhale, suspend, exhale. Then repeat inhale, suspend and exhale 7-15 times.

Do this sequence 7-15 times, when you feel the urge for a cigarette, drug, drink, sugar or have a desire that you wish to release. The body's metabolism under goes a change that substitutes oxygen for nicotine or the need.

Do this Kundalini Yoga routine several times a day when an urge or desire appear that you would like to eliminate. Continue for 7 or 15, 20 or 40 days for until you are free of the urge or desire.

It is powerful and recommended to mentally chant a Kundalini Yoga mantra of your choice while suspending your breath. It is easier to hold your breath in or out and it gives an added bonus of imprinting a positive vibration and message in your mind.

Guru Rattana Ph.D. received her MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and earned her Doctorate in Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (University of Geneva, Switzerland). A renowned author of ground-breaking manuals on Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, and a teacher of teachers, she studied with Yogi Bhajan for 30 years. Currently living in San Diego, CA, she is President of Yoga Technology LLC –www.yogatech.com.