Why practice pranayama?

Tantric vinyasa yoga teacher Jim Bennitt explains that when you can learn to control the breath, you can learn to control the mind. Prana means "vital life force" and yama means "to constrain or control." The practice of pranayama is about modifying the breath to control the life force which in turn helps to control the mind.

This workshop, Fundamentals of Pranayama, is excellent for beginners, teachers who want a refresher on how to teach a variety of breathing techniques, and the experienced practitioner who wants to be guided through their pranayama practice.

Learn pranayama that you can use to energize, calm, or cool yourself, and to get centered. After completing each breath practice, take the time to feel the effects it had on your nervous system and your mind.

For example, you may discover that energizing breaths are best to practice in the morning and can prepare you for more active yoga classes, and that the calming breaths are better to practice in the evening and can prepare you for restorative classes. By taking inventory at the end of each pranayama practice, you can become more attuned to the needs of your body and the quality of your thoughts.

Take this 1-hour workshop to explore:

• The following breathing techniques: (victorious breath),  (alternate nostril breathing), (skull shining breath), (bumble bee breath), (cooling breath) and (hissing breath).

• The answers to frequently asked questions about pranayama.

• The use of ratio fundamentals, which include breath retention and lengthening the inhales and exhales to create an energizing or calming effect.

• A short and sweet asana sequence to prepare you for the pranayama practices.

• How to use your throat and nose as valves to extend your breath.

• An in-depth description of each practice and how it relates to asana.