Breath practices increase intelligence

One of the most notable effects of doing massive amounts of breath practices in the morning is that it increases your attention, memory and your intellectual functioning. Don’t take my word for it. Prove it to yourself. If you do lots of breath practices, this quicker, more nimble functioning of the mind becomes obvious. You will become highly alert and focused. You will find that you will be more articulate and more creative. You will have a brighter mood, and feel more energized and happier in your life.

"Praana activates Prajnaa, and Prajnaa then guides the Praana" Kausitaki Upanishad.

In more understandable terms, breath practices awaken the higher intelligence and the higher intelligence then guides the life force. This is the yogic understanding.

For most people, praana, the life force is on automatic pilot carrying out all the functions of the body while our minds are busily occupied with our day to day activities. On the yogic path, the practice of breath (praanaayaama) are designed to build up, focus and shape the life force. This activity awakens a higher intelligence that is latent and not fully realized when praana is left on autopilot. The breath leads the way, the mind follows and in time, there is a blossoming, a quantum leap in cognition. The life force intelligence awakens.

In classical Yoga, Aasana (postures) are a foundational prerequisite for the later stages to flower. At the stage of praanaayaama, yogis use the life force practices to awaken the innate, latent, life force intelligence. “Prajnaa” in the yogic tradition has the meaning of “praana jnaana.” Once this higher intelligence is awakened, prajnaa then spontaneously guides the praana. This is the teaching of Swami Kripalu and many other yogis.

In mainstream Buddhist traditions, mind leads the way. It is all about the mind. Mind matters most. The teaching usually is that one should be mindful of the breath, “bare breath” and breath practices like praanaayaama are to be avoided. Consequently, “Prajnaa” has a very different meaning in Buddhist Minfulness practice. The mainstream Buddhist path is significantly different. The word "prajna" is often translated as "wisdom." Prajnaa is defined as "insight into the nature of the way things are, ie. the truth of the Buddha's teachings, the truth of impermanence, suffering, and no soul." It's the same word with very different meanings, from different times, usages and teachers.

Joining the Sanskrit debating society, and how one word has different meanings in different times and traditions is a wonderful endeavor and can be an enlivening discussion for a few people. However, there is no substitute for doing your own work. Develop a systematic practice that everyday gets you to your pillow.

In the upcoming Advanced Course, I can guide you safely to where I have gone. Developing a massive praanaayaama practice is possible for everyone. I problem solved the significant road blocks (boredom, loss of focus, tired arm and shoulders and other common problems) that have held most yogis back. There is going to be a new appreciation of Alternate Nostril Breath and the ancient Kripalu breath tradition once you experience how I rewired the practice. This is a modern practice based in an ancient tradition. It is simple enough, a kid could follow this.

The biggest problem is that most people, including yogis, underestimate the breath.

Most modern yogis believe breath practices are just Ujjayee with flowing poses. Some know of praanaayaama as a module they did in Teacher Training for an afternoon. Or praanaayaama is conceived of just being Breath of Fire, which makes everyone super peppy. These are known things that are known.

The praanaayaama of Swami Kripalu involves taking Alternate Nostril Breath really far. This kind of praanaayaama practice is very much an “unknown unknown.” We don’t know, what we don’t know. We are not even aware of what we don’t know.

Let’s say you do 5 minutes of Vinyaasa posture practice. You know, from your own experience, that 5 minutes of vinyaasa is not the same as 90 minutes of vinyaasa practice. We all agree that 90 minutes of vinyaasa is a completely different universe than 5 minutes. They are worlds apart.

Most skilled and competent modern yogis do maybe 5 minutes of alternate nostril breath, Anuloma Viloma, or 10 minutes at most. After a brief practice, they feel good and then they stop. The obstacles to continuing with Anuloma Viloma start coming. They stop. By sheer force of will, one day they might grind their teeth and tough it out for 24 minutes, but will power and force is not going to work for very long. Will power and force is not how praanaayaama works. They might push it to 24 minutes of Anuloma Viloma and then “Ego depletion” hits (see previous blog post.).

The obstacles to Anuloma Viloma are so great that most yogis are easily defeated. Praanaayaama practice is just “too boring,” and it “hurts your shoulder,“ “it is just too willful” and “of what use is it?” Most yogis say, “I did my 10 minutes of breathing; I am good.” In this upcoming course, I will slowly guide you to 24 minutes of Anuloma Viloma practice in a few months that will become effortless! And then course goes beyond that.

Most yogis project from the 5 minute experience that a really big Anuloma Viloma (24, 48 minutes or more) practice just isn’t worth the time or effort to develop. Why would you do such a thing? This is what is meant by unknown unknown. You don’t know, what you don’t know. You will never know what 90 minutes of vinyaasa feels like if you only do 5 minutes.

It is likely that your breath rate will greatly decrease from 12 breaths per minute, to 5 breaths per minute to 2 breaths per minute, without struggle or ratios or forcing. Mind follows and things gets really quiet down there.

I can show you the way. Joyfully, I can hold your hand to get you there. I have traveled the path and can bring you along. Once you know how, it is not that difficult. This path will take you many months to a year. You don’t have to be talented, flexible or smart. You just have to be persistent.

Begin This Next Breath Course for the first 40 days.