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| Is it rude / disruptive / annoying / inappropriate to engage in Ujjayi breathing in a non-Asthanga or Power Yoga class? |
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| tmarques - 2007-08-21 7:36 AM
Is it rude / disruptive / annoying / inappropriate to engage in Ujjayi breathing in a non-Asthanga or Power Yoga class?
Like any other technique, it needs to be viewed in the context of which it is being practised.
When I first began Iyengar Yoga from an Ashtanga background, I used to use ujjayi in class and my teacher told me to stop. So I did.
Having said that, within an Ashtanga context, I often hear people practising ujjayi to loud as well.
Jonathon
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| I'll side with jonnie on this one.
It is no more disruptive to do Ujjayi in a class than it is to hold your breath in class or whistle.
If the class is doing it and it has been instructed then do it. If those are not the circumstances then the issue is "why" would one do Ujjayi when the class is not. If one wants to do their "own thing" there is a place for that. It's called home.
For some it is merely a chance to show off how darn spiritual they are. Practitioners that "do" Ujjayi too loudly are either misinformed (ignorance) or on an Ego trip. Either one should be corrected by a sound teacher. |
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| I completely agree if ujjayi is soft and natural then its ok but if it is darth- vader loud then it is not, and its probably wrong,
Jonnie, how did Brian Cooper teach ujjayi? My ashtanga teacher taught me that it is a sound that emmanates from the bandhas and should not be aggresive or loud, more like the waves of the mediteraen, than darth- vader, another ashtanga teacher who had trained with swenson, pulled me up about my breathing and said it wasnt loud enough, when I tried it his way it drained my energy, so I stick with the first way |
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| Hi Rachel,
Brian teaches that it should be soft as well. He definately doesn't like it to be aggresive or loud.
When I worked with David Swenson he taught it the same way.
Jonathon
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| I've been taught this technique by all three teachers I've had (Sivananda, Iyengar, and Satyamvida) and all state that once learnt completely, it should be just about inaudible to anyone else so should not be disruptive at all.
If you are being taught another technique or the pose/sequence you are doing calls for specific breathing, then it would be ignorant to be doing something else. If not, then it should not be a problem. Indeed, my Sivananda swami said we should do it then as it is a warming practise that aids going deeper into the pose.
Fee
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| This is what Manju Jois said in an interview recently..
The breathing we use is called ‘dirgha
rechaka puraka’, meaning it is long, deep,
slow exhales and inhales. It should be
dirgha…long, and like music. The sound is
very important. You have to do the ujjayi
pranayama. You have to take the breath all
the way in and let it go all the way out. It’s
like blowing into clogged up pipes to
remove obstructions. In this way, even
diseases can be brought out. That’s why
dirgha rechaka puraka is so important.
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Hey Raquel!
I find the audible breathing really restorative. I don't disagree with you at all. But there's a fine line that will naturally get crossed when you are really focused on the breath.
Deep Ujjayi will bring up mucus and obstructions in the lungs. Sometimes the breath will get rattled, sure, and get too loud. You loose it or it gets trapped. One might go too far in the posture and the breath tells you by getting too loud.
The end of the exhale (rechakra) is a chance to find bandha and the beginning on the inhale (puraka) is a chance to maintain bandha. Finding and figuring this stuff out will be challenging and they will make sounds that are uneven in this process.
It is not easy to master. And it is very difficult to maintain during advanced asanas.
Anyway this has been my experience. |
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| We had a loud breather in class a couple of weeks ago. Loud meaning the entire room of 20 people could hear him. I had a thought - that maybe he was so deaf he couldn't hear his own breath. But then we went to the floor on our backs and I didn't hear him anymore - and then I had another thought "wow, I hope the teacher is checking on that guy maybe he passed out or something."
I've had him in various classes and only had one teacher that tried to instruct a quieter breath - although not directly to him. That's the problem with group classes.
That being said - I know my ujjayi is loud - probably too loud. But not so the whole room can hear it. I also seem to only have one volume. So my breath won't be noticed in a room full of 20 people where the teacher plays the music loud. But will be noticed in a class of 4 people - where no music is played and you could hear a pin drop.
I wasn't sure how to interpret Purna's comments. I ujjayi in all asana classes unless another breath is being instructed. Some teachers don't mention it at the beginning of class - some do. I'm not sure if the one's that don't instruct - neglect it because they assume you already know to do it - or neglect because they think people won't understand it.
I guess I'm wondering what classes you mean when you say "non-Ashtanga or Power Yoga class."
Vic |
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| vic, I meant any Hatha classes where Ujjayi is not the norm.
Naturally, I'll do whatever is asked by the teacher, but like you said, some won't even mention breathing, or will only give basic instructions. Ujjayi helps me focus, specially when holding postures for longer periods, so I tend to use it when not told otherwise.
I'm not loud by Ashtanga standards, but in smaller, non-music classes, it will be heard, so I was wondering whether it was considered a faux-pas. |
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| It's good to know to be mindful of this. I'm probably a little too strong with Ujjayi, now that it's been mentioned. The classes I've taken encourage it, but in other classes it would be ignorant to not adjust that I suppose.
It's like the new class I took last night, which was opened with three Aums (my usual classes open that way too, in which we all participate). Based on other people's reactions, participating was a mistake on my part. |
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| davidv2.2 - 2007-08-21 3:52 PM It's like the new class I took last night, which was opened with three Aums (my usual classes open that way too, in which we all participate). Based on other people's reactions, participating was a mistake on my part. What, like chanting's only for the teacher to do? |
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| Apparently in this case, that's what the students are comfortable with. It wasn't a normal situation though. It was a community class that's held at the apartment complex in which I live.
It's funny for me though, as going into picking up Yoga, I had (still have) the goal of approaching life lightly. Now I have situations where it was taken too lightly -- and in the context of a Yoga class :)
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| Sounds to me it's more about what the students are uncomfortable with, rather than what they're comfortable with. But then again, half the time I'm opening class with chanting om, mine is the only voice I hear in the room (and that's not by my choice!). |
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| The way I learned ujjayi is that it should be audible for your ears only, as a mantra of sorts, to help you stay focused, but not so loud that others can hear you. I think it's more about a technique of breathing so that the throat is slightly constricted, allowing you to breathe longer, rationing the breath so to speak, so that it lasts sufficiently for more rigorous asana practice. But then again, I don't practice Ashtanga nor power yoga.  There is one gentleman in class who always does a very audible "hmpfff!" when we lift up into wheel pose. Like he was a power lifter using the valsalva maneuver or something. I worry for him! |
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Breathing etiquette
