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| I can't for the life of me get these students to breath.
Does anyone know a sure fire way to get student to use Ujjayi breathing?
Edited by TampaEric 2007-09-26 9:10 AM
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| If you haven't had to call 911 lately - then they must be breathing right? 
I am confused though - the title of your post says shallow breathing whereas your question asks about ujjayi breathing.
Although I think ujjayi and deep breathing go together - I don't think the two are synonymous. I think ujjayi refers to the sound - whereas deep breathing would refer to the quality of the breath.
You might want to say more about the problem. What percentage of the class engages? Of that percentage - how many go the entire class with ujjayi and/or deep breathing?
If they start and then stop - at what point do they stop?
Lastly - how do you know they are not engaging in ujjayi and/or deep breathing?
Vic
Also do you give time for a deep breath? For a long inhale - I need a long exhale. Lots of teachers are instructing for an inhale long before I have finished my exhale. Needless to say I'm the student in the back of the room - going at my own pace. Teachers teach breathing differently and if your students are taking classes from different teachers - they are probably getting mixed messages about breathing. |
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| It's a constant problem in all my classes.
I would say maybe 20% do ujjayi correctly. The other half don't it or only breath to about 1/3 of their capacity. Could it be that their chests are so tight that they can't fill it up in puraka?
I think they stop after the sun salutes mostly. It's so quiet, I can't stand it. I go right up next to them and I can't hear anything and they are not sweating their bodies are cold!
I seriously could melt the snow around me doing the breath alone..
tonight I will try using the Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa method through the mouth in exhale (rechakra) and see if that makes a difference. I spend so much time instucting it that I feel like I'm wasting my time sometimes.
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| Dear TampaEric: Please do not use mouth in the breathing. That shall add one more bad thing to their plate. |
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| Well, this would be for just three breaths to find the sound.
I'm not sure what I'm doing yet.. looking for the right words.. perhaps I'm just dealing with a lot of beginners and it will come.... |
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| When you say you'll tell them to use their mouths, do you mean as in fogging a mirror? That's how I was first introduced to ujjayi: breathe out from your mouth onto your hand as if you were holding a mirror there and you wanted to fog it up. Now keeping the hand there, close the mouth and breathe out the same way. I'm not sure why, but having the hand there in front of the mouth for rank beginners helps them understand what needs to be done, even if no breath comes on to the hand. Working with beginners is very challenging, especially if you personally tend to be very naturally adept with body awareness, physical strength and just general concentration. It's hard to understand sometimes WHY they just don't get it, when it comes so easily to you yourself. Also, everyone learns differently; some are visual, some are aural, some are tactile... and others still just won't ever learn (or at least that's how it feels). I've been very fortunate to have worked with some of the most challenged learners around.  You really tend to develop a sense of patience that way, as well as a knack for metaphor and examples. Good luck, and keep breathing! |
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| Thank you.
I will give it a try and let you know how it works out.
I just don't understand how after 10 sun salute these students are cold to the touch. It amazes me.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Well, beginners are beginners so it is pretty natural that they won't be getting everything 100%. But you already know that... I just read a newspaper clip recently that said experienced athletes start to sweat much more quickly than non-athletes. So that may answer part of the question. The other thing is that people's body temps vary a ton and vary at different times of day. If you had a room full of 50 year old women, you might see some pools on mats 
I know we don't work from the same perspective in asana practice, but I would be a lot more concerned about safety in alignment with beginners than with breath. I'm happy to just see them not turning purple from holding their breath.
I go to a bodyworker (Hellerwork) who has a sign on the ceiling right above the massage table. I have never actually seen it in many, many visits because I always take off my glasses. (Seriously - I noticed the difference in the colour of the ceiling and thought it was an air duct...) but I finally discovered it yesterday. It says "Think less, breathe more."  |
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| Well, I did try the the fogging up a mirror last night and it seems to really work. I had a big class and their breath (not mine) carrying me through the class. It was a very powerful class and I so glad I took the time to post here about it.
You guys are my collective teacher.
I was very happy about last night's class.
Regading sweat. Yes, I worry that people are not doing the breathing right and not putting enough energy in to the practice. But last night was much better.
Now, I need to get my 6:45 a.m. class on track.
think less, breathe more!
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| Hi Eric, in one class I was in the teacher mentioned that Ujjayi breathing burned more calories, and right away you could hear more effort going into the breathing. |
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| Oh, I can only imagine.
Well, I have to go to my practice at lunch today. Thanks everyone. |
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| Eric, I think you should try to do a few things that some of my teachers have done with classes I've been in that I think really worked for me.
1 - Remember, as their instructor you need to teach them how to breath. The first 4-6 weeks I was going to class I had no idea how I was supposed to breathe. Then one of the instructors really put it clearly. "Sound like darth vader", "Send the breath down the back of your throat", etc.
2 - Perhaps find a good posture for them to start with at the beginning of class that helps them along with their breathing. I find that sitting in seated, one hand on the heart and one hand on the belly. This way they can feel their chest lifting and their belly sinking. This will get them started on the correct path to how proper breath actually FEELS.
3 - Don't stop stressing the importance of the breath and its relation to the their practice. Remind them several times in class of this. Saying something like "I don't hear anybody breathing!" Remind them that one of (if not THE) most important parts of the practice is indeed the breath and by breathing properly they'll receive increased benefits of all the asanas and their overall practice.
4 - You yourself should be breathing to start the class and next to the students while you're walking around. Them hearing do it will reinforce its importance.
Anyways...hope this helps.
Edited by brian48026 2007-10-23 11:14 AM
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| Hey Brian,
Yes, thanks for adding that to the site.
I'm doing a lot of those things on a regular basis. I just got trapped in a funk by a few quiet classes. Things are much better now.
I use a few verbal cues: Darth Vader, fogging up a mirror, whispering with the mouth closed. The haaaa sound on exhale through the mouth, etc.
I usually start standing, but there might be a time later to do the seated, hands on heart and belly.
I do remind them all the time...that is why I was so frustrated with the response...
I have a powerful breath and usually do the breathing with them, too.
We are on the same page with this Brian.
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| How spread out are your students, and how big is the room?
What if you have them sit closer together and keep reminding them that the person next to them should be able to hear their breath.
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| When I was introduced to Ujjayi, I got it pretty quickly, but had trouble mantaining it throughout the practice. Maybe I'm like the anecdotal blonde who can't chew gum and walk at the same time, but keeping track of Ujjayi, bandhas AND drishtis when I was already having enough trouble with the asanas? Too much.
The teacher would usually walk by and breath loudly if she noticed I had lost it. It was enough to remind me. Of course I'd instantly lose a bandha, but that's beside the point.
I guess what I'm trying to say is it might not be that a student doesn't understand what they are supposed to do, or doesn't see it as important... Maybe they are just overwhelmed and need time to adjust. |
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| In this case, a huge room with 12-15 students.
I've been encouraging them to come closer.. come closer...
I think new students feel like they need all this room around them when really they would be better off closer. |
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| It's a challenge for all of us. The teachers and students included
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Location: London, England | Hi eric,
Put 'em on a treadmill 
Nick |
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shallow breathing
