In Out, iN ouT, What's it all about? July 19, 2008

This event is the second part of the 6-part Beyond Asana series from Darren Deojee. Read more at www.beyondasana.co.uk. The event runs from 3-6pm at The Yoga Rooms in Manchester. You do not have to do the whole series, simply pick the ones which suit you. You can read more about the whole series and costs below the event info.

Event Info:

Pranayama is much more than just controlled breathing, but it begins as soon as you start taking your attention to the breath and take it under conscious control instead of its usual natural subconscious state. It does not need to be one of the extreme techniques to be pranayama , just like you don’t need a complex or difficult pose to be practising asana – what matters is your awareness.

All breathing is ‘in, out : repeat as necessary’ – what makes each technique different is 3 things:

1) where we focus the actual physical breath

2) the duration

3) where our awareness and thoughts are before, during and after the breath.

In this event we will explore the essence of the breath working with the Law: Energy Follows Thought.

We will explore some traditional pranayama techniques as well as some simple breathing techniques for everyday life:how to manage in a tense situation, or around an intimidating crowd, exploring the breaths role in helping us:

- stay calm and centred

- become more aware of ourselves, or specific parts of us

- make energy move in our body and chakras- manage our boundary and power for our interactions in everyday life

- make new behavioural choices

Exploring prana and the breath is something that is not without dangers, which is why many teachers wait until students are experienced at asana before they give them any techniques, but this does not suit everyone.

Breathing exercises can be practised safely by anyone of a mature and respectful disposition, providing they understand what it’s for, and what the dangers are.

Pranayama, in its ultimate sense, is the science of managing the prana flow, or life force flow, in the body as necessary to deal with imbalances in energy flows, but it doesn't have to be studied in this fashion to get you started exploring the benefits of working with the breath.

This is why most teachers teach asana first, because it does teach breath control while the body is under duress...which is exactly how we find ourselves in daily conflict - under duress.

The only problem with this is that we are often not taught how to extend this skill from the practice of asana into the humdrum of everyday life...which is what this event is for!
By the end of this event you will:

Understand what pranayama is and why it is practised

Be able to perform 2 pranayama techniques

Be able to use a number of simple techniques for everyday life for different situations

Be armed to study pranayama techniques in your own time with a respectful confidence

About the Beyond Asana Series

The Yoga Sutras mention Asana the least of all the yoga practises, yet here in the West we have classes filled with asana and very little else.

These are not just talk throughs of 'doing it' like asana class. Other practises are not so simple as asana where you just copy the teacher because many of them are internal or subjective. This series picks on that and helps us understand what these practises are all about, why we practise them and what their individual, and collective, purposes are. This will then arm you to practise them on your own without worrying about 'am i doing this right' or becoming disheartened because you don't feel you are getting the benefits.

The full course costs £100/£50 conc. when booked in advance, or each event is £20/£10 when booked in advance or £25/£15 on the day. Booking is advised as spaces are limited.

Each event is advertised individually, or you can check the website www.beyondasana.co.uk for more information.

Official Website: http://www.beyondasana.co.uk