Meditation and Breath - Day Six of Yoga Teacher Training

We spent the day with a different teacher, Rachel, learning about meditation, breath, and Kundalini yoga. .

I did not know a lot about any of these topics before that session. It was a day filled with so much new information again for me, which I loved! I am also super grateful for the time in between session to review the information and "digest" it.

I found out I was a backwards breather, which explained why I was getting light headed during some breath work and why certain meditation involving the breath left me confused and frustrated instead of calm and relaxed like the majority of the students in the class.

The breath is so important in yoga and in life! We learned the anatomical aspects of it and how to pay more attention to how we breathe. Rachel suggested we pay attention to our own breathing this week in different situations...for example, do we hold our breaths or get a more shallow breath when we get stressed out?

Pranayama (conscious awareness of the breath) practice involved trying over six different ways that day. My favourites were Sheetali Pranayama (Cooling Breath) and Nadi Shodan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breahthing). It was fascinating to me to feel the difference between the practices, some had me giggling while others relaxed me completely.

We started our 40 day meditation practice and journaling. It is called Sat Kryia meditation. We are expected to do a 7 minute meditation followed by 7 minutes in Savasana (Corpse pose). We are journaling our thoughts after each practice. I am now on day 10 and getting a little more comfortable with the physical position. The environment was a big distraction at first for me, especially when shooting gun noises came from the video game in the next room! I found that playing a recording I found on the Insight Timer app. Practicing with a friend really helps me too.

The Five Ways of Prana and the Nadis were covered. I need to read more about both! I can see how learning about yoga and all the related components will be a life long journey, at least for me....and once that I will love.