Yoga Life

Ana Fernandes

“Imagine the central line of the body as vividly as possible like an imaginary plumb line running from the crown of the head down through the middle of the chest and abdomen, through the center of the pelvic floor, all the way down to the earth’s core. The plumb line serves as a reference point for balance and stability within the body and may also be imagined as any stabilizing configuration within the body’s core, say as breath, a shaft of light, or a pattern of energy. To establish the ujjāyī breath, imagine that the heart floats on this central axis like a lotus flower floats in a pool of still water. The base of the plumb line is stabilized as the sitting bones, coccyx, and pubic bone drop, causing the pelvic floor muscles to tone. If you are grounded through the root of the body this way and the heart area feels free and open, then breathing is easy. If you are disconnected at any point along that central line—if the heart is constricted, tense, or closed, or if the pelvic floor is asleep—then ujjāyī breathing is not happening.” THE ART OF VINYASA Awakening Body and Mind through the Practice of Ashtanga Yoga RICHARD FREEMAN and MARY TAYLOR #ujjāyī #ujjayipranayama #ujjayibreathing #prana