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THE BREATH IN SUMMER
June 16, 2005
In this newsletter:
Dragonfly Review
Update on my May travels
This month’s Yoga of Sound Seminar
Retreat at the Warrenville Cenacle, June 17-19
Memorial Concert for my friend Wayne Teadale, June 18
A Kundalini breathing technique for you to practice this
month
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. Summer is here, and Contra
Costa County -- the area in which we live -- is about 10 to
15 degrees hotter than the Bay Area. We often feel like
we’re back in India; yet, interestingly, it’s more bearable
than the relentless Texan sun, under whose sharp scrutiny
we spend a couple of weeks last month.
First of all, I was delighted that my book, The Yoga of
Sound, made the Dragonfly review of books last month. If
you like to read this cogent summary of The Yoga of Sound
review, please visit my home page for the link.
During the second weekend of May, I had a wonderful
experience at the Benedictine Priory in St. Paul, Minnesota
and from there went on to spend nine days in Austin, Texas,
which ended up like a mini vacation.
Last week, I completed my seminar at Wisdom University,
which went off phenomenally well. This new name for the
University of Creation Spirituality is the result of our
new president, Jim Garrison, and his vision of a
politically active spirituality in the 21st century.
This weekend, June 17 to 19, I will be at the Warrenville
Cenacle on the outskirts of Chicago. I began presenting
here about 10 years ago with my dear friend, spiritual
brother and professional colleague, Brother Wayne Teasdale,
who passed on from this world last October. It will be my
first event there without him and I know that it will be
important time because it will help me go deeper with my
grief over his loss. I will be offering my concert there,
on June 18th, as a tribute to his memory.
This month, I am focusing more on my breathing – more
precisely, the deep full cycle breath (Mahat Yoga
Pranayama), which I describe in great detail in my book in
Chapter 13. This practice is the foundation for the optimal
generation of sound when chanting and singing and it is
also a key practice in working with the movement of energy
in Kundalini Yoga, at least in the style that I practice.
Here’s the condensed version for you to try during the
weeks that follow this newsletter.
Control the flow of air in and out of your lungs by
contracting the glottis and breathing audibly. It should
sound a bit like a gentle ocean wave. The key to the
technique is to send your breath into the bottom lungs
first and only then add air to the top part of the lungs.
When exhaling, release the air in the upper lungs first,
holding the breath in the abdomen. Only in second part of
your exhalation should you contract the abdominal muscles
to push out the air residing in the bottom of the lungs. It
should all be done in one smooth movement. This is a great
way to evacuate unwanted toxicity – physical, as well as
psychological – while at the same time charging the body
and the soul with vital energy. Don’t do this too
vigorously or it will produce too much heat in your body
and you don’t need that extra heat this time of the year.
Om Shanti!
In One Spirit,
Russill Paul Any content drawn from the public pages of this website must be properly referenced with all required citation information, including complete URL, authorship and date. To learn about terms and conditions regarding our products and services, please view our Company Policies Copyright 1998 to 2009, Russill Paul and Guha Soulworks LLC.
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