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life-changing treatments
breathwork
The breath: We cant live without it, but not just in the
physical sense. Conscious breathing puts you in touch
with your core self, who you are and what you feel on the
deepest soul level, says Mark Whitwell, renowned yogi
and founder of the Yoga of Heart movement. Focused
breathing enables you to feel deeply what it is to be alive,
which then allows you to get in closer touch with other
aspects of life including intimacy with yourself first
and then with others.
Breathwork instruction helps to restore natural
breathing patterns obscured by time and stress, encour-
aging deep breathing through the diaphragm and belly
rather than from the upper chest. Proper technique
reduces tension while it fully oxygenates our bodies. It
can also aid in digestion by gently massaging the abdom-
inal organs.
There are various styles of breathwork none right,
none wrong. Pranayama is the most common style found
in the spa and yoga worlds and includes: abdominal
lower chest breathing to relax the nervous system and
calm the mind; dirgha using the lungs at full capacity to
increase energy and improve metabolism; ujjayi the soft hissing breath often referred to
as the ocean sound or Darth Vader and frequently used during meditation; and nadi
shodhana a finger-to-nostril holding breath particularly effective for migraines. S.M.
Ujjayi Pranayama The Basics
Mark Whitwell, founder of the Yoga of Heart movement, offers these two
easy ways to begin a breathwork practice. The overriding principle
of yoga is to stay with the breath, as it provides the method to realize ones
highest potential, he explains. Everything in yoga, all of the poses, stances
and chants are there to facilitate the breath through the body.
UJJAYI PRANAYAMA Sitting relaxed and cross-legged on the floor, breathe
in and out through your nose, alternating nostrils with the use of your ERICKA MCCONNELL. STYLIST: DONNA MARIA DUARTE. TANK BY ZOOEY. BIKINI BY MALIA MILLS. PHOTOGRAPHED AT
fingertips while making a sound with your throat on the exhale. The use
of alternate nostril breathing develops and refines each side that is
Classic Asana
emphasized. The inhalation/exhalation on the left is calming (female) and
the right is energizing (male). Do four inhalations and exhalations, then
reverse for four more. COMO SHAMBHALA AT PARROT CAY; ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA COBB.
CLASSIC ASANA Start in a standing pose (samasthiti) with your hands touch-
ing in front of your heart as in prayer. While you inhale through your nose,
extend your arms above your head, hands still touching. As you begin to
exhale, part your hands slowly, opening your arms and bring them back
to your original position. Repeat five times.
82 SPA WORLDWIDE GUIDE 2006
breathwork
The breath: We cant live without it, but not just in the
physical sense. Conscious breathing puts you in touch
with your core self, who you are and what you feel on the
deepest soul level, says Mark Whitwell, renowned yogi
and founder of the Yoga of Heart movement. Focused
breathing enables you to feel deeply what it is to be alive,
which then allows you to get in closer touch with other
aspects of life including intimacy with yourself first
and then with others.
Breathwork instruction helps to restore natural
breathing patterns obscured by time and stress, encour-
aging deep breathing through the diaphragm and belly
rather than from the upper chest. Proper technique
reduces tension while it fully oxygenates our bodies. It
can also aid in digestion by gently massaging the abdom-
inal organs.
There are various styles of breathwork none right,
none wrong. Pranayama is the most common style found
in the spa and yoga worlds and includes: abdominal
lower chest breathing to relax the nervous system and
calm the mind; dirgha using the lungs at full capacity to
increase energy and improve metabolism; ujjayi the soft hissing breath often referred to
as the ocean sound or Darth Vader and frequently used during meditation; and nadi
shodhana a finger-to-nostril holding breath particularly effective for migraines. S.M.
Ujjayi Pranayama The Basics
Mark Whitwell, founder of the Yoga of Heart movement, offers these two
easy ways to begin a breathwork practice. The overriding principle
of yoga is to stay with the breath, as it provides the method to realize ones
highest potential, he explains. Everything in yoga, all of the poses, stances
and chants are there to facilitate the breath through the body.
UJJAYI PRANAYAMA Sitting relaxed and cross-legged on the floor, breathe
in and out through your nose, alternating nostrils with the use of your ERICKA MCCONNELL. STYLIST: DONNA MARIA DUARTE. TANK BY ZOOEY. BIKINI BY MALIA MILLS. PHOTOGRAPHED AT
fingertips while making a sound with your throat on the exhale. The use
of alternate nostril breathing develops and refines each side that is
Classic Asana
emphasized. The inhalation/exhalation on the left is calming (female) and
the right is energizing (male). Do four inhalations and exhalations, then
reverse for four more. COMO SHAMBHALA AT PARROT CAY; ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA COBB.
CLASSIC ASANA Start in a standing pose (samasthiti) with your hands touch-
ing in front of your heart as in prayer. While you inhale through your nose,
extend your arms above your head, hands still touching. As you begin to
exhale, part your hands slowly, opening your arms and bring them back
to your original position. Repeat five times.
82 SPA WORLDWIDE GUIDE 2006
