An example of Krishnamacharya's employment of kumbhaka (retaining the breath in or out) in Marichayasan A

The previous post, a case study on the suggested healing benefits of kumbhaka, brought requests for examples of how kumbhaka might be incorporated in our asana practice.

CASE STUDY: "The Benefits of employing Kumbhaka (retaining the breath in or out) during Asana." Guest post by Mick lawton

"I have a rare genetic auto inflammatory disease. As a result I am in the fortunate position that I get extensive blood and medical checks performed on an almost weekly basis. Without going into huge medical details, the tests include full blood test, inflammatory markers, kidney and liver fiction, blood pressure, blood sugars............, the list is endless.
I decided that I was in the very fortunate position to run my own experiment.  I decided that I would spend 2 months practising with Kumbhaka and then 2 months practising without Kumbhaka. This process was repeated three times across the course of the year.  I was then able to compare my medical results while practising Kumbhaka to my medical results while not practising Kumbhaka".

In general, when inhaling the head goes up, exhaling it goes down, if up then there may well be the option of puraka kumbhaka, retaining the breath for 2-5 seconds at the end of the inhalation. When folded over rechka kumbhaka may be an option to consider.

In forward bending postures there is often the opportunity to include puraka kumbhaka before exhaling, folding over into the posture, and performing recheck kumbhaka. We might choose to spend a period of time in the preparatory posture taking a number of breaths and engaging in puraka kumbhaka after the inhalations. After completing the folded state of the asana and returning to the preparatory position we might again take a number of breaths and include purkaka kumbhaka after our inhalations.

"Parsvottanasana (Figure 4.8, 4.9)
Standing in tadasana krama, draw in clean air through the nose and practise kumbhaka. Spread the legs such that the feet are at a distance of two and a half mozhams apart and clasp the hands together behind the back. Slowly exhale the breath, turn and bend towards the side of the left leg and place your face on top of the left kneecap. At this time, both legs should be held straight and should not bend in any direction. After remaining in this position for a period of time, slowly inhale the breath in through the nose while raising the head slightly. Straighten the body, stand erect and after returning to the initial position, turn to the right side. After turning, first stand for one minute and then bend down to the right side. While lowering the upper body to the right side, exhale through the nose as you did before and firmly place the lowered head on top of the right kneecap. As mentioned above, both legs must be held straight and should not be even slightly bent. As you keep practising on both sides, it will eventually become possible to place the head 4 angulas below the knee. Afterwards, as mentioned above, slowly raise the head while you inhale the breath in through the nostril and straighten up. After standing upright, jump and come to tadasana sthiti. This parsva uttanasana can be done by both men and women. (It has 5 vinyasas)". p60-61

Below we can see this employment of kumbhaka in Krishnamacharya's presentation of Marichiyasana. In Yoga Makaranda  (1934) only Marichiyasana A is presented but Marichiyasana B to H are found in the asana tables in his second book Yogasanagalu (1941) in the middle and proficient groups of asana.

Notice the use of puraka kumbhaka in the 7th  and 14th vinyasa and of rechecka kumbhaka in the 8th and 14th vinyasas.

We can perhaps think of many asana where we might introduce short kumbhaka's at the preparatory stage, the state of asana and following the asana on returning to the preparatory stage before transitioning back to standing or to the next posture.

Krishnamacharya stresses ( In Yoga Makaranda part II) that the kumbhaka in asana should be short, 2-5 seconds. Begin by noticing the 'natural kumbhaka' between the stages of the breath. If we breathe long, slow and full as is recommended by Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois we should notice the faint hint of a pause between the inhalation and exhalation, we notice this more clearly the slower the breath. Begin by extending that pause, that 'natural kumbhaka' to a full second and then to two seconds. As this becomes comfortable we might increase it to three building up to perhaps five seconds but no more, in asana ( mudras are a different case as is pranayama proper).

In the beginning we might introduce kumbhaka into only a handful of selected asana in our practice, paschimottanasana perhaps, janu sirsasana, badha konasana, later we might introduce it to others while avoiding including kumbhaka in the twists, binds and back bending.