Hi my name is Julia and this is ZuriSun yoga, today we will be practicing Sama Vritti
Pranayama together. This is also known as box breathing, four square breathing or equal breath.
Let's start by finding a comfortable seated position where you feel held and supported.
I invite you to draw your attention to the soles of your feet.
Would you like them to be firmly supported by the earth?
Do you prefer to be cross-legged? Find what feels good for you at this moment.
Slowly we'll bring our focus to the base of the spine and slowly travel all the way up the spine
to the back of the head and to the top or crown of the head.
If you haven't already, you might like to close down the eyes or find a soft gaze
in the direction of the tip of your nose or on the floor slightly in front of you.
You may like to rest your hands in your lap or on your thighs
with palms either facing up to be receptive to energy or facing down to feel more grounded
Sama Vritti is really helpful when you might be feeling a bit stressed or overwhelmed.
Other benefits include: expanding your lung capacity, calming and regulating
your autonomic nervous system, lowering blood pressure, helping to treat insomnia
and/or increasing concentration. If you're just starting to practice Sama Vritti, it might be
good to start with a shorter count cycle such as counting to two or three instead of four or more.
You might feel dizzy due to having to hold your breath on the top of the inhale and the end of
the exhale so it's important that you're sitting somewhere comfortable when doing this pranayama
and if you're pregnant or have any medical concerns around holding the breath, I recommend
consulting with your health professional first and to avoid holding the breath.
Let's prepare the mind and body with a warm-up for Sama Vritti Pranayama.
This will consist of an inhale to a count of four and then exhale to a count of four it's
recommended to inhale and exhale through the nose but if that's not possible or an option right now
then it's completely okay to breathe through the mouth. If you're familiar with the ujayyi breath
you can also implement that here so you're able to hear the wave-like sounds of your breathing
So let's begin with a collective inhale and a collective exhale
and inhale for two three four and exhale two three four inhale two three four
exhale two three four inhale two three four exhale two three four
inhale two three four and exhale two three four inhale returning to your normal breathing
simply observing the breath without making any attempts to change it observing the mind body
and breath through the gentle and easy focus. Next we will complete another four rounds but
this time we'll pause at the top of the inhale for a count of four and pause at the end of the exhale
for a count of four. If you are pregnant or have any concerns around breath retention,
please return to the breathing we just completed with inhaling and exhaling without pause.
So let's take a collective and cleansing inhale
and a collective exhale let's inhale for two three four pause two three four
exhale two three four and pause two three four inhale noticing the lungs expand pause
two three four exhale emptying the lungs and drawing the abdomen inwards pause two
three four inhaling the cool air through the nostrils or mouth pause two three
four exhale feeling the warm air release pause two three four inhale two three
four pause feeling the stretch in the lungs exhale two three four pause observing your mind
and body inhale returning to your normal breath. I invite you now to take another four rounds being
guided by your own breath, it might feel helpful to use your fingers to count. Feel free to extend
or shorten the count. We will meet back at the end of the four rounds to close our practice together
Returning to your normal breathing, observing your mind, reflecting on any
subtle changes if any from the beginning of your practice to now. And feeling comfort and joy in
knowing that now you have this practice you can use it any time of the day to reduce stress,
maximize your concentration, and be free from any congestive or disruptive thought patterns.
Thank you so much for joining me today for Sama Vritti,
I wish you a joyful and peaceful day or night.