Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival will take place on September 23rd and 24th on Lakota’s Farm in Cambridge, NY!

Movement. Music. Mantra. Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival is a global community driven through Ahimsa, which in Sanskrit means non-violence. It is a two day festival welcoming Sangha through music, movement, and mantra with the collective value of Ahimsa towards all beings, our planet and ourselves. All of the musicians, presenters, and collaborators provide a safe space to move, reflect, and focus on incorporating Ahimsa into our daily lives.

You can join us there in person, or sign up on this form for access to our free live streamed class from the Ahimsa fairgrounds with YogaRenew’s very own, Patrick Franco!​

Joining us in person?! Get 20% off your Ahimsa ticket!

Use promo code “YOGARENEW20” for 20% off your one day or full weekend pass.

Pranayama is an ancient breath practice, commonly recognized as the fourth limb of yoga. Also utilized in the yoga practice, pranayama has more widely been known to reduce stress, ease anxiety and help alleviate other ailments as well as support healthy lung function.

When we break apart the word pranayama, we find that:

Prana = life force energy
Ayama = expansion, extension, or control
Pranayama = Expansion, extension or control of the life force energy.

There are also various types of pranayama. Some of the types of breath practices include:

• Nadi Shodhana — Alternate Nostril Breathing
• Bastrika — Bellow Breath
• Ujjayi — Oceanic Breath
• Dirgha — Three Part Breath
• Bhramari — Bee Breath

While breathwork is an ancient yogic practice originating in India, it has migrated to the Western world and been popularized as a sound healing method. It is also frequently incorporated with the yoga practice here and many yoga teachers incorporate several breathing techniques into their yoga and meditation practices.

Practicing Pranayama

As stated above, there are several different styles of the ancient breathing practice that can be used to bring certain benefits to the mind and body. In this section, we’ll review some of the most popular pranayama techniques and how to practice them.

3 Pranayama Breath Practices for Beginners

1. Alternate Nose Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

Alternate nose breathing brings balance to the nervous system. In Sanskrit, Nadi means channel and Shodhana means purification; translating to the purification of both channels of the nervous system. These two channels are the parasympathetic (the place where we tap into relaxation) and the sympathetic (our “fight or flight” response). The left side of the body is representative of the parasympathetic and the right side of the body is representative of the sympathetic. Breathing through both channels brings balance and harmony to our nervous system.

How to practice Alternate Nostril Breathing:

1. Sit in a comfortable seated position. If you’re practicing yoga, this can look like Sukhasana (legs crossed), Virasana (kneeling), or Padmasana (legs cross and lifted onto the opposite thighs).
2. Use your right hand ring finger over your left nostril and your right thumb to place over your right nostril (with your pointer and middle finger folded into your palm).
3. Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril for 5 counts.
4. Close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right nostril for 5 counts.
5. Alternate between the sides, still using a 5 count.
6. Increase the retention once you find the breathing becomes easier (by increasing the counts).

2. Three Part Breath (Dirgha)

This breathing practice is deeply calming and quieting for the mind. It also works to relax the nervous system to bring you into a state of full relaxation. Three part breath is typically practiced lying down, which makes it suitable for beginners and easier to tune inward and focus on the breath. This is also a great breathing exercise to do on a consistent basis, with the body in an easy position to begin to relax.

How to practice Three Part Breath:

1. Find a comfortable position lying down, preferably with the use of props such as: a yoga blanket and a bolster.
2. Lie down with your palms facing the ceiling, collarbone spread, and head also facing the ceiling.
3. Let your eyes close, breathe in and out through your nose with your natural rhythm of breath.
4. Breathe in halfway, emptying all the air from your body.
5. Breathe in through your nose, just into your abdomen. Pause.
6. Breathe in through your nose, into your side ribs. Pause.
7. Breathe in through your nose, into your collarbone. Pause.
8. Take a long exhalation out through your nose, relaxing your abdomen, followed by a few regular cycles of breath.

3. Victorious Breath (Ujjayi)

This breathing technique is purely to bring a strong sense of relaxation to the body. Victorious breath is namely incorporated into the Ashtanga yoga practice. In Ashtanga, each movement is tied to a cycle of breath. When others hear someone engaging in Ujjayi breath, it is usually a gentle reminder to keep breathing, as it signals others in the class to focus on their breathing. In Sanskrit, Ujjayi loosely translates to “victorious” or “one who is victorious.” Ujjayi engages the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, making it a full body breath.

How to practice Victorious Breath:

1. Sit in a comfortable seat.
2. Take a few normal breaths, in and out, focusing your mind purely on the breath.
3. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose for 4 counts.
4. Repeat this a couple times.
5. Take a slow, deep steady breath through the nose, making the sound of “sa” internally.
6. Fill up to the top and pause.
7. Exhale through the nose, slowly deeply and steadily with the sound of, “ha,” until you’re completely empty of air.

Why do breathing exercises help with stress and anxiety?

When we focus on our breathing, we are tapping into our body’s relaxation response. By focusing on the breath and controlling it in a way, we are signaling the nervous system to slow down. With deeper intention placed on the inhalation and exhalation of oxygen in the body, our brain notices we are trying to enter a more calm state. When the breath is slower and longer, the body and brain adapt to this steady flow of oxygen. Usually in states of high anxiety or stress, the breath is short and rapid, in turn increasing our heart rate and oftentimes signaling a “fight, flight or freeze” response. When trying to alleviate that tension, we should initially focus on the breath. Using breathing exercises to reduce stress and anxiety has not only been known to help the body enter a more relaxed state, but it can also help nurture the muscles, enhance respiratory wellness, lower pain levels, and increase overall brain function.

Breathing techniques are an ancient practice that have stood the test of time for many reasons, namely the fact that it is the function we are inherently born with, doing it both subconsciously and consciously (able to be controlled or trained). Since breathing is such a vital function of the human body in order to exist, paying attention to it and nurturing it can provide longterm health benefits that can outweigh most other mechanisms.

How can I learn more about Pranayama?

In YogaRenew’s 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program, the basic fundamental of pranayama is introduced. Moving onto the 300 Hour course allows you to dive deeper into applying pranayama to the practice of yoga. Whether you’re a beginning practitioner, or an experienced yogi, our online courses provide you with information you may not have heard before and is broken down in a digestible way.

 

I was in college, and like most students at that age I was searching for more meaning in my life besides what I was going to major in…

I was confused and felt the pressure of trying to figure out my entire life at 18 years old. Fortunately, I was required to take a physical education class as part of my undergraduate requirements. Yoga was one of the options and the rest is history… Well, not really…

I decided to take yoga, not necessarily to reach spiritual enlightenment, but because I thought the class would be filled with people in a similar mindset as mine. This class turned out to be one of the moments that changed the trajectory of my life.

Over the course of the semester we learned about yoga philosophy, meditation, pranayama, and asana. I was introduced to the depth of yoga and I knew instantly that this was something that I was interested in and could see myself doing the rest of my life — More-so than my history and economics major. Turned out I was right, too (but more on that later).

After the semester ended, I searched around trying to find a yoga class I could attend. Being the poor college student I was, I couldn’t afford the $15 a class price that many of the studios were charging at the time. So instead of diving head first into yoga classes I started reading a lot more about not only yoga but many eastern philosophies.

I dabbled in these philosophies for a few years but never took them to the next level. I was simply implementing these ideas practically into my life. I tried martial arts, which I loved, but felt the spiritual connection was missing. I tried Zen Buddhism, but growing up as an athlete, I was craving the physicality of movement.

At this point, I had graduated college and was still trying to figure things out. Turns out a history/economics major didn’t have fortune 500 companies begging me to come work for them. Many of my closest friends became stock brokers during the boom of the 90’s and started golfing as a hobby and complement to their lifestyle. They would tell me it would be something they could do the rest of their lives.

It was that idea that brought me back to yoga. That feeling I had in college when I was introduced to yoga that it was all encompassing. It was both physical and spiritual and most importantly it made sense to me. It helped answer those questions I had about myself and my place in the universe and the insecurities I felt as a young man starting my journey through life.

I started by buying some Rodney Yee Yoga DVDs, which I was obsessed over for months. I would practice them when nobody was home, fearing that some of my friends would make fun of me if they knew. Taking his class in person years later in NYC was a highlight of my yoga journey.

When I finally went to my first yoga class in a suburb of New Jersey in 2001 all of my aspirations were embodied by my first yoga teacher, Liz Aitkin.

As much as I had my own drive and desire that got me to walk into my first class , it was her that solidified my love of yoga. Her energy, her compassion, her smile, her loving kindness and encouragement to not only me but all of her students encapsulated everything I wanted in my life. Her energy and passion was infectious and I did everything I could to learn and study with her. Even driving out from my city life into the suburbs to take class with her. Her encouragement to become a yoga teacher is one of the reasons I stand where I am today. I am forever grateful.

You never really know what you’re getting into when you ask someone about their life when they make a statement that powerful (something saving their life). For me, I knew the outline (more or less) of Trevor’s life, but never in the capacity in which he was able to explain it.

Trevor Vaughan, Founder and CEO of HudsonSeed and the Director of the Children’s Yoga Online Teacher Training program at YogaRenew, has lived nine lives… truly. His journey towards becoming a certified yoga instructor is a heavy one, and his path now, an enlightened one. The knowledge he learned along the way is usually only accumulated by that of someone at least 20 years older than him. But that didn’t make the wisdom any less inspiring.

Here is the story of how yoga, quite literally, saved his life…

The beginning

Trevor knew from an early age that he would want to go fast and push his luck far. Ever since he can remember, he’s always felt like somewhat of an outcast and was never really able to pinpoint what made him feel so different. He lived a perfectly normal life with two, loving Irish-American parents growing up in Queens. It just so happened he ended up with a natural affinity for booze that would eventually lead him down a path so muddy, you almost wouldn’t believe it.

Feeling like an outsider for most of his life, forced this inclination for Trevor to become something…and that something was to be a distinctive person in a room full of other humans. This longing to be accepted in social settings and his eagerness to try things (knowing he longed for a deeper jolt in life going beyond basketball at the local park or riding bikes with the neighborhood kids), pushed Trevor to make his way to one of the most fast-paced, substance abusing, free-for-all environments there is: Wall Street.

Having never really succeeded in a college setting because of his relationship with booze, despite being wicked intelligent and intellectually capable beyond his physical years, he was more interested in running an internship that eventually led him to a lengthy battle with screaming and shouting on the trading floor. This led to long nights out, battling the demons he eventually had no control over.

“For some reason, I never felt safe, or that cool or good enough…like everyone else was in on it but I wasn’t in on it…the second I had that cocktail, then I felt like I was it,” he said.

Trevor explained to me that he later learned the feeling of warmth and connection he so desperately sought was that same exact feeling you search for in yoga.

“Bliss and annihilation are kindred spirits, you know…”

As he tells me all about his journey finding his way into interning with someone on Wall Street. With his college grades suffering, he knew he had to take another route, and he decided jumping straight into work could be something better for him.

During his first few weeks, as soon as he enters the trading floor, he sees the papers flying around, numbers everywhere, and feels the high-energy of everything around him, he immediately feels a sense of being home.

Things were jelling for a while — money came easy, Trevor was able to juggle the precarious balance of his chaotic existence. Until eventually, he started getting anxiety while drinking and the drinking didn’t alleviate the anxiety…and then he found himself suffering.

“I don’t remember much of my 30s…” he went on to say.

The middle

First, let me paint the picture – 39 years old, taking pills in the morning to help him get through the day, after work drinking and all the other accouterments – this was Trevor’s reality…even worse, this was his life.

He starts losing a tremendous amount of weight and starts getting really sick. One day, he gets pulled off the trading floor on a stretcher (this would go on to happen more than once). He ended up spending a couple months in the ICU.

“We don’t have a time machine and now I get to experience karma,” Trevor says, as he speaks of the complete rebirth he had.

He eventually gets out of the hospital, and starts his recovery journey. Trevor starts getting real involved in service. The steps in yoga, he says, are very much tied together to what he experienced in recovery.

It was November of 2013, Trevor was still working on Wall Street, his body in immense pain, on fifteen medications a day. A friend in recovery suggested yoga.

Trevor immediately rejected the idea that his macho, money-making, party-starting, fast-paced lifestyle would do well in a yoga setting… even if his booze-riddled and arthritis-prone body would be able to handle it. He remembers thinking to himself, “You want me, a Wall Street dude, to go in and do yoga?”

But… he tried it anyway.

When Trevor first arrived at the studio, he had to walk up two flights of stairs and could barely do it. Suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis, being severely scared of people, only sharing intimate interactions with his dog (who also remains by his side to this day), Poochie, he tried his hardest to go through with taking the class.

He had to borrow a mat, he was wearing socks, thinking everyone in the room was staring at him.

And then she spoke.

“Everyone stand in Mountain Pose… and breathe,” the teacher led the class with.

There’s a song called Everyday in its Right Place, by Radiohead, that Trevor said he’s “tripped so hard to this song,” coincidentally was playing during that first class. The breathing. The movement. The song. He started crying and thought to himself, “I do believe in the universe.”

In recovery, turning it over to a higher power, resonated in Trevor’s head as he flowed through class.

“THIS WAS MEANT TO BE,” he thought.

He got into his Downward Dog. This was meant to be. He breathed in, he breathed out, it was very difficult, but he was able to get into the flow state until eventually he felt “locked into flow.”

“In Savasana I decided, this is what I’m going to do everyday for the rest of my life.”

Patrick Franco, one of the teachers at Devotion where Trevor first started practicing, eventually ended up leaving and starting his own practice known as Hudson Yoga Project (HYP) where Trevor would take his newly found love, admiration, and lifestyle.

Biological, mental and spiritual anxiety dissipating post sobriety through the power of yoga, he decided he would stay loyal to the practice.

And he did.

The end…and the beginning

Living, breathing, and loving yoga, he would then go on to partner with YogaRenew to create the Children’s Yoga Teacher Training. Trevor couldn’t stress the importance of service enough, and what better way to serve, he feels, than educating and interacting with the youth.

Trevor’s world-renowned program teaches kids yoga and helps yoga instructors become certified in the specific art of leading kids yoga classes. He goes to schools all around New Jersey, signing them on board to instruct and lead yoga classes for kids in different time slots throughout the day. Known as Mister Trevor, the work he does with these children keeps Trevor on a path of peace and service…and he couldn’t imagine his life any other way.

He continues to practice yoga at the YogaRenew headquarters in Hoboken and can also be found frequenting rock concerts of only the raddest of bands with fellow yogis and friends.

Trevor’s recommended reading:

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life