Sama vritti

Sama vritti (Sanskrit: समावृत्ति, romanized: samavritti) is a pranayama technique. It involves equating the durations of inhalation (puraka), retention (antara kumbhaka), exhalation (rechaka) and second retention (bahya kumbhaka) before inhaling again.[1][2][3]

Diagram of yogic breath.

Visama vritti involves breathing with different duration in each step.[2]

Technique

Sama vritti involves controlling the natural breathing process (sahaja vritti). It is often considered a basic technique, but its usage can be deceptively challenging due to the relative difficulty to retain breath as opposed to inhaling.[3] Its quality depends on every person's fitness and lung capacity, although the required ability to optimize breath and tolerate retention improves with practice.[2] It is recommendable to start by unequal breath or visama vritti, with reduced retention times, and progressively adapting into sama over time.[2][3]

To execute sama vritti, the user must be comfortably seated or prone, with the spine straight and the eyes closed. Focusing mentally on the breath, the user then inhales counting up to a chosen number (for instance, up to three), retains breath counting up to the same number, exhales the same time and retains again before continuing.[4]

References
  1. Kriyananda (1994). Kriya Yoga. Ankh Hermes. ISBN 9020251597.
  2. Schoeberl, Ansgar (2013). The Gift of Abhyasa: A Personal Encounter with the Yogic Trinity. Books on Demand. p. 46. ISBN 9783848267217.
  3. Baldwin, Hilaria (2016). The Living Clearly Method: 5 Principles for a Fit Body, Healthy Mind & Joyful Life. Harmony/Rodale. p. 56. ISBN 9781623366988.
  4. Schmid, Arlene A. (2018). Yoga Therapy for Stroke: A Handbook for Yoga Therapists and Healthcare Professionals. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 175. ISBN 9780857013279.
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