Do you know what’s the problem with modern yoga studios?
Pranayama is not done properly, studios are afraid of it, they recommend it for later, they cannot explain it qualitatively. Yes, improper practice of breathing techniques can cause illness, it is unsafe, and put simple - if a person seriously begins to practice these things, changes will begin to occur with this person that the teachers did not subscribe to :) most likely they themselves have not encountered these changes, so they will not be able to answer uncomfortable questions. This is one side.
The other is the physical unpreparedness of people for pranayama, that is, breathing techniques. Here I mean exactly breathing techniques, although pranayama is not limited by them.
To practice pranayama, one needs to be able to sit calmly for a long period of time. Due to the fact that most people who come to yoga centers cannot sit comfortably for a long time in a position with a straight back. Another reason why pranayama is postponed until later is that instructors tell you to work with the body first. They say at least 3 years of asanas practice is needed. But the fact is that after 3 years nothing changes, partly because usually modern asana practice is not given correctly, it doesn’t lead to a calm balanced state of the psychophysical structure, as a result of which a person becomes capable of sitting quietly for a long time.
The emphasis is made on the correct adjustment of asanas, on stretching, flexibility, on mastering more and more intricate body postures. This isn’t bad, but the main things are often forgotten, as a result of which I see people who can wrap themselves in a roll, but are unable to sit calmly and evenly, their prana and mind are so unbalanced that they are unable to sit for a longer periods of time and practice breathing. And almost no one says that pranayama can be done during asanas (even those performed imperfectly).
Further, it seems that throughout this yoga industry, pranayama is not particularly encouraged. This, apparently, is not profitable, people don’t go to "breathing" classes in such an amount as to asanas practice. So what do we get in fact, a few people are engaged in pranayama. I have met a few who seriously practice it.
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