The Albatross looks majestic in flight. But yogis are not birds and should not have wings.
Alice was working a particularly challenging pose when she heard one of the people nearby exclaim with joy. This is the third time that they had shouted while doing a yoga pose. Alice was glad that they were having some success with their practice, but it sure can break your concentration.
Usually the yoga studio is a quite place during a yoga practice. The teacher is giving instructions and the students are doing their Ujjayi breath. There is a big difference between the sound that the Ujjayi breath makes and the exclamations of joy that Alice has been hearing.
What sounds should be avoided
There are several sounds that can be quite distracting during a yoga practice. Among these are:
- Moaning
- Groaning
- Humming
- Exclamations of joy
- Sounds of disappointment
There are many other sounds that could be included in this list. Generally you should not be making any other sound except Ujjayi breath.
Why should you avoid these sounds
There are three reasons that moaning, groaning, humming, etc should be avoided during your yoga practise:
- distract others
- distract yourself
- interrupt your Ujjayi breath
1- Distract others
Listening to all the sounds that people are making around you can distract you from your own practice. These sudden outbursts can startle you and cause you to lose your focus and concentration. One of the benefits of yoga is to learn to focus your mind on your breath and the posture you are working on. The groaning of your neighbour can destroy this concentration.
2 – Distract yourself
Making these various sounds will result in a lose of your own focus on your practice. You should be working on focusing your mind on your practice and accepting where you are in the posture today. If you doing better today than ever before it is best to skip the exclamations of joy until after the practice.
3 – Interrupts your Ujjayi breath
If you are the one making the sounds then you are interrupting your Ujjayi breath to make the latest exclamation of joy or whatever. When you do this you are no longer doing your Ujjayi breath and you are losing the benefits that the Ujjayi breath breaks to your practice.
So why is the noisy Ujjayi Breath okay
The Ujjayi breath because it is an audible and deliberate breath provides a focus for the mind and it also generates significant amount of heat within the body.
The Ujjayi breath is a smooth, soft and rhythmic sound. It sounds like the waves rolling onto a beach. This regular sound from the Ujjayi breath provides a significant focus for your mind.
Being in a room full of people practicing yoga and the Ujjayi breath will not only increase your concentration and focus it will also provide you with more energy to direct toward your practice.
But I want to share my success
It is only natural to want to share your success with others. But you need to curb your enthusiasm until after the practice is over and you have left the room.
Summary
During a yoga practice there should only be the sound of the teacher giving instruction and everyone else’s breathing.
All of the other sounds like humming, moaning, and shouts of joy should happen after the class is over.
Alice will be less distracted if everyone remembers to only do their Ujjayi breath during their yoga practice.
Next steps
The next you are in a yoga class, check to make sure that the only sound you are making is coming from your Ujjayi breath. Everyone around you will be glad that you did.
