Reading: Pages 123-151
Live Session: March 29, 2026 8am UTC
This section introduces two foundational prฤแนฤyฤma techniques that work with natural breathing patterns while refining awareness and control. Ujjฤyฤซ, the โvictorious breath,โ expands the lungs fully while creating a subtle internal sound that serves as a focal point for concentration. Iyengar presents ujjฤyฤซ in progressive stages, beginning with simple awareness practices in lying positions for therapeutic benefit, gradually building to complex retention practices with bandhas for advanced practitioners. The technique serves both as preparation for meditation and as a complete practice in itself. Viloma, meaning โagainst the hairโ or โagainst natural order,โ introduces the concept of interrupted breathing โ pausing during inhalation or exhalation to develop greater sensitivity and control. This practice trains the nervous system while building the capacity for more advanced techniques. Both practices emphasize the quality of breath over quantity, developing the subtle internal awareness necessary for deeper prฤแนฤyฤma work.
Questions to Guide Your Reading
Read these before you start the assigned pages. They’ll help orient your attention.
What does โujjฤyฤซโ literally mean and why is this breath called โvictoriousโ?
What specific therapeutic applications does Iyengar mention for ujjฤyฤซ practice in lying positions?
In Stage II of ujjฤyฤซ, what specific instruction does Iyengar give about the movement of the eyeballs during deep inhalation?
What does โvilomaโ mean and how does this relate to the technique?
What comparison does Iyengar use to describe the interrupted breathing of viloma?
Reflection prompts
Read these during or after you read to connect the teachings with your embodied experience.
What do you notice about your relationship to control when practicing viloma?
What does โvictoryโ over the breath mean to you personally in your practice?
How do you balance effort and ease when working with Ujjayi and Viloma?
These will be made available 24-48 hours after the session
These will be made available 24-48 hours after the session
This session is part of the Light on Prฤแนฤyฤma Study Pack โ a complete resource for those who want ongoing access to all the recordings, study questions, and materials from this cycle.
The Study Pack includes all session recordings (watch and rewatch at your own pace), the complete Study Companion PDF with reading schedule, focus questions, reflection prompts, and practical tools for teaching, key Sanskrit terms with explanations, and a curated bibliography for further exploration.
Agi Wittich is a yoga practitioner since two decades, and is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Wittich studied Sanskrit and Tamil at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, completing a PhD with a focus on Hinduism, Yoga, and Gender. She has published academic papers exploring topics such as Iyengar yoga and women, the effects of Western media on the image of yoga, and an analysis of the Thirumanthiram yoga text.
