Let’s delve in a little deeper to find the soothing and enlivening qualities of the subtle breath. It’s easy. We just need to know how. The turbinates – bones – right inside our nasal pathways are key to finding real delight in breathing.

Nasal Breathing

Before our breath gets to the throat where we make the humming ujjayi sound, our breath has already gone through an intricate pathway of touching, offering, and receiving life force. We know we are supposed to breath through our noses, but do we know the complex beauty and significance of that process? The nasal conchae, the nasopharynx, the soft palate are some of the places of touch along the pathway of breath. Our breath is not just flowing, it is touching, and its touch stimulates response.

The Nasal Conchae 

There are both subtle and anatomical reasons to choose nose breathing over mouth breathing. First, from the western anatomical perspective, when we breathe in though our nostrils the air is warmed, cleansed, and moistened by the tissues within our nasal pathways. This is good.

Additionally, in the yogic sense of things we know that these deep nasal tissues are also highly sensitized prana receptors. When we skip the nasal pathways, by deferring to a mouth breath we miss the chance for the subtle touch of breath to be experienced. Through yogic breathing we can experience the inner touch of breath in the nasal pathways to stimulate all the way through the physical and subtle bodies.

The bones of our heads are transparent to the touch of the breath.

As our breath enters our nostrils it is met with soft mucus membranes that warm and cleanse. Just inside the walls of your nose are six spiralic bones called the conchae. The shape of the bones resembles the shape of a conch shell, hence their name. There are three on each side. The conchae increase the surface area of the nasal cavities. As the air enters it pass through these mucus covered spiralic walls. The inhaling and exhaling breaths touch the walls of the conchae and spin as they flow in and out.

As the breath spins it touches subtle energy receptors imbedded within the mucous membranes. A delicate and silent application of ujjayi can slow the pathway of breath through the conchae making the touch of sensitive tissues more thorough. 

Each side has three conchae: an upper, a middle, and a lower. The breath moving along and through the conchae provides specific sensations according to where it is passing. 

• Lower Concha: The touch of breath in the lowest conchae on both sides stimulates the lower portion of the face—down toward the corners of the mouth—and the lower body’s subtle nervous system. 
• Middle Concha: The middle stimulates across the face toward the jaw joints and stimulates sensitivity in the subtle centers of the mid body. 
• Upper Concha: The upper stimulates  toward the inner corners of the eyes and the third eye point. It relates to the upper body and the upper subtle energy centers.

A full nasal breath includes the touch of air through the full range of the conchae on both sides. The conchae can be explored individually as well. Each can be correlated with the upper, mid, and lower portions of the lungs on each side. Sometimes we feel the upper conchae and the upper body, the middle conchae and the central body, the lower conchae and the lower body. We also use them as a specific touch in alternate nostril breathing.

The Nasopharynx and Soft Palate

The breath-full journey continues. Next the breath then enters the nasopharynx, the upper part of the throat associated with the nasal region. It is back behind the conchae and above the soft palate. The breath touches the soft palate as it continues down through the back cave of the mouth, touching all the way under the tongue on its journey down the throat, the lower pharyngeal region, and finding its way to the trachea and into the lungs. The entire pathway is composed of sensitive energetic tissues, all transparent and receptive to the touch of breath.

These inquiries into the subtle aspects of breath are tools for sensitizing ourselves to the nature of life-force.

1. Finding The Inner Conchae
Use a light touch on the skin of your face to help sensitize the individual conchae.
Fanning out from the corners of your lower nostrils, imagining your touch is in the shape of kitty cat whiskers.
Lower concha — downward toward the corners of your mouth
Middle concha — sideways along the under side of the cheek bones
Upper concha — upward toward the outer corners of your eyes

2. Explore Breathing in Individual Conchae
Lower Concha: Feel the breath move through the lowest portion of your nasal pathways. 

Middle Concha: “Feel the touch of the breath in the mid conches and through the face and head toward the cheek bones. 

Upper Concha: “Move your fingers to touch the skin upward toward the corners of the eyes. Feel the breath in the upper conchas and how it spreads upward to the corners of the eyes and to the third eye point.” 

3. Blending the breath evenly in all three conchae.

4. Explore coordinating conchae breathing with the three aspects of lungs on each side: lower, middle, and upper.

5. Explore coordinating conchae breathing with the lower, middle and upper energetic centers and body regions.

6. Add concha awareness to alternate nostril breathing.

7. Add sensation of breath touching alternate sides of body in alternate nostril breathing

Inhale left side conchae and left side body
Exhale, releasing breath to right side
Inhale right side conch and right side body
Exhale, releasing breath to left side