Pranayama health benefits, breathing techniques

Pranayama refers to breathing, which sustains our life. Holding the air we breathe as long as possible and as much as possible and leaving the unwanted air outside from the lungs is the main part of pranayama.

Scientifically it is proven that fast breathing animals live for shorter span of life and slow breathing animals life span is more. Slow and long breathing provides more oxygen to the body and removes unwanted carbon dioxide from the body.

Although we can live without water and food for a long time, we cannot live without breathing for longer time. So breathing is more important for us to survive.

In India, history provides lots of evidences of longevity of saints and sages who practised yoga and pranayama in their daily routines.

Pranayama is a part of yoga and it should be practised regularly which relaxes our mind and body and imbibes spirituality in us.

Pranayama

Sun rising time is the best time to practice pranayama. Completing all the chores of morning, practice pranayama with an empty stomach. It is necessary to practice pranayama in a calm surrounding with calm mind.

Pranayama to be practised with postures like sukhasana, vajrasana or padmasana. When this is not possible you can practice pranayama in shavasana or standing postures. You can also practice this by sitting on a chair when you have knee pain or some other problems.

You should not breathe air through your mouth during pranayama, you should breathe through nose only.

When your are practising pranayama always close your eyes which helps you to concentrate on breathing and avoids any distractions.

At the beginning you chant pranayama prayer followed by omkara. Then practice different types of breathing techniques one by one.

How to practice pranayama

Sit on a mat in padmasana or sukhasana or vajrasana.

Keep your neck, back straight and place your palms on your thighs.

Then slowly pull your abdomen inside and leave all the air out side.

This step is preparatory step for pranayama.

Next lightly and slowly breathe air through your nose.

While doing this push your stomach muscles outside as much as possible and stretch your chest muscles.

Push your shoulders upwards and hold the breathe for about 5 seconds.

This helps the lungs to take air as much as possible.

Then start to leave the air outside with slowly loosening your shoulders and chest.

Pull your stomach inside as much as possible when leaving the air outside.

It makes diaphragm to move upward and helps the lungs to give out all the impure air.

At the beginning practice this 5-6 times a day and slowly increase the count.

Next slowly pull your stomach muscles inside and stretch your chest muscles.

Benefits of pranayama

Taking deep breathe while practising pranayama has multifold benefits on your body.

It calms down the nerves of brain and it improves brain health both mentally and physically.

Your chest is stretched and stomach muscles are stiffened which burns unwanted fat. This helps who are extra obese.

When your are taking deep breathe, your nose, throat, lungs are activated and it treats cold, cough and throat infection.

Blood circulation is improved and each and every cells gets good amount of oxygen which enhances the cell life in turn helps in longevity.

During pranayama practice diaphragm and stomach muscles compresses, it activates the stomach and intestine. By this digestive juices secretion improves which digests the food well. It avoids constipation and diarrhoea. It also avoids stomach burning, gas and indigestion.

Blood supply to the endocrine glands is increased and it makes the glands to secrete hormones needed for our body activities and by this functions of the body maintained well.

More over pranayama calms down our mind and makes us feel calm and stress free. It brings positive cheerfulness in you.

When your start your day with pranayama practice, it makes you to feel active throughout the day.

Different types of breathing techniques

Anulom vilom pranayama

Anulom vilom pranayama is breathing technique in which we inhale through one nostril and exhale through other nostril. You have to practice this regularly get maximum benefits.

You can practice this pranayama in morning and evening, but it is best to practice in morning. It is always best to start the day with this pranayama practice atleast 5 minutes.

Sit on a mat in padmasana or vajrasana posture. You can also sit in sukhasana posture if padmasana and vajrasana are not comfortable.

Place your left palm on your thigh with chinmudra. Join tip of thumb and index finger so that a circle is formed and other three fingers are straight forward and facing the sky.

Fold your right index finger and middle finger such that they touch the palm. With this mudra continue pranayama.

First close your right nostril with your right thumb and slowly exhale through the left nostril. Exhale deeply up to 5 counts.

Then close left nostril with your ring finger and open the right nostril and slowly inhale through the right nostril. Inhale deeply up to 5 counts.

Next open your left nostril and again place your thumb on right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.

Continue the same breathing pattern.

Benefits of anulom and vilom

It helps to over come stress and anxiety. It calms our mind and body.

It calms down the nerves of brain and it improves brain health both mentally and physically.

It strengthens lungs and purifies the blood as sufficient amount of air is inhaled.

When your are taking deep breathe, your nose, throat, lungs are activated and it treats cold, cough and throat infection.

Blood circulation is improved and each and every cells gets good amount of oxygen which enhances the cell life in turn helps in longevity.

Blood supply to the endocrine glands is increased and it makes the glands to secrete hormones needed for our body activities and by this functions of the body maintained well.

More over pranayama calms down our mind and makes us feel calm and stress free. It brings positive cheerfulness in you.

Ujjayee pranayama

You can practice this pranayama in morning and evening. This pranayama can be practised in two ways where you can practice in standing posture or lying on the ground on your back.

At the beginning it is better to practice this pranayama lying on the ground on your back and gradually you start practising in standing posture.

Ujjayee pranayama with standing posture benefits more than practising it in laying down on the ground.

How to practice ujjayee pranayama

Ujjayee pranayama practice with lying down on the ground.

Lay down on your back and place your hands beside your body.

Loosen your whole body and inhale and exhale and relax.

Now release air through your mouth forcefully outside, keeping your lips such a way that you are blowing whistle.

At the same time, you pull your stomach inside which makes diaphragm to move upward and helps to release all the air from lungs.

Then slowly inhale air through your nose and at the same time push your stomach forward which helps the lungs to take more air inside which purifies the blood.

Now hold the the breath for 5-6 seconds and tighten lower part first and then tighten your stomach and chest part.

Next step is to loosen your body and slowly exhale the air through your mouth.

Repeat this 5-6 times in the beginning and gradually increase the count.

Ujjayee pranayama practice in standing posture

Stand straight and join both heels such that toes makes 45 degrees with heels.

Loosen your hands and then slowly release air outside through your mouth, keeping your lips such a way that you are blowing whistle. Loosen your body at that time.

When all the air released, pull your stomach inside which makes diaphragm to move upward and complete air from the lungs released out.

Next slowly inhale through the nose keeping body parts relaxed and inhale air as much as possible.

At that time push your stomach forward which makes diaphragm to move downward. Now pure air fills lungs sufficiently.

Now it is the stage to hold the air for a while. Stiffen all the body muscles starting from toes to head one by one.

At the beginning stiffen the muscles of leg and thighs. Next pull your stomach muscles inside and stretch your chest and tighten your hands.

Look straight forward and hold your breathe as much as possible for you with stiffening body muscles.

Then exhale the air through your mouth completely with lips such a way that you are blowing whistle.

At the beginning of this pranayama, you can hold breathe 2-3 seconds. Gradually you can increase this to 5-6 seconds.

Benefits of Ujjayee pranayama

Fresh pure air is taken and impure air is exhaled which purifies the lungs completely.

This pranayama also strengthens lungs.

Holding the breathe makes the tubular branches in lungs to open and it makes easy for breathing.

As we exhale forcefully and completely the impure air which contains allergic particles which is removed from the lungs and it relieves from inflammation in the inner lining of lungs. It eases the breathing.

About article

The opinions expressed herein are authors personal opinions and do not represent any one's view in anyway, do not use this information to diagnose or treat your problem without consulting your physician. Remedies here mentioned are used for ages may not be clinically proven.

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