Many people believe that performing yoga is much more beneficial then to spend hours hitting machines. Yoga not only keeps us healthy, it meditates our mind, also cures many diseases that too without any application of medicines. Yoga also teaches us how to gain our self-control. It builds our concentration power much stronger. Many yoga experts say that there are a few basic asanas which provides immense development benefits to the children as well as for adults. Yoga is also used to reduce facial wrinkles and enhances our beauty.
Among all the yoga exercises, the simplest form of yoga is pranayama. Pranayam (also spelled as Pranayama) may be defined as a process and technique which purifies our whole nervous system including the brain. It brings stability stables our mind. These qualities every one desires to have but very few do actually possess. Pranayam is done before starting any asanas. It can be said as a warm up exercise before starting the asanas. It removes laziness and drowsiness of the body and gives a peace feeling experience to our body. It energizes our mind with new vigour and peace.
The term Pranayam has been constituted by two words: Prana (energy) + Ayama (flow). Prana is the principle of development and sustenance both of the nervous and cellular tissues of the body and the mind. Pranayam is a similar process of natural breathing. It hardly offers any scope of artificiality. In this yoga exercise, we breathe allowing the airs to enter through the nose and depending on ones general health and strength of the lungs; it is retained inside and then is exhaled. This natural intake and outflow of the breath goes on continuously. The difference between this natural process and the ‘Pranayam’ is that in the former the inhalation and exhalation is not necessarily connected with the mind. Whereas in pranayama, the air continues owing to the natural functioning of the heart and lungs. The inhalation and the exhalation are not done with any set duration of time. In some people, the inhalation process takes a longer time than the exhalation and even the opposite may occur in some other people.
Practicing these breathing exercises regularly helps in the removal of the waste materials which are normally carried out by our digestive system, urinary system and of course through skin. Pranayam includes pressure changing process which improves our circulation benefiting our intestines and kidneys in the same way as do the other abdominal viscera. For mediation and relaxation we often spend hours in spas/ massage parlors, but even doing pranayam for few minutes relieves us from our stress and keeps us calm. So instead opting for spas, few minutes of pranayam also works.
Few benefits of Pranayam:
Pranayam is suitable for the all aged people. People who practices Pranayam regularly gets a good appetite since it gives strength to control our hunger and thirst capability, and generates a feeling of satisfaction, cheerfulness (will power becomes strong through its regular practice), good figure, good strength, courage and enthusiasm (it keeps the person balanced in all the conditions and situations), a high standard of health, vigour and vitality and even increases concentration power. Pranayam helps our body to get an adequate supply of oxygen and allows carbon dioxide to expel efficiently along with purifying the blood from the toxins. It helps people to recover from anxiety and depression and is also beneficial in treating other stress related disorders.
Other benefits of pranayam are as follows:
- Pranayam when done regularly every morning is very useful in the treatment of different levels of levels of blood pressure being it low or high and also cures heart disease.
2.It manages psycho-physical diseases, relieves stress and cerebral tension lowering other problems like anger, anxiety, insomnia.
3. It makes our mind more alert and perceptive and works great for pre-meditation.
4. It gives inner strength and brings confidence plus it removes sensory distraction of mind.
5. It speeds up the healing power of our body.
Types of PRANAYAM:
For doing all the asanas we first need to know about few yoga asanas or postures for sitting. Basically every asanas work completely when they are performed in an accurate way. So for performing all the pranayam types, we first have to sit in Sukha Asana. Sukha asana is the easiest and the most comfortable posture for meditation where our head, neck and trunk should be kept in a line without curve. There are a total of seven types of Pranayam yoga which are detailed below here.
BHASTRIKA PRANAYAM (Bellows Breath).
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan and breathe in deeply so that your lungs get full with fresh air and force your abdomen out. This will make your chest to expand with your collar bones rise.
- Breathe out quickly dropping the collar bones, chest deflating, and abdomen shrinking as the lungs collapse. Repeat the process.
- When correctly done, your chest will expand when you breathe in and deflate when you breathe out.
- Speed up your breathing with more practice.
It gives relaxation and calms our mind.
KAPAL BHARTI PRANAYAM (Shining Forehead Breath):
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan and take a deep breathe.
• Inhale normally keeping your inhalation slow but unforced. Allow the lungs to expand and the abdomen move out; then feel your chest expand with your collar bones rising last.
• Exhale from nose forcefully by pulling in your stomach muscles.
• Exhalation should take much less time than it took to inhale.
Benefits:
By doing this Kapal Bharti Pranayam for 15 minutes or more every day one can cure the diseases like obesity, indigestion, acidity, gas related problems, cures breast cancer and all other abdominal related diseases.
BAHYA PRANAYAM (External Breath):
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan and inhale deeply through the nose.
• Exhale forcefully using your stomach and diaphragm to push the air away from your body.
• Now slowly try to touch your chin to your chest and pull your stomach in completely. Here the goal is to leave a hollow below your ribcage so that your front muscle wall of the abdomen is pressed against the back.
• This position and your breath should be hold for as long as it is comfortable. Then slowly lift your chin up and breathe in slowly so that your lungs get full with air.
• Repeat this process 3 to 5 times.
Benefits:
By doing this Bahya Pranayam one can cure all problems related to abdominal and intestines.
ANULOM VILOM PRANAYAM (Alternate Nostril Breath):
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan and take a deep breathe with one nostril open and the other closed by the use of your fingers. Simply press the right thumb against your right nostril to block it.
• Inhale slowly through the left nostril so that your lungs get full with fresh air.
• Slowly remove your thumb from your right nostril and keep your right hand beside your nose.
• Exhale completely in a slow process with the right nostril so that your lungs get free from all air. Once you finish your exhalation process, keep your left nostril closed.
• Use your ring or middle finger close to your left nostril. It is easier to continue using the same hand to block either nostril for some people, but you can switch hands depending on which nostril you’re blocking. If your arm gets tired you can also switch them alternatively.
• In short, Inhale through the right nostril. Fill up your lungs with fresh airs. Close the right nostril first then open the left nostril.
• Continue for 15 minutes. You may take a minute’s rest after every five minutes of exercise. Breathe out slowly through the left nostril.
Benefits – Practicing Anulom Vilom Pranayam for about 15 minutes a day one can cure the diseases like asthama, bronchitis, diabetes, migraine pain and hypertension or high blood pressure.
BHRAMRI PRANAYAM (Bee Breath):
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asana then close his/her eyes.
• Block your ears by placing your thumbs on them; keep your index fingers over your eyes blocking the light to enter in your sight, and the remaining fingers along the sides of your nose. Keep each small/ring finger near a nostril.
• Breathe in deeply through the nose allowing the diaphragm to move down so that the lungs can expand and force the abdomen out; then feel your chest expand with your collar bones rising last.
• Use your small/ring finger to partially close each nostril to keep your lungs filled with air.
• Breathe out through the nose while humming. It is important to originate the humming sound in from your throat, not allowing it to sound like a result of your partially-blocked nostrils. Repeat three times.
Benefits:
By doing Bramari Pranayam you can cure all diseases related to eyes, ears, nose, throat and nervous system.
UDGEET PRANAYAM (Chanting Breath):
Directions:
- A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan then close his/her eyes.
• Breathe in deeply through the nose and exhale very slowly while saying OM. When you slowly pronounce OOM, allow your syllable to draw out as slowly as it can be possible. You should keep it in your mind to pronounce the O long and the M short (‘OOOOOOmm’).
• Repeat 3 times the process for about 15 minutes.
Benefits:
By doing Udgeet Pranayam one can cure all diseases related to throat and nervous system.
Pranav Pranayam:
Directions:
- First of all sit in Padmasana, Sukhasana or Vajrasana pose quietly.
• Normally breathe in concentrating your mind on inhaling and exhaling.
• It is important to imagine that God is everywhere and is present in every particle.
• Make it a routine to practice this asana for 3 minutes to 1 hour as per your available time.
Benefits:
- This yoga asana gives physical and spiritual energy to our body.
• Practicing this yoga asana gives relief from mental stress and helps us overcome the other physical disorders.
• Gives good health and helps in strengthens the mind.
• Meditation.
• Increases concentration.
• It helps in building a spiritual development and widens our perspective view points.
Few important instructions to be followed during asana:
- Practice the asanas over a blanket spread on either floor or in garden.
2.Avoid wearing spectacles while practicising asanas. They may be broken or they will injure your eyes. Wear comfortable clothes when you practice asanas.
3. Maintain a regular routine for doing pranayam. Those who do not practice it on a regular routine will not derive any benefit.
4. The best time to perform the asanas is in the morning; though if you cannot take out time in mornings just remember to practice it with empty stomach or at least three hours after food.
5. Never change the asanas. If you do one set of asanas today and some other tomorrow and so on, you cannot derive any benefit. You have to perform the same asanas everyday though you can add new asanas in your routine and perform it regularly with the other asanas.
6. The more steady you are on the asanas the more you will be able to concentrate and meditate. You cannot get on well in your meditation without allowing your mind to be one-pointed and have a steady posture. So follow a regular routine of asanas.
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