This review is best read after’Correct your breathing style’ By ketul shah. Actually it can be taken as a continuation to that.
Pranayama is a act of yoga. In sanskrit Prana means breath and yama means control, discipline, regulation or mastery and so Pranayama is breathing techniques or breath control.
Breathing for us is so natural that we sort of take it for granted ignoring the power it has on our body & mind. As said we all breathe but few breathe correctly. Yoga gives a lot of importance to normal rhythm of breathing.( A normal breathes around 15 to 20 times in a single minute). Spending an hour or so on doing breathing execises is a good way of ensuring that the body gets enough oxygen.
Yoga claims to have beneficial effect on breathing and the body in general, if carried out regularly, it eliminates stress and brings about a better sense of well being. Shavasana a popular asana of relaxing the mind and the body in the pose of a dead body( Lie down on your back, legs apart to a good distance hand away from your body with palms facing on the top, eyes closed and concentrate on your breathing.) gives a lot of attention to normal breathing. Regular practice of pranayama and breathing exercises will ensure proper oxygenation of all parts of the body and cure many diseases.
BASIC GUIDELINES
Blow your nose cleasing your nostrils as much before starting
Please do this in FRESH AIR, as air will be pulled deeply into your lungs.
Breath via nostrils until specified otherwise
The fluidity of breath is important. If your breath begins to become uneven, stop what you are doing until your breath becomes normal again.
If you start feeling faint, dizzy, flushed or light-headed, stop what you are doing until your breath becomes normal again.
Pranayama exercise should be stated slowly, and increased gradually with practice.
TYPES OF PRANAYAMAS
Anuloma - Viloma - Sit in Sukhasan( which means folding your legs, back straight, eyes closed and both your palms on your thighs near the knees with fingers not drooping down, they have to be straight on the knees. Concentrate on your breathing and relax). Press the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand keeping your index finger and the second finger folded towards your palms, inhale deeply through your left nostril and then close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale though your right nostril. This exercise cures, acidity, sinus, asthama, weakness.
Kapalbhati - Sit in Sukhasan. Inhale and exhale rapidly. This should be started at a very low level of rounds and gradually increased with practice. After a very rapid breathes you must take a few deep slow breathes to relax and may do a few more rounds. It helps you in problems from dizziness, sinus, numb feeling around the eyes, reduces tension and clears blockages in the chest.
Bhastrika - Sit in Sukhasan. Inhale completely with the nostril in the lungs, hold for a few minutes say a count of six, and exhale fully out. This can be done slowly or faster depending on individual. This can be done for about 3-5 minutes. Bhatrika cures tonsils, thoriod and other diseases connected with throat and cold cough.
Dirgha - Lie down on your back fold your knees, touching the knees from the top and keeping a little distance between your heals and toes. Keep one hand on the navel area and the other to your side, relax and concentrate on your breathing, during inhale your stomach should rise and on exhale the stomach should relax. Normal breathing.
Bhrimari - Sit in Sukhasana. Close your eyes. Keep your index fingers on the forehead, keep middle and ring fingers on the eyes softly and close ears with the thumbs. Now exhale and inhale with both nostrils creating bee like noise. Do it at least 3 times, Bhirmari relieves tension, overpowers the unstable mind. It
increases concentration
- Narishodhan - Kneel on your knees and sit on your heals with toes joining and heals apart. Try to inhale and exhale like Anuloma - Viloma but with equal breathing( Equal breathing is taking a breathe slowly but with a count and exhaling slowly again with a equal count. Concentrate on breathing. This pranayama has the same effects as anuloma viloma. It is also beneficial due to sitting in mudra.
Pranayama is a good exercise to increase concentration and curing diseases . Intially you may feel conscious but the more oxygen to intake you would start liking it. But it should be taken care that u start at a low level and then gradually increase.
So do practice and stay fit.