Pranayama

Pranayama is very important technique in yoga which is control and extension of ‘Prana’ or Vital energy or Life force. Pranayama helps in management of our vital energy. It is highly effective to control various diseases and for highly influential lifestyle The Pranayama can be classified in two types in terms of physiology, Hypo ventilation or vitalizing Pranayama and Hyper ventilation or relaxing pranayama. Kapalbhati, Bhasrika and Fast breathing can be classified under Hyper ventilation (increases Oxygen and reduces carbon dioxide) and Deep breathing, Bhramari can be classified as Hypo ventilation (oxygen level remains mostly same but the speed of respiration is lower).

Pranayam arouses the internal energy of a person and makes him healthy, balanced and active. Pranayam package which has seven-steps is sufficient along with daily routine. In Pranayama, however, there is a systematic regulation of both the inhalation and exhalation. The entire Pranayam process takes around 45 minutes and the duration can be increased gradually upto two hours. Pranayama should be done in morning hours preferably before the dawn. One should not sit for Pranayama after meals. At least a gap of 3-4 hours is essential. Pranayama should be practiced after Asans and before Meditation. Body must be cleansed before performing Pranayam and one should wear loose clothes. Sit straight; keep the neck and head absolutely straight. If a person cannot sit on floor due to some reasons then you can sit on chair. The body should be stable and spine should be straight. These seven-steps of pranayam package can be followed daily to maintain good health. Place for pranayama should be clean, peaceful and airy.
Now, we are going to discuss the seven most influential breathing exercises.

Bhastrika:

Take deep breathes and fill the lungs with air and then release it through nose. Take deep breath but do not fill the air in the stomach. Inhale deeply and exhale completely so that the lungs become free of air. Repeat this for 5-10 times till your breathing system is perfect. However, the patients of high blood pressure and heart patients should do it slowly. During this breathing exercise, imagine that you are throwing all the disorders present in your body. The mind is becoming pure and pious. Practice pranayam from three to five minutes.

Kapalbhati:

It is a double-nostril exercise of exhalations done at the rate of one per second. Mentally focus on exhalations and not inhalations, which will happen automatically. The idea is to throw the bad breath loaded with carbon dioxide out. This ensures quick replacement of the toxic gas with the refreshing oxygen needed for cellular metabolism.

• One can sit in vajrasana or padmasana.
• Placing the hands on the knees, keeping the back upright, while the eyes looking straight ahead.
• Exhale forcefully through the nose while pushing the stomach inward.
• Inhalation should be passive and short.
• Quickly perform the next exhalation.
• Do this continuously to a rhythm.
• Practice this with 50 exhalations at a stretch, then increase to 100.
• Subsequently, perform this for 2minutes continuously and increase the duration.

‘Kapalbharti’ enables the inhalation of a good amount of oxygen which purifies the blood and strengthens the nerve and brain centres. This kriya provides relief in many lung, throat and chest diseases like chronic bronchitis, asthma, diabetes, pleurisy, and tuberculosis.

Bahya pranayam:

Keep the hands on the knees; bend the chin and try to touch the upper portion of the chest and the chest should be stretched. The stomach muscles should be pulled inside.

The muscles of groin area should also be pulled inside. Then breathe out completely like Kapalbhati. Imagine that the disorders are going out of the body while breathing out. The time taken for each repetition is 15 seconds and this should be done for at least three minutes.


Anulom-Vilom:

It is a single-nostril breathing exercise. It is very influencial breathing exercise for diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure, migraine pain, asthma. One can begin with a minute of deep but slow breathing. In all breathing exercises, the hands must rest on the knees. Eyes must be closed. Inhale through the left nostril while keeping the right nostril pressed with the thumb of the right hand. Follow this by exhaling through the right nostril while keeping the left nostril pressed with the middle fingers of both hands. The aim is to achieve 100-120 inhalations and exhalations over a five-minute period. Stop for a moment if you are tired. By doing this anulom vilom pranayam for about 15 minutes a day you can cure diseases like Hypertension or high blood pressure, Diabetes, Migraine Pain, Asthma, Bronchitis etc.

• Sit in padmasana or sukhasana or legs folded in a proper manner
• Keep back erect.
• Shoulders behind.
• With right hand, close index finger & middle finger.
• Keep right hand thumb for controlling right nostril.
• Keep right ring finger for controlling left nostril.
• Now the actual breathing procedure
  

Breathe in through left nostril
Breathe out through right nostril
Breathe in through right nostril
Breathe out through left nostril.

This is one cycle of Anulom Vilom.

Both Anulom-Vilom and Kapalbharti are done for five minutes each by the beginners. They need to be extended up to fifteen minutes or more over a period of time through practice.

Brahmari: Person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan, close his eyes , keep his fingers in such a way that three fingers cover the eyes and one finger gives a little pressure on the forehead . The thumb should cover the ears by giving the little pressure. Now he has to take deep breathe and release the air slowly through nose so that a sound similar to the humming of bees comes out. Repeat the process for about 15 minutes. Breathe in and breathe out and imagine that the divine energy is entering into the body.
By doing Bramari pranayam you can cure all diseases related to ears, nose, throat, eyes, and nervous system.

Udgeet: A person should sit in Sukha Asana or dhyan asan, close his eyes, take deep breathe and release the air through mouth slowly that the sound of “OM” is pronounced. Breathe normally and chant ‘Aum’. The breathing should be so simple that the sound of breath should not be heard and even cotton kept in front of the nose should not move. Chant ‘Aum’ and visualize it while practicing this pranayam. Repeat the process for about 15 minutes. By doing udgeet pranayam you can cure all diseases related to nervous system and Throat.

Meditative pose: Concentrate the mind on inhaling and exhaling and think of god. God has created our eyebrows, eyes, nose, ears, lips, heart etc. in ‘Aum’ shape (Hindi word). Imagine the presence of god in every particle and meditate. Deeper the experience, and deeper will be the physical, mental and spiritual energy.

Pranayam overcomes the physical disorders, gives good health and the devotee proceeds on the path of spirituality.

YOGA: A Gift For Fitness

Yoga is termed as the most precious gift to the Indian by the ancestors, who discovered the true art to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. It is a science that has been practised for thousands of years and has spread across the world. Yoga is a centuries-old system of techniques designed to develop the individual’s physical, mental and spiritual health.

Yoga is an ancient Hindu practice to keep the body flexible and attain spirituality that is brought from India. In fact, millions of people across the globe are now aware of the health benefits of this ancient Yoga practice. This is the reason that this age-old physical art is practiced by so many people to remain fit. It is a wonderful art that brings a perfect blend of physical strength and gracefulness in your life.

Yoga can be defined as a routine or fitness education, that involves certain dietary restrictions and prescriptions, physical exercise and ethical precepts and included meditation for mental relaxation. It follows a methodology and ancient technique with specific poses and positions and practices to enhance its healing effects. The practitioners of yoga firmly believes that this discipline is capable of improving his mental and physical performance and reach beyond the standard limits of personal fitness. Many believe that yoga helps in losing weight, increase appetite and rejuvenate you body. However, there is more to yoga than just weight loss and body rejuvenation. The basic importance of yoga is that it helps a person keeping abreast of his or her subconscious mind and offers him or her, the rejuvenation of mind and spirit. If you are not fit, you can not enjoy anything and therefore, fitness plays an important role in rejuvenating you.

The Yogis view that the mind and the body are one, and that if it is given the right yoga guidance and tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself. Yoga, therefore, is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body's posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even in the midst of a stress stricken environment. This is one of the foremost reasons why people want to start practicing Yoga - to feel fitter, be more energetic, be happier and peaceful.

Though yoga is always popularly recognized with fitness and health concerns, the art of Yoga hardly untouches anything on earth. Be it health, weight loss, devotion, concentration, spiritual enlightenment, ego-shedding or beauty, yoga is effective in each of them. Many famous personalities in the health and beauty industry swear on the names of yoga. We have many Bollywood actresses Kareena Kapur, Shilpa Shetty, Mallika Arora practicing Yoga to enhance their beauty and stay fit. Shilpa Shetty says "It's a management system for life and it is the most holistic approch to life that I have ever come across. It strengthens tones and cures. It works on body, mind and soul. Yoga has had a spectacular impact on my life".
Several scientific researches and studies have proved that yoga can help the body function well and the person who practices it also experiences good health, harmony and happiness in his life. It is believed that yoga helps in removal of toxins from the body and increases flexibility of your body making you look younger. The Dog and Cat Pose of Yoga is certainly helpful in gaining flexibility and vigor.

Exercise is for the body and Yoga is for the Mind , Body and your soul.

Yoga brings out various options depending upon your requirements you can choose what you want.
1. There are ‘asanas’ which keep you healthy and flexible.
2. Some ‘asanas’ and ‘mudras’ help in treatment of some diseases.
3. ‘Pranayams’ - breathing exercises- are for treatment as well as general health. some even help in weight loss and general toning. These are also good for depression & mental stress relief.

Yoga consists of a series of physical postures complemented by breathing exercises and healthful eating. Together with meditation and positive thinking it confers literally scores of benefits These can cure many illnesses. A slow and gradual process would help you many ways and make this very simple. The common and simple things you can keep in mind is that, don’t exert yourself, don't bend too much, take your time and do the poses, whatever you do, see to it that these exercises do not cause pain while doing it. Yoga not only has asana but other techniques such as breathing and meditation. It is a combination of all three which are very important. Pranayam is one of the basic exercises which everyone would start with. These are very simple and easy to do exercises. Meditation is also very helpful as it removes your stress and would get you to a place you could hardly know about.

Positive effects of Yoga
In fact, there are several health benefits of yoga. Yoga is a perfect practice to improve your physical as well as mental health. Yoga can enhance the strength of muscles and endurance of respiratory system. It also has a potential to increase flexibility in the body, tendons and restore a healing mental balance. People suffering from arthritis or joint pain can experience a significant decrease in pain by practicing yoga. One can also increase energy levels via this effective physical exercise. Here are some of the other important health benefits of practicing yoga

Balances the heart rate.

Work towards stabilizing the nervous system.

Can balance hormone levels.

Its a great way to normalize digestion.

Helps you “stay regular” by stimulating the digestive system.

Aids weight loss.

Reduces stress and tension.

Tones muscles and increases flexibility, strength, and stamina.

Yoga enhances joint range of motion.

It increases energy level.

Helpful in improving cardiovascular efficiency.

Enhances eye-hand coordination.

Helpful in restoring sleep.

Will promote muscle mass and improve body toning.

Improves circulation, thus reducing acne, the signs of aging, and other skin disorders.

Release harmful toxins from internal organs and boost the immune system.

Teaches, steady breathing, relaxation breathing and other breathing techniques.

There are numerous benefits of yoga and this age old spiritual exercise would help you keep your body health and function properly.

However, with yoga therapy, you can easily discover your inner self, be aware of what is actually going on in your mind and clear your mind of all the accumulated clutter. You can learn to concentrate, dissolve your worries and improve physical disorders with the help of yoga. If taken seriously and practiced regularly, one can feel immediate health improvements, as well as tone the figure and lose weight. There is no perfect time to start yoga. As the wise say “It is better late than never”, you can start yoga as young and as old as you want. Yoga can cure many illnesses and you must trust this age-old tradition to benefit from it.