What’s inside?
- Pranayama Breathing Vs. Breathing Exercises
- Basic guidelines for Doing Pranayama Breathing
- Useful Pranayama Breathing Exercises
Breathing is something we unconsciously do most of the time. Nobody has to teach us breathing. Even a newborn child does that. A few minutes after no breath or breath is controlled long enough, a person is likely to develop brain damage, fall unconscious and the body system will collapse as we rely on oxygen to function. Breathing is the most essential thing for a person to live and lead an active life. If you know how to breathe properly and different breathing patterns with their unique elements, you will be bestowed with innumerable physical and mental benefits.
Pranayama Breathing Vs. Breathing Exercises
Sometimes deep breathing helps you to release your stress, unlike pranayama which is the conscious awareness of the breath. It is important to realize that not all breathing exercises are pranayama. Most of the breathing exercises are relatively easier versions of pranayama. Pranayama is completed, when the breath is retained with bandhas or locks. Bandhas or energy locks help to stimulate chakras and control the flow of the prana in the body. When we apply bandha, the energy flow to a particular part is controlled and upon releasing the bandha there will be an improved flow of blood and dynamic flow of energy which advance liveliness.
Normal breathing exercises generally remove the locks and the external retention. Pranayama is a scientifically proven breathing technique to control, alter the amount, quality, and flow of prana or the life force in our body. Many scientific studies describe the wide-ranging benefits of pranayama like.
The fact is we don’t know how to breathe properly, in other words, we are never taught to breathe fully. We breathe without using our maximum lung capacity. Due to this, stagnant and stale air lay at the bottom of the lungs. This interferes with the quality of each new oxygenated breath taken. This negatively impacts our cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems. It is through various breathing methods we practice in pranayama the stagnant air is pushed out of the lungs while exhalation. The result is having surprising benefits like better oxygenation of cells and tissues.
When the flow of prana is restricted, we will surely experience a lack of concentration and focus. Our mind will experience an imbalance of emotional state. Emotions like anxiety, tension, depression, and grief will fill our minds. Pranayama purifies the energy channels in our body thereby retaining prana in our body.
Read our blog to know more about:– difference between Pranayama and Breathing Exercises
Basic guidelines for Doing Pranayama Breathing
- Keep your body parts relaxed and let the breath flow gently, effortless
- A dedicated well ventilated space with clean and fresh air is necessary.
- Practice time should be dawn or dusk.
- Practice at least 2-3 hours after your last meal
- Avoid any negative emotions like anger, greed, pride or agony.
- Ideally pranayama should be practiced after asana and before meditation.
- Guidance of an experienced teacher is necessary
- Wear comfortable clothing
Useful Pranayama Breathing Exercises
Ujjayi Pranayama or Ocean Breath
Ujjayi increases the solar energy in the body and relieves mental fatigue. Ujjayi also stimulates the astral channels in the astral body and best solution for respiratory problems.
Sit in a comfortable sitting posture. Your spine is straight. Chest elevated and shoulders up. You can inhale for four counts in a snoring manner. Close your nostrils with the right hand Vishnu mudra. This time apply internal locks for 16 counts. Now exhale counting eight through left nostril. After exhalation apply all three bandhas for 16 counts.
What you have to remember here is inhalation is through both nostrils and exhalation is only through the left nostril.
Kaki Mudra Pranayama (Pursed Lip Breathing)
Kaki Mudra, means ‘crow’s beak’. Here you breathe in and out through your mouth shaped in ’O’ as if you are going to whistle.
Instructions
- Sit in an easy comfortable position mediation pose
- Place your hands in Chin Mudra on your legs.
- Close your eyes and breathe easily with your full concentration on inhalation and exhalation.
- Purse your lips, making an ‘O’ shape. It should be projected like a crow’s beak.
- Slowly breathe in (through the mouth, through the pursed lips).
- Breathe out (through the mouth)
- Repeat for 4 times. Make sure you breathe slowly and calmly
- When you breathe in 5th time, at the end of the breath rise and drop your head backward, opening the chest and filling the lungs.
- Bring your head forward and apply internal locks. Hold your breath.
- Release the locks, gently breathe out.
- This completes one round
- All the inhalation and exhalation are from the mouth with lips pursed.
Sheetali Pranayama
The word ‘Sheetali‘ means cooling and as the name signifies Sheetali Pranayama has the cooling effect. It has the same benefits as Sheetkari. To practice, fold the tongue into a tube and protrude it between the lips. Inhale through the mouth and exhale through both nostrils. During internal retention, internal locks are applied. People who are ailing from cold and tonsillitis should not practice Sheetali Pranayama.
Instructions
- Sit in a comfortable position and place the hands in Chin Mudra on your knees. Close your eyes and sit straight.
- To practice, roll up the tongue from inside into a tube and let it protrude between your lips.
- Inhale through the tube-shaped tongue. Inhale to your maximum
- Apply internal locks and hold 2,3,4….8-16.
- Exhale through both nostrils.
Inhale as slowly as possible and retain the breath and exhale the breath also slowly. In Sheetkari Pranayama breath is inhaled through your teeth and exhalation with nostrils.
Conclusion
Learning to breathe in well is vital for a rejuvenated self. If you notice, when we are emotionally feeble, the breath levels vary and our whole energy levels get disturbed. With regular practice of pranayama breathing, one can master the proper breathing and its techniques which will ultimately result in a happy long life.
