Pranayama And Its Method
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| Pranayama |
It is Believed that Yoga is always practiced by our ancient not only for the physical and psychological fitness but also to attain a higher level of consciousness (Enlightenment). When you go back to history, yoga is older than the world’s oldest book “Rigveda” which is believed to be 8 to 10 thousand years old. It means Pranayama is being practiced from thousands of years for well being it may be physically or spiritually.
If you can control your breath, you can control your lifestyle. In the pranayama, you breathe consciously. When you inhale, you know you are inhaling and when you exhale, you know you are exhaling. When you are aware of your breathing you can control and regulate your breath as you want. The practice of pranayama clams and reduces the thought level which leads to meditation easily. There are different types of pranayama, as per their own rules, you can make your breathing long and deep, slow or fast.
Pranayama is
ideal for improving your blood circulation, enhancing concentration and
supplying a remarkable reassurance. Pranayama practice supplies you enough
energy to last daily. You can live without food and water for a few days, but
you can't live without breathing for a minute. There are different types of pranayama, you
can practice one which suits you.
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Kapalbhanti pranayama
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Bhastrika Pranayama
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Namaskar Pranayama
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Anulom Bilom Pranayama
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Bhramari Pranayama
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Ujjayi Pranayama
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Udgeeth Pranayam
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Bahya Pranayama
1. Namaskar Pranayama
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| Namaskar Pranayama |
- Stand, keep your leg in the one-foot distance. ( or you can sit in Sukhaasana).
- Join hand in Namaskar Mudra.
- Tips of the Index and middle fingers of both hands should touch each other during the process of this pranayama. When tips of the index and middle finger touched each other, your body balances necessary space (Space Element - Akash tattwo) and air ( Air Element - Bayu tattwo) for more oxygenation inside the body.
- Move your both Arm up and down like flying butterflies wings, exhale breath outside forcefully, focus only to throw breath outside, breathe inside taken automatically (breathing should throw outside by nose only, the mouth should be closed lightly, Arm movement and breath outside should be done simultaneously).
- Close your eyes lightly, just focus on your breath and practice for 10 minutes or more.
Note: In the beginning, you can start
from 5 minutes while you feel difficult to do a long time, After some days you
can expand to 10 to 15 minutes.
Benefits
- Keeps lungs strong and healthy.
- Remove toxins & impurities.
- Oxygenated the entire brain and body.
- Energies whole body.
- Sharp the mind, increase concentration and memory power.
- Boost Immune power.
- Protect from the cold.
- Balance the sugar level (diabetes).
- Remove depression, anxiety, and stress.
- Prepare for meditation.
Who shouldn’t practice
- Pregnant women.
- During Menstruation Cycle.
- Patients of any disease who are not sure whether to practice or not, take concern from an expert before practice.
Morning time is considered as the best time to practice in
an empty stomach. Never try in the full stomach but can practice 3 to 4 hours later after having a meal.
2. Bhastrika Pranayama
Bhastrika pranayama is a rapid inhalation and exhalation
method which boosts or raises the level
of vital energy in the body and brain. Bhastrika pranayama can be practiced at
three levels slow, medium and fast as per your strength and ability.
How to Practice
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| Bhastrika Pranayama |
- Take any asana you feel comfortable like Shukhasana, Bhajrasana, Padmasana, etc.
- Keep your hand in Gyan Mudra facing upward on your knee.
- Take a long and deep breath and prepare yourself for practice.
- In the first phase, inhale long & deep slowly and exhale long & deep slowly.
- In the second phase, slowly raise the speed of inhaling and exhaling than before.
- In the third phase, inhale and exhale rapidly as per your strength. Don’t force yourself, try up to you feel comfortable and increase speed slowly every day. It can be practiced for 5 to 10 minutes or more.
Benefits
- It helps you to oxygenate the entire cell of your body and brain which makes you feel fresh, energetic and young.
- Increase the Memory Power.
- Strengthen your Immune.
- Increase in Concentration.
- Remove toxins and impurities.
- Increase Life age
- Good for patients of depression, anxiety or stress and low blood pressure.
- good for people whose physical composition is water dominated.
Who shouldn't practice
- Patients of High blood pressure, heart disease, hernia and hypertension.
- Pregnant women.
- People whose physical composition is fire dominated.
- Patients of any disease who are not sure whether to practice or not, take concern from an expert before practice.
Morning time is considered as the best time to practice in
an empty stomach. Never try in the full stomach but can practice 2 to 3 hours later
after having a meal.
3. Kapalbhati Pranayama
Kapalbhati Pranayama is a quick inhalation and exhalation
pranayama with a contracting abdomen in every stroke. Kapalbhati is a
Sanskrit word for Shining forehead where Kapal means “forehead” and Bhati means
“shining”. It means that the practice of Kapalbhati Pranayama on a daily basis
glows the face and radiates you from inside.
In Kapalbhati pranayama exhalation time is one fourth longer than natural inhalation. This process can be continued for 5 to 10 minutes or more. It depends on your strength to continue.
In Kapalbhati pranayama exhalation time is one fourth longer than natural inhalation. This process can be continued for 5 to 10 minutes or more. It depends on your strength to continue.
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| Kapalbhati Pranayama |
How to Practice
- Simply, take any stable asana like Shukhasnana, Bhajrashana or padmasana.
- Rest your hand on a knee in Gyan mudra facing upward.
- Prepare yourself, be relaxed, and make your back straight.
- Exhale forcefully, contracting your abdomen muscles and followed by natural inhalation expanding abdomen through both nostrils.
- In natural inhalation, inhalation happened by itself during exhalation. You just need to focus on the exhalation.
Benefits
- Kapalbhati Pranayama cleanses the lungs and entire respiratory system removing toxins and impurities.
- Oxygenate the entire cell in the body and brain.
- Strength the digestive system and abdominal muscles.
- Purify the blood and open blockage which increases the supply of oxygen in each and every cell and shines the skin.
- Good for patients of diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression, hemoglobin deficiency, etc.
- Prepare for Meditation.
- Physically and psychologically makes you strong.
Who shouldn't Practice
How to Practice
- During and shortly after Pregnancy.
- During the menstrual cycle.
- Any abdominal surgery.
- Stop and take guidance from an expert, if you find any inconvenience during practice.
- Patients of any disease who are not sure whether to practice or not, take concern from experts before practice.
Morning time is considered as the best time to practice in an empty stomach. Never try in the full stomach but can practice 3 to 4 hours later after having a meal.
4. Bhramari Pranayama
Bhramari pranayama is a humming breathing technique. Bhramari is a Sanskrit word for bee. Like the bee produces humming sound, the same humming sound is produced in the practice of this pranayama Hence, it is called Bhramari Pranayama.
The humming sound and vibration have a natural healing capability which improves frequency ranges like alpha, delta, theta and gamma waves of the brain. It helps you to be calm, relax, peaceful and sometimes you may feel like you suddenly move to deep meditation or relaxation.
It is one of the best pranayama techniques for agitation or a kind of irritation, frustration, headache due to noise pollution, hypertension, loss of memory & concentration, and anger.
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| Bhramari Pranayama |
How to Practice
- Simply, take a stable asana or just cross your leg, make your back straight and relax.
- Keep thumbs on your tragus and press it gently, put your index finger above the eyebrow, then gently close your eyes and keep the remaining finger on your eyes very softly with no pressure.
- Take a long and deep inhalation and produce a humming sound like bees. Also, You can hum and vibrate like an OM chant.
- Focus on humming sound & vibration.
- Feel the vibration vibrating on your head and brain.
- Repeat the same process 3 - 5 times. After, it can be followed by Udgeeth Pranayama.
Benefits
- Humming and vibration sound produced during Bhramari Pranayama activates the pituitary gland.
- It relieves instantly from tension, anger, irritation, frustration, headache, anxiety, etc.
- Balance the hormones in the body
- Improve concentration, memory power, hearing capacity and build immunity.
- Bhramari Pranayama is good for patients of hypertension, mitigate migration, insomnia, high blood pressure, and headaches.
- Bhramari Pranayama relieves the pain during pregnancy and strengthens them emotionally.
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| Bhramari Pranayama |
Precaution
- Assure that you are not putting your finger inside the ear but on the tragus pressing it softly & gently.
- Don’t press your tragus and eyes hard, press gently and release hand & finger carefully.
- Close your mouth while humming.
- For beginners, don’t practice more than 3 to 4 times.
- Don’t try to produce a high pitch humming sound during pregnancy.
Morning time is considered as the best time to practice in an empty stomach. Never try in the full stomach but can practice 3 to 4 hours later after having a meal.
5. Udgeeth Pranayama
Udgeeth pranayama is a chanting breathing technique, where inhalation is followed by the long and deep om chanting giving emphasis to the sound of Aaaa, Aooo, Ommm equally. AUM mantra is repeating for at least 3 or as many times as you want. It can be practiced to 108 times.
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| Udgeeth Pranayama |
- Take a stable asana, making your spine and head straight.
- Put your hand on a Gyan mudra on a knee facing upward.
- Close your eyes.
- Keep your whole body loose, be relaxed and comfortable.
- Take a long and deep breath expanding the chest and then exhale smoothly through the mouth with the sound of om. Exhalation should be very soft and smooth like you do not realize you are exhaling.
- Focus on the third eye, be mindful of what you are feeling, sound and vibration in your body.
- Repeat at least 9 times. It can be done 18 times if you have time.
Benefits
- Udgeeth Pranayama is very effective for patients of high blood pressure, hypertension, insomnia, tension, anger, anxiety, depression, and migration.
- It improves concentration, memory power, and eyesight.
- We become more mindful and it enhances the immunity power of a body.
- It purifies the whole body.
- Thicken and make aura strong.
- It calms the mind and body which leads to dhyana “Meditation”.
- The regular practice of Udgeeth Pranayama brings natural glows on the face and reduces wrinkles.
- Heals 7 chakras.
Precaution
- Udgeeth Pranayama is not for pregnant women.
- Inhalation and the chanting process should be slow, soft and smooth.
- Don't try on a full stomach. Keep 5 to 6 hours interval after a meal.
Morning is considered as the best time for practice. Only practice with an empty stomach.
6. Anulom Vilom Pranayama & Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
Have you been aware before, either you are breathing more from left than right nostril or breathing more from the right than left nostril? If not, check it. Mostly, either you are left-brain dominated or right brain dominated. Maybe there are very few moments or short times, you breathe equally.
Pingala is a Sanskrit word for the right nostril called solar Nadi and corresponds to the left-hand side brain. So, if you are breathing more from the right nostril, your left brain is active now.
Ida is a Sanskrit word for the left nostril called lunar Nadi and corresponds to the right-hand side. So, if you are breathing more from the left nostril, your right brain is active now. You know, what miracles can happen if you activate your both brains at a time.
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| Anulom Vilom Pranayama |
Anulom Vilom
Anulom Vilom is a technique through practice, you can sharpen your both brains and reach your ultimate possibilities, balance tri-dosas(vaat, pitta, and kaffa), control pranic energy, purify the nervous system, bring the state of mindfulness and many more. It is an alternate nostril breathing method where you start inhaling through the left nostril and then exhaling through the right nostril. The sequence is then reversed, you inhale from the same nostril you had exhaled (right nostril) and exhale through the left nostril. This process can be continued for 5 to 10 minutes or more.
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| Anulom Vilom Pranayama |
Nadi Shodhana
Nadi Shodhana is the next level of Anulom Vilom. The process is the same as Anulom Vilom, different is, you need to hold your breath in. Also, you can practice holding the breath out or both at a time. Inhale through the left nostril, hold the breath in (Antar Kumbhaka), then exhale through the right nostril, hold the breath out (Bahir Kumbhaka). The sequence is then reserved, inhale through the right nostril, hold the breath in (Antar Kumbhaka), then exhale through the left nostril, hold the breath out (Bahir Kumbhaka). The process is continued.
How to Practice
- Take a stable asana, making your spine and head straight.
- Put your hand on a Gyan mudra, resting on a knee facing upward.
- Close your eyes.
- Lose your whole body, be relaxed and comfortable.
- Use your right hand, close the right nostril with your thumb. Inhale long and deep slowly through the left nostril.
- Close your left nostril with a ring or middle finger removing the thumb from your right nostril to exhale.
- After exhaling from the right nostril, inhale through the same nostril and close your right nostril with your thumb removing fingers to inhale through the left nostril and the process is continued.
- For Nadi Shodhana, follow the same step as Anulom Vilom adding inhalation and exhalation retention.
Benefits
- Control and regulate life force energy.
- Improve and balance tri dosas: vaat, pitta, and kaffa.
- Sharp memory and concentration power.
- Cure mental disorders like depression, anxiety & stress, migraine, anger, irritation, headache, and tension.
- Help to balance blood pressure and cures heart disease.
- Help to recover from breathing-related problems like asthma and bronchitis.
- It purifies the nervous system and improves the working efficiency of the lungs.
- Help to keep diabetes under control
- Improve the blood circulation, oxygenating the whole brain and body.
- It balances the energy, Ida & Pingala which awakens the central channel called Sushumna Nadi.
Precaution
- Patients of blood pressure & heart disease and women during pregnancy & period should avoid the retention of breath during practice.
- For beginner inhalation (Puraka), retention (Kumbhaka) and exhalation (Rechaka) ratio should be equal.
- The breath should hold up to you are comfortable.
Morning time is considered as the best time to practice on an empty stomach. Never try on the full stomach but can practice 4 to 5 hours later after having a meal.
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