Breathing Exercise For Overall Health And Prosperity

In India, Yoga originated thousands of years ago as an alternative healing method. Presently, an alarming awareness has been observed in health and natural remedies by Yoga among the people. An essential component of Yoga – Pranayama or Breathing Exercise, has become a popular form of Yoga. Breathing is a vital function of life, and it is referred to as Pranayama in Yoga.

What Is Pranayama?

"Pranayama" is a Sanskrit word, which translates to control of life force, and the practice of breathing control is called Pranayama.

"Prana" is also known as a breath or vital energy in the body, which means life force. Prana represents the pranic energy responsible for the life force in the living state. Thus, the word "Ayama" means to control or extend. So Pranayama is "breath control" or "extension of breath."

It has been proposed by the science of Yoga that Pranayama can regulate the rhythm of pranic energy and promote overall health and prosperity.

So it is no surprise that breathing exercises can reduce the risk of diseases and make us alert, active and regulate the overall health and prosperity power.

The benefits of breath regulation practice of simple, deep breathing exercise include:

• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
• Increase in energy levels
• Reduced anxiety, depression, and stress
• Strengthens the lungs
• Overall health well-being

There are many breathing techniques; here are three Pranayama – breathing exercises for overall health and instructions on the simplest way to do them.

Pranayama Breathing Techniques for Overall Health

1. Nadhi Sodhana or Anuloma Viloma

This breathing exercise is also known as Anulom-Vilom Pranayama or alternative nostril breathing. This Pranayama for health can be considered beneficial in many ways.

It is a very comfortable, relaxed, balancing breath exercise, used to help calm the mind, purify the blood, and promote concentration. People believe that Nadhi Sodhana's breathing can also help to reduce stress and make a restful night's sleep.

If you cannot concentrate on your work, then do 5 rounds of Nadi Shodhan Pranayama regularly and after that, meditate for ten minutes? Nadi Shodhana Pranayama harmonizes the right and left sides of the brain and focuses the mind.

How to do it:

To do this breathing exercise, first of all, sit on a yoga mat in one of the easy postures (like Padmasana or Sukhasana).

• While sitting in this asana, keep the waist straight.
• Now bring your right hand near the nose and seal your right nostril with its thumb.
• Now make sure to inhale into your stomach through your left nostril.
• Then seal the left nostril with the ring finger and hold your breath.
• After this, release the thumb placed on your right nostril and exhale slowly through your right nostril.
• Again from the same side (from the right nostril), breathe in the stomach.
• Now seal both the nostrils for a few moments before exhaling through the left nostril.
• While exhaling through the left nostril, empty the stomach.

2. Kapalabhati Pranayama or Breath of Fire

Kapalabhati yoga breathing exercise is also known as skull shining breathing exercise and as an internal kriya. Here Kapal means 'skull' and Bhati means 'shine.'

Kapalbhati Pranayama purifies the entire respiratory system, as well as this yoga pranayama, can also help get glowing skin.

Practitioners of Kapalbhati believe that this breathing exercise can help detoxify the lungs and respiratory system and help purify the blood by increasing the oxygen supply in the body.

Apart from clearing the mucus in the respiratory tract, Kapalbhati Pranayama has also been considered helpful in toning the abdominal muscles and improving the capacity of the lungs.

How to do it:

• To do this exercise, first of all, choose a quiet and clean place and lay a yoga mat.
• After this, sit in one of the postures of Padmasana, Sukhasana, or Vajrasana.
• Now keeping your waist straight, close your eyes and keep your fingers in Gyan Mudra.
• Then take deep and long breaths while calming the mind.
• After this, while pulling the stomach in, exhale through the nose with a jerk. This process has to be done quickly.
• Make sure that while exhaling, draw the stomach in, and while inhaling, the stomach is out.
• Continue this process 15 to 20 times continuously.
• Make sure your mouth should be closed during this time. Use your nose to inhale and exhale.
• Once while Pranayama cycle is completed by doing it 15 to 20 times, so in such a situation, according to your capacity, you can do it two to three times.

3. Ujjayi Pranayama or Ocean's Breath

The Sanskrit word Ujjayi Pranayama means 'Victorious Breath, and it is also named ocean breath because of the sound it creates during Ujjayi Pranayama. This breathing exercise is often used in ashtanga and vinyasa yoga.

Ujjayi Pranayama calms the mind, encourages the lungs' full expansion, and generates vibrations in the body, giving us a new sense of energy.

How to do it:

• First of all, sit in a comfortable pose or meditation posture, close your eyes and leave the whole body loose.
• Now draw the breath inwards through both your nostrils, pull it so that the air fills the lungs, draw the breath slowly; the breath should never be pulled together.
• After a while, moves your awareness and attention to the throat, feel or imagine that both the nostrils are in the throat and the breath is coming from the throat, not the nose.
• Then hold the air inside your lungs as much as possible.
• When breathing is slow, and then slowly compresses your throat.
• Now, by contracting your throat muscles, close the right nostril and then exhale through the left nostril.
• In the sequence of inhalation and exhalation, the sound coming out of the throat should be so low that you can only hear it, do not make a very loud sound from the throat.
• When skill in this type of breathing is achieved, then bend your tongue backward in Khechari Mudra.

Conclusion

Breathing is your closest companion. A friend who keeps every moment of your feelings. Think once – when you run or get angry, your breathing automatically gets faster; When you stop or become calm, your breathing automatically slows down. That means that the breath is not only connected with the body but also with the mind. And we all want overall health and prosperity, for this Pranayama is useful.

Disclaimer

The content is purely informative and educational and should not be construed as medical advice. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional.

Hey, I am Manish Sharma director at 7Pranayama. It is an internet-based health & wellness portal. It helps you stay internally fit, relieves stress & calms mind with yoga, pranayama, daily breath fitness habits