Breath is an essential and involuntary part of life, and we often don’t give it a second thought until we are forced to do so, for example, when we suffer from congestion, wheezing or allergies. In yoga, learning to control the breath is an important building block in developing your practice.
What is Pranayama?
Pranayama is the science of breath. It comes from the Sanskrit terms ‘prana’ meaning ‘life force’ and ‘ayama’ meaning ‘to exhale or to draw out’. Hence, Pranayama is the practice of controlling the movement of prana through various breathing techniques.
“The peak of yoga practice is the pranayama.”
Why should we practice something that we do naturally? In the human body, lungs, heart and brain hold very important positions and they depend on each other heavily for their health. Controlled breathing can not only reduce stress and induce a state of calm, but can also improve overall health. Pranayama actually influences the subtle and the physical body in a greater measure than Yoga asanas do and in a perceptible manner. In fact, the peak of yoga practice is the pranayama. It has so many health benefits.
Lungs Pranayamas are systematic exercises of respiration, which makes the lungs stronger, improves blood circulation and makes a person healthier and promotes longevity. The prana that we breathe in fills our lungs, spreads into the entire body, it aids in throwing out all the useless material like carbon dioxide and toxins. If this action of the respiratory system is done regularly and efficiently, lungs become stronger and blood becomes pure. However, most of the people do not have the habit of breathing deeply, resulting in only one-fourth part of the lungs being brought into action and the other 75% remaining idle. Mind Pranayama has the capacity of freeing the mind from untruthfulness, ignorance and all other painful and unpleasant experiences of the body and mind. Mental disturbances like excitement, anxiety, fear, anger, disappointment, lust for sex and other mental perversions can be calmed down by regular practice of Pranayam. It brings freedom from these negative mental states. It also makes it easy to perform meditation and sit for longer periods. Other Physical Benefits
Digestive system and diseases pertaining to digestive organs are improved
Diseases pertaining to the heart and brain are also improved
Obesity, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Constipation, Acidity, Allergy, Migraine, Diabetes, High blood pressure, diseases pertaining to kidneys, sexual disorders can also be improved
It even reverses the aging process and helps prevent the appearance of wrinkles on the face, causing the face to become brighter
Etheric Body Regular pranayama causes cleansing of the chakras, enabling you to awaken the Kundalini Shakti, the life force lying dormant at the base of the spine. This is the reason to begin practicing pranayama now and make it part of your daily rituals. Trust me it will change you life for the best. Start with just 5-10 minutes a day and notice the difference with in a week. Your body, mind and soul will be so happy.
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Tips for Practicing
It is important to keep the body relaxed and all the internal organs relaxed as well as keep the spine tall
Practice your pranayam on an empty stomach and preferably in the morning.
When practicing pranayama you can add mantras to calm the mind. If you know a sacred song, I advise you to sing before you practice pranayama as it carries high vibration and energy into the body to prepare for pranayama practice. For instance, the Gayatri Mantra or Om chanting are wonderful.
Pranayama and its regular practice enables you to lead a healthy and long life. Physical, etheric, emotional and mental disorders can be cured and toxins eradicated from the body. It is for this reason that in several Hindu religious rites, Pranayama is found to have been introduced as an essential element.
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I have tons of video tutorials guiding you through many pranayama techniques. Try them out here https://www.thefullseven.com/become-a-member and let me know which ones you love!