Between work, commuting in the crazy cities we live in, pleasing your beau, and finding the next meal, you barely have time to wipe your…well, you get the picture. Now we all take our health for granted from time to time, but there is never an excuse to mistreat your most treasured asset. You may not have the time to join any of the hip gyms in town, but this do-it-yourself technique can be practiced at home. And you won’t believe how easy this is!
Performing the age-old Indian deep breathing technique, called the Pranayama, for a few minutes every day will help you absorb more oxygen that will improve the frontline defence systems in your body. It is also a very good way of keeping most diseases at bay such as stress, high BP, asthma, lung infections such as common colds, diabetes, and much more.
What you need to take care of while doing Pranayama?
1. Pranayama is best done on an empty stomach.
2. You can sit on a mat or in a chair with your legs crossed at the ankles, in a posture most comfortable to you.
3. The flow of breath – both in and out – must be continuous. Never break the rhythm.
4. Begin with three minutes of Pranayama and go on to 15 minutes per day.
5. As with any form of exercise, Pranayama is best practiced under professional guidance.
There are six types of Pranayam practices. Bhastrika Pranayama, Anulom Vilom Pranayama, Kapal Bhati Pranayama, Bahya Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama and Udgeeth Pranayama. The simpler ones are the first three. The others are best learnt from a master.
Bhastrika Pranayama:
Sit in a comfortable posture with your hands upturned on your knees and close your eyes. Bring your thumbs and forefingers together with the other three fingers pointing straight. Breathe in slowly through both your nostrils and fill in your lungs and abdomen. At this point, you should be able to feel both your chest and stomach expanding. Now breathe out uniformly but with more force then while you were inhaling. The exhalation time (ET) will be less than the inhalation time (IT). This is one cycle. Breathing in and breathing out may be continued for three minutes on Day One and may be increased to as much as 15 minutes gradually.
Tip: Do this daily for five minutes, for one whole week and your life is made!
Kapal Bhati Pranayama:
Sitting posture is same as above. Inhale air through your nostrils normally and exhale forcefully. The ET should be way shorter than the IT. You can feel the pressure on your abdomen when you exhale. You can do this for three minutes on Day One and for up to five minutes over a period of time.
Anulom Vilom Pranayama:
Sit in the same posture as before. Close the right nostril gently with the right thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril and fill your lungs and abdomen fully with air. Now, close your left nostril with the middle and ring fingers of the right hand and open the right nostril. Exhale through the right nostril slowly and fully. Now, inhale through the right nostril, close it with your right thumb, open the left nostril and exhale. This is one cycle. Begin with five cycles on Day One and continue till you reach a duration of about five minutes.
Quick Fix:
The two nostrils represent the sun and the moon. The right one belongs to the sun while the left to the moon. When you have a headache, close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe evenly through your left nose – both inhaling and exhaling. After doing this for a few minutes, your headache will gradually reduce.
When you are tired and sleepy in the middle of your work, do the reverse. Cover your left nostril with your index finger and breathe evenly through your right nostril. After a short while, you will feel refreshed and wide awake.
Interested in trying out yoga classes? Check these out in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi.
