Breathing Techniques for Yoga Practices
(pranayama)
Prana is the vital life force that makes up the entire cosmos; it is the Parashakti or universal intelligence. When you breath, in addition to the oxygen, you also take in a lot of prana. The oxygen gets diffused in the lungs and then gets into the bloodstream, while the prana goes through- out the body. It enters into every area--physical, vital and mental. Every cell in your body vibrates with new life.
You get prana from food, from the sun, and from the air you breath. You can live for many weeks without food, days without water, minutes without air, but not even a fraction of a second without prana.
During pranayama (breathing techniques) you are literally drinking in gallons and gallons of vitality and immunity. You supercharge the blood with extra oxygen. Oxygen is life, so that means you are enriching your blood with lots of life. And not only do you take in more oxygen but along with air you take in more prana allowing every cell of your body to vibrate with new life.
Pranayama also purifies the nervous system and eliminated toxins from the body and blood. It produces lightness of the body, alertness of the mind, good appetite, proper digestion and sound sleep.
The quickest way to regenerate forces during the work day is through proper relaxation and deep breathing. Pranayama will even help improve athletic performance because it charges the body with extra energy and builds stamina and endurance.
For those who wish to lose weight, pranayama can help reduce physical food consumption. For those who wish to stop smoking, pranayama is the ideal practice. It helps eliminate toxins from the system, reduces the craving for nicotine and revitalizes the lungs and body by the increased intake of oxygen.
Breath Intentionally and Deeply
How accomplished you feel when you set an intention or make a resolution to take care of yourself and actually do it?
Breathing intentionally and deeply is a wonderful practice to increase the amount of oxygen in the system, because diseased cells cannot live in an oxygenated environment. Just by extending the exhalation you can lower blood pressure. Our breath effects everything from our state of health to our state of mind, yet so many of us have forgotten how to breath to have the air do its vital work on all the million of cells in our bodies.
Reverse breathing is very common since, in an attempt to stand up straight, we actually freeze the abdomen and diaphragm, and never get any air into the lower recesses of our lungs. We become short of breath and puff and grasp and wheeze and deprive our system of much needed oxygen.
The Yogis say that the mouth is for eating and the nose is for breathing. The nostrils prepare the air to enter the lungs, warming and filtering the incoming air. Breathing through the nose also stimulates the brain and promotes optimal functioning of the nervous system.
A great way to practice deep full breathing is lying on the bed, perhaps 5 minute before arising and before retiring. Imagine your are filling a balloon, first allowing the belly to fill up then feel the breath moving through the rib cage and all the way up just beneath the collarbones. When you do this with regularity you can take in up to seven times more oxygen then a shallow breath. Let your whole body relax and begin by exhaling and gently pulling the navel in toward the spine to release the stale are. Then with out forcing in anyway, simply allow the breath to flow in through the nostrils and feel yourself being filled from the bottom to the top. Exhale with even more control, slowly and smoothly. The breath will feel like a silken thread, being drawn in and out with ease. Consistent practice is the key to any improvement we wish to realize. And what a gift! Wishing you radiant health.
More about Breathing
Again and again I return to the breath - the link between body and mind. If we can simply remember to breath consciously, we can relieve the built-up stress and tension in our bodies, lower blood pressure and feel calmer and less scattered. The mind becomes clearer and we feel more centered and grounded in the present moment.
It take practice to be present. We are either lost in the past or worried about the future. The breath brings us to the present and helps us handle life in an appropriate way, as life is definitely not always smooth sailing. There are accidents. We get disappointed; we lose loved ones; pets die, and we're immobilized by grief, pain and shock. The stress and tension is overwhelming and as a result, our immune systems are compromised. It is at these time we must pause...and breath...and make time to be quite and reflect without stuffing the void. The poet Rumi suggest we "gaze at the bandaged place." We have to allow ourselves to feel deeply so that the buried feelings can surface and be released. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. We can choice not to be victims of circumstance and remember that each moment presents a new opportunity for us to respond and act with clarity, dignity and grace.
So we come to breath and feel a sense of inner lightness. Humming is also a fabulous practice. Humming can heal tissues after surgery. Google it and see some of the benefits.
We're here on earth for a relativity short time, so the best we can do is bring nourishment, healing and joy to ourselves and those we meet along the path. Everything and everyone that touches our life is for our growth and learning but not for our grasping!
Freedom comes from letting go, moving lightly through life; seeing the good, savoring
The happy times and accepting what is, wreathing then wanting or expecting it to be anything else.
We adapt, adjust, and accommodated and we resolve to stay present with the help of this amazing gift - the breath, our life force, right at the tip of our nose.
Proper Breathing Techniques Can.....
Pump spinal fluid to the brain, giving greater energy.
Regulate the body's pH (acidity/alkalinity) which affects your ability to handle stressful situations.
Reduce and prevent toxic buildup caused by not clearing mucous from the small air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs.
Stimulate the production of chemicals (endorphins) in the brain, which eliminate the tendency to feel depressed.
Clean the blood.
Provide greater alertness and awareness.
Give clarity, cool headedness, and positivity.
Aid in releasing blockage in energy flow.
Activate and clean nerve channels.
Aid in speeding up healing, both physical and emotional.
Aid in breaking subconscious undesirable habit patterns and addictions.
Reduce insecurity and fear.
Rechannel previous mental conditioning on pain as to reduce or eliminate pain. (i.e. child birth).
Give you capacity to control negative emotions.
Increase your lung capacity.
There are many tools that can assist you in making better choices for your health. Paula K will guide you through the process with gentle gradual changes.
Issues that keep us from our optimal health are partly due to the fact that as a society, we focus a lot of our energy on work, work, work, and go, go, go.
An important aspect of wellness is having peace, compassion and kindness for yourself as well as others. There is potential in all of us. Good health can be a key to unlock it.
If your body's not healthy, it's a burden to the mind. That will disturb your peace.
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