Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Change Your Breath, Change Your Life - From the Himalayan Yoga Institute

The Wonderful Practice Of Pranayama:

Each and every one of the yoga techniques is fascinating, a small universe in itself, and the more we understand the subtle science behind each instruction, each method, the more we are in awe of this ancient practice.


Pranayama is an extremely intricate science with many facets to it. Pranayama is usually translated as breath control, but the breathing techniques are actually designed to control the movement of the prana, or vital energy, in our body.

When the mind is agitated, the prana is agitated and this will manifest as irregular breathing. Breath and mind are closely interrelated. Think about how you breathe while waiting for an important interview. Great singers and actors know that by regulating their breathing they can regulate their emotions and calm their mind to the point where stage fright becomes negligent or completely disappears.

Performing artists who are well acquainted with pranayama, eradicate unpleasant emotions, including stage fright, entirely from their performing experience.

Pranayama techniques and proper breathing supplies the brain and organs of the body with sufficient oxygen and keeps the body in vibrant health. It also helps to rid the body of waste products and toxins. The brain requires more oxygen than any other organ. If it doesn’t get enough, the result is mental sluggishness, negative thinking, depression and eventually our optical and auditory abilities degenerate rapidly. The supply of oxygen is reduced when we lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Many accomplished yogis will tell you that minding the breath is central to the practice of yoga.

Attention is also paid to the breath during the practice of postures. In beginning asana classes, students are instructed when to inhale and exhale as they enter and release postures, and to simply pay attention to their breath at other times.

3 aspects of pranayama are practiced during asana practice: inhalation, exhalation and breath retention in certain postures. This is a simple form of pranayama, a preparation for the more intricate pranayama practices that are taught as part of the spiritual techniques.

Oxygen purifies the blood stream:

One of the major secrets to experiencing increased energy and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. The quickest and most effective way to purify the blood stream is by taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe.

A few points on the importance of proper oxygen supply:
  • Oxygen recharges the body's batteries (the solar plexus).
  •  Most of our energy requirements come, not from food, but from the air we breathe.
  • Purification of the blood stream recharges the whole body and rejuvenates the skin.
  • Scientists have discovered that the chemical basis of energy production in the body is a chemical called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). If something goes wrong with the production of ATP, the result is lowered vitality, disease and premature aging. Oxygen is critical for the production of ATP; in fact, it is its most vital component.

Importance of Healthy Breathing:

We know how to breathe. It is something that occurs automatically, spontaneously and naturally. We are breathing even when we are not aware of it. So, it appears to be unnecessary to learn how to breathe. However, our breathing becomes modified and restricted in various ways, not just momentarily but habitually. We develop unhealthy habits without being aware of it.

For example:
  • We tend to assume positions such as slouching, which diminishes our lung capacity and results in shortened breaths.
  • The more we concentrate on something, the tenser the muscles become. This leads to the contraction of the muscles in the arms, neck and chest. The muscles that move the thorax and control inhalation and muscular tension clamp down and restrict exhalation. The breaths become shorter and shorter. After an extended period of intense focusing, the whole system seems to be frozen in a certain posture. We become fatigued from the decreased circulation of blood and from the decreased availability of oxygen available to the blood.





What's Wrong with the Way We Breathe?
  • Our breathing is too shallow and too quick.
  • We are not taking in sufficient oxygen and we are not eliminating sufficient carbon dioxide. As a result, our bodies are oxygen-starved, and a toxic build-up occurs. Every cell in the body requires oxygen and our level of vitality is just a product of the health of all the cells.
  • Shallow breathing does not exercise the lungs sufficiently causing a further reduction in vitality.
  • Quick shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which leads to reduced vitality, premature ageing, a poor immune system, as well as undesirable mental/emotional states like depression and anxiety.
The Effects of Shallow Breathing:
  • Reduced vitality, since oxygen is essential for the production of energy in the body
  • Susceptibility to disease. Our resistance to disease is reduced since oxygen is essential for healthy cells. This means we catch more colds and develop other ailments more easily.
  • With our 'normal' sedentary way of living, we only use about one tenth of our total lung capacity. This is sufficient to survive, but not sufficient for a vibrant, long life and resistance to disease.
  • Poor oxygen supply affects all parts of the body. When an acute circulation blockage deprives the heart of oxygen, the result is heart attack while poor oxygen supply to the brain results in a stroke.
  • Scientists have known for a long time that there is a definite connection between respiration and mental states. Improper breathing diminishes mental abilities. The reversal is also true. It is known that mental stress produces restricted breathing.
  • For a long time, lack of oxygen has been considered a major cause of cancer. Even way back as 1947, a study done in Germany showed that when oxygen was withdrawn, normal body cells could turn into cancer cells.
  • Similar research has been done with heart disease. It showed that lack of oxygen is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Modem science confirms the consequences of shallow breathing. An editorial in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggested that fast, shallow breathing can cause: fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety, stomach upsets, heartburn, gas, muscle cramps, dizziness, visual problems, chest pain and heart palpitations. Scientists have also found that a lot of people who believe they have heart disease are really suffering from improper breathing. Old people and those whose arteries are clogged often become senile and vague because the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced.
  • People who have sedentary jobs and spend most of the day in offices have oxygen-starved brains and their bodies are just 'getting by'. This results in feeling tired, nervous and irritable. They usually sleep poorly at night and become even more nervous, irritable and tired the next day creating a vicious cycle. This situation also weakens the immune system, making them susceptible to catching colds, flu and developing allergies.

Importance of Breathing through the Nose:
  • The first rule for correct breathing is that we should breathe through the nose.
  • This may seem obvious, but many people breathe principally through the mouth.
  • Mouth breathing can adversely affect the development of the thyroid gland, and can retard the mental development of children.
  • Pathogens can also enter the lungs more easily by way of mouth breathing.
  • The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and excessively cold air entering the body.
  • At the entrance to the nose, a screen of hairs traps dust, tiny insects and other particles that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth.
  • After the entrance of the nose, there is a long winding passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught.
  • In the inner nose there are glands fighting off any bacilli, which may have circumvented the other defences. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ - our sense of smell, helping us to detect any poisonous gases in our surroundings.




Yoga teaches us that breathing through the mouth is a major factor in lowered resistance to disease and that it impairs the functioning of our endocrine glands and nervous system. The ancient yogis were aware of the importance of correct breathing and developed techniques not only to increase health and life span.

Yoga proves to have a highly beneficial effect on the body when practiced along with proper breathing. However, special breathing techniques should also be practiced separately apart from the asanas.

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