Pranayama - Inhale The Future, Exhale The Past...

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It is often said, "Pranayama - for Lungs; Meditation - for Mind; Yoga-Asanas - for Body; Walking - for Heart; Good Food - for Intestine; Good Thought - for Soul; Good Karma - for World...".

 

 

 

Some students are in a hurry to begin 'real' pranayama. They go right to the later stages without first laying a quality foundation and their practice often suffers. This is not correct. They first have to find about what is it. This is also a part of the answer to the question "Who am I?". Also, there are some body gestures and mental attitudes which need to be looked into while practicing pranayama.

 

  • The first two fingers of the right-hand palm and the left-hand palm are to be curved and last two fingers are to be kept straight and to be held together. Movement of fingers (in some types) is only expected and the rest of the parts should be at complete rest. The face should be kept quite gay and relaxed in order to practice breathing more effectively. One should sit in one of the following asanas: Padmasana, Vajrasana, or Swastikasana. The eyes should be closed and the whole attention should be concentrated on breathing so that it will be possible to acquire it. 

 

 


 

To practice the cycling of inhaling and exhaling, six supplementary types are given. In all these types, the speed of breathing is more. These are:


 TYPE 1: Keep both the nostrils open and then inhale and exhale with both the nasal passages. This type is nothing but quick breathing with both the nasal cavities. One should inhale and exhale with as much speed as possible and for as much time as feasible.

TYPE 2: Take up Pranava Mudra and close the right nostril with the help of the thumb of the right hand, and inhale with left nostril and also exhale through the same nasal passage. In brief this type can be described as quick breathing with the left nostril.

TYPE 3: In this type left nostril is to be closed and the quick breathing is done with the right nostril.

TYPE 4: In this type close the right nostril, and inhale with the left nostril, and then immediately close left nostril and exhale with the right nostril. In this way try quick breathing by changing the nostrils.

TYPE 5: This type of breathing is just opposite the previous one, that is, the left nostril is closed and inhaling is done with the right nostril, then immediately closing the right nostril, exhaling is done with the left nostril.

TYPE 6: This type of breathing is designed by combining previous two types, that is, type 4 and type 5. First, inhale with left nostril and exhale with right one, then inhale with right nostril and exhale with left nostril. Later continue the same process, that is, inhaling and exhaling with left and right nostrils alternately. Further, switch to fast breathing by increasing the speed of breathing. After sufficient practice the speed of breathing can be increased immensely.

Initially, one should start with eleven cycles of breathing and it should be increased to one hundred and twenty-one without any fear. However, later the breathing should be made a part of daily practice of other Asanas and be practiced for two to three minutes. All these types can also be practiced with slow inhalation and exhalation. Here, it is important to note that practicing these types of breathing does not mean doing Pranayama. This is simply a preparation of the actual practice of Pranayama.
 
 




Types of Pranayama:

 

  • According to the speed of breathing:
    • Quiet Breathing (the smooth breathing that continues naturally without any effort)
    • Deep Breathing (the protracted breathing which is caused by deliberate slowing down of the breathing)
    • Fast Breathing (the quick breathing which is caused by deliberate increase in the speed of breathing)
  • Triband and Pranayama
  • Nadi Shuddhi Pranayama or Anuloma-Viloma (alternate nostril breathing-1)
  • Anuloma-Viloma (alternate nostril breathing-2)
  • Suryan Bhedan Pranayama (right nostril breathing)
  • Ujjayi Pranayama
  • Bhramari Pranayama
  • Pranayama from Hatha Yoga



 

The goal of pranayama is to strengthen the connection between the body and mind. It is the means of attaining higher states of awareness. It helps in developing good breathing habits and a long and subtle breath establishes a calm mind and a calm mind is the foundation for everything great. When the breath wanders. the mind is also unsteady. But when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still and the yoga achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control breath. At last practice of ‘asanas' and 'pranayama' wards off disease and helps to maintain alertness.

 

SOURCE :

  • Photos and Videos-  
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  • Content- 

    • https://utkatayoga.com/inhale-exhale-pranayama/

    • https://www.healthline.com

    • https://www.yogapoint.com


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