Written by: Rimi Sodhi, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Life is a series of breath. Man can live without eating or drinking for a while but without breath there is no life. If you look at a child they breathe naturally and properly as nature intended us to do, but civilization has changed us in several ways. We have contracted improper standards of walking, standing & sitting that have robbed us of our natural and proper method of breathing.
The Breathing exercises in Yoga are designed and formulated to develop the spiritual side of a Yoga practitioner and increase one’s mental capacity. With breathing exercises one is able to gain a high level of control on his body and is able to send an increased flow of vital energy to any part of the body, thereby strengthening and invigorating the body organs. One becomes aware of the fact that the air contains more than oxygen, nitrogen and breathing is more than oxygenating the blood.
The Yoga Practitioner then knows how to handle this energy and with regular practice of breathwork one becomes fully aware of handling that great principle of energy and is fully informed about its effect on the human body and mind. He knows with rhythmical breathing one can bring oneself into perfect balance & harmony.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of practicing Pranayama regularly:
1. Increased oxygen levels in the body:
Lack of sufficient oxygen means imperfect nutrition, imperfect elimination and imperfect health. Therefore one must practice yoga exercises like Bhastrika, Alternate Nostril Breathing, deep belly breathing and sectional breathing that improve cardiac and respiratory functions in the body. Blood with fresh oxygen is carried from our lungs to the left side of your heart, which pumps blood around your body through arteries. With healthy lungs your diaphragm does most of the work when you inhale to bring fresh air in and exhale to let carbon dioxide and other gases out of your lungs.
2. Harmonious regulation of the nervous system:
It’s important to understand the function of the autonomic nervous system, which controls the function of the heart, liver, intestines, and other internal organs. The ANS has two branches that work in conjunction: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. So whenever the activity is high in the SNS, it is lower in the PNS, and vice versa. The science of pranayama is intimately connected with the autonomic nervous system and brings its functions under conscious control through the mastery of the breath, which requires taking conscious control of the diaphragm.
3. Boosts immunity levels:
Our body’s immune system plays an imperative role in our health. It fights bacteria, viruses and defends us from ailments. Breathing practices of Yoga, helps maintain the health of our respiratory system. The systematic and rhythmical breathing improves blood flow, reduces stress levels and increases the capacity of the lungs to breathe.
Here are 2 Yogic Breathing exercises which will helps build immunity.
Alternate Nostril Breathing: This is a soothing breathing practice that creates balance within the body and helps reduce factors like pulse rate, blood pressure and heart rate. It also helps reduce cortisol the stress hormone, therefore, helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Kapalabhati: It is a dynamic form of breath work that involves forceful breathing, which strengthens the lungs and increases its capacity. Practising Kapalbhati regularly improves cardiac and respiratory functions. It also increases blood circulation within the body and helps with digestive issues.
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Rimi Sodhi, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Born in 1988, a practitioner and teacher of Yoga, Rimi's initiation into the discipline of Yoga happened at the age of 25. An intense self-practice led her to study the spiritual philosophy further and deepen her Yoga practice. She is the founder of Shivoham Yoga School, and people from all over the world enroll for her Yoga programs to learn the powerful techniques of this ancient philosophy to face the modern world problems.
