Pranayama- Yoga (benefits)

Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force. Here, read up on pranayama exercises & poses, breathing techniques and sequences.

Yoga Breathing or Pranayama, is the foundation of your yoga practice. It begins with deepening your breathing with the 3-part breath, then moves into more advanced breathing exercises such as Kapalabhati and the Alternate Nostril Breath. Pranayama also goes hand in hand with the Asanas. These two Yogic Principles together are considered as the highest form of purification and self-discipline, covering both mind and body. 

Benefits of Pranayama:

All benefits of pranayama cannot be written down, there are lot of subtle changes like mental peace and clarity of thought that occur in our mind.

Reduced Breathing Rate:

 With yoga breathing you can train yourself to breathe more slowly and more deeply. You can reduce your breathing rate from about fifteen breaths a minute to 5-6 breaths a minute, which amounts to reducing the breathing rate by one third. Reduced breathing rate leads to:

• Slowing down the heart rate as more oxygen can be pumped even with less number of breaths. Follow the ration of 1:2 for inhalation:exhalation.
• Reduced wear and tear of internal organs.
• Lowering of blood pressure, relaxation of body tensions and quieter nerves. 

  Pranayama Practice Increases Life

  As per yoga philosophy, longevity depends on your breathing rate. Lowering of breathing rate is likely to increase your life. For example, a tortoise takes four to five breaths in a minute and it lives up to 200 years or more. It gives you a lengthy life

  Blood Circulation Improves

  As a result of breathing, the freshly oxygenated blood (during inhalation) travels from lungs to the heart. The heart pumps it via arteries and blood vessels to every part of the body, where in turn it seeps into every tissue and cell. This improves the blood circulation and more oxygen/ prana or cosmic energy reaches all parts of your body.

  Pranayama For Healthy Heart

  Our heart is the most industrious organ of our body. The heart beats 100,000 times a day. It is pumping blood day in and day out non-stop all your life. The health of your heart determines your life expectancy and quality of life in old age. More oxygen in the blood means more oxygen to muscles of the heart.

  Benefits Of Pranayama For Functioning Of Body Organs

  • Better functioning of autonomic system improves the working of lungs, heart, diaphragm, abdomen, intestines, kidneys and pancreas.
  • Digestive system improves and diseases pertaining to digestive organs are cured.
  • General irritability due to lethargy/ fatigue vanishes.
  • By pranayama practice all body organs gets more oxygen, toxins are removed from body, therefore onset of various diseases is prevented. Pranayama strengthens the immune system.

  Better Mental Health

  • Pranayama practice provides freedom from negative and harmful mental conditions like anger, depression, lasciviousness, greed for money, arrogance etc.
  • With pranayama fluctuations of mind are controlled and it prepares the mind for meditation. With practice of pranayama, you will start experiencing lightness of body, feeling of inner peace, better sleep, better memory and better concentration whereby improving the spiritual powers/ skills.

  Better Breathing Improves Quality Of Life In Old Age

  As a person with sedentary lifestyle reaches middle age, lung tissues tend to grow less and less elastic and lung capacity decreases. Pranayama can help to reduce the effects of following old age problems:
  • Loss of vitality.
  • Accumulation of uric acid in the blood stream which often leads to frequent joint pains and discomfort.
  • Backaches, headaches, rheumatism, stiffening muscles and joints.
  • Proper circulation of blood is impeded by a sluggish diaphragm or hardening arteries.
  It is recommended to start learning pranayama from a yoga teacher without any delay in order to experience the immense benefits of pranayama. Benefits of yoga breathing can be realised only by experience. Establish a daily routine of yoga breathing exercises. If you want to start on your own, first start with rhythmic deep breathing to get into the rhythm. So do yoga... keep your life healthy and wealthy...