Search Results for: breathing

July 31, 2018 By Arooshi Garg 3 Comments

5 Breathing exercises for boosting immunity

pranayam-lead

Breathing exercises or “PRANAYAM’, the word is derived from ‘Prana‘ which stands for ‘life force’ and ‘Ayama‘ which means ‘to lengthen or to work on it’. Prana, in yogic terms, means the force within the body that is vital for the functioning of the body as well as its vitality. Breath is our vital source of energy. Did you know that we can throw out 80 per cent of the toxins from our body by breathing correctly? The key to healthy and happy living lies in right breathing. When we attend to our breath, it can heal us from within.

Our cells regenerate all the time, and cannot regenerate without oxygen. Breathing is the fastest and most efficient way for our bodies to get oxygen. Deep breathing helps our immune system regenerate cells in order to fight infection and any other ailments that affect us. Certain breathing exercises have been shown to greatly increase the efficiency of our immune system. The better the air quality and the deeper you breathe the more you can help your immune system work properly. Routinely practising deep breathing exercises can improve your overall immune system.

Benefits of Pranayama to Boost Immunity

Pranayama enhances and stimulates the immune system.
Improves function and strengthens cells, tissue, glands and organs.
Pranayama releases stress, anxiety and depression.
Removes heart blockages.
Cures heart problems.
Boosts overall health and cures many health issues.
Pranayama increases blood circulation.
Cure asthma, headache, Migraine, neurological problems, depression, gastric problems.

1. Cat and Cow breathing exercise:

Cat-Cow-Pose-in-Vinyasa

This is a great yoga sequence that helps to improve circulation and clear congestion in the bronchial region and sinuses.

Benefits of Cat and Cow breathing exercise:

It stimulates digestion and, through muscular contraction and extension, pumps blood and lymphatic fluid through the thoracic muscle groups.
It increases cardiovascular fitness and helps stimulate the kidneys while relieving stress from the neck and shoulder area, and extending the lumbar spine region.

How to do it:

Rest your arms and knees on the floor. On the inhale breath, lift and expand the front chest up and forward, elongate your throat, draw your shoulders back, and curve your middle spine downwards as you tuck in your tailbone.
On a strong exhale, tuck your chin to your throat, pull in your belly, and arch your spine upwards (like an angry cat), rolling your shoulders forward and down to compress the front chest.
Inhale to Cow Pose and exhale to Cat Pose with a fluid up-and-down, wave-like motion of the spine and torso. Repeat the cycle 5 times.

Kapal Bhati Pranayam:

kapal bhati

Kapal meaning skull, Bhati meaning shining and pranayama meaning breathing technique. It is a great breathing exercise and can improve bodily functions. This breathing exercise can remove 80% of the toxins in our body through the outgoing breath. Regular practice of Kapal Bhati Pranayama can help detoxify all the systems in our bod How to do Kapal Bhati Pranayama.

Benefits of Kapal Bhati:

Helps in increasing the metabolic rate,
Improves digestive functioning, absorption, and assimilation of nutrients,
Improves blood circulation and nervous system functioning.

How to do it:

Sit at a comfortable place with your spine straight. Place your hands on the knees with palms open to the sky.
Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, pull your stomach in. Pull your navel in back towards the spine. Do as much as you comfortably can. You may keep your right hand on the stomach to feel the abdominal muscles contract.
As you relax the navel and abdomen, the breath flows into your lungs automatically.
Take 15-20 such breaths to complete one round of Kapal Bhati Pranayama.
After completing the round, relax with your eyes closed
Do two more rounds of Kapal Bhati Pranayam.

3. Bee Breath (Bhramari Pranayam)

bee breathe

Bhramari Pranayama or the humming Bee Breath produces a sound similar to the humming of a bee. Bhramari comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Bramar’ which means a kind of black Indian bee. Bhramari pranayama has a soothing effect on the brain and calms the mind. Gives relief if you have a slight headache

Benefits of Bhramari pranayama (Bee Breath)

Helps mitigate migraines
Helps clear the nasal and ear canals
Clears the sinuses
Helps in Improving concentration and memory
Effective in reducing blood pressure

How to do it:

Sit in a peaceful place with your spine erect
Place your index fingers on the cartilage between your cheek and ear.
Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, gently press the cartilage. You can keep the cartilage pressed or press it in and out with your fingers while making a loud humming sound like a bee
Breathe in again and continue the same pattern 4-5 times.

Precautions for doing Bhramari pranayama

Ensure that you are not putting your finger inside the ear but on the cartilage
Don’t press the cartilage too hard. Gently press and release with the finger
While making the humming sound, keep your mouth closed

Dog breathing Exercise

Dog Breathing cleanses and detoxifies the body while expelling the toxins out from deep inside your tissues. The sharp contracting movements while practising Dog Breathing strengthens the abdominal muscles.

Benefits of Dog breathing:

It beneficial in preventing fat deposition in the abdominal area,
Helps in improving the respiratory capacity and prevents the person from catching any respiratory disorder if practised regularly.

How to do it:

Sit in Easy Pose with your chin in and your chest out. Stick your tongue all the way out and keep it out as you rapidly breathe in and out through your mouth. This is called Dog Breath. Continue this breath for 3-5 minutes.
To finish, inhale, and hold your breath for 15 seconds and press the tongue against the upper palate. Exhale. Repeat this sequence two more times.
Beginners can start with 15- 20 seconds and gradually reach up to 1 and then up to 5 minutes.

Bhastrika Pranayama

bhastarika

It strengthens the immune power. Practice bhastrika pranayama for 10 minutes in the morning and evening on an empty stomach daily for one month.

Benefits of Bhastrika Pranayam

Helps reduce episodes of cold, cough and flu
Improves thyroid function and tonsils

How to do it:

Sit comfortably on the flat ground.
Take a deep breath through both nostrils and fill the lungs with air and then exhale with a hissing sound.
Inhale deeply and exhale completely.
Do this for 2 min to 5 minutes max

Precautions for Bhastrika Pranayama

Those suffering from lungs, heart problems and high blood pressure should practice slowly. High blood pressure patients should exhale through the mouth instead of the nose.

April 27, 2018 By Trishala Chopra 1 Comment

Are you breathing properly?

breathing technique

Before I start with the article, I want my readers to try this.

Let’s do a quick breathing test.

-Keep your hands free.

-Keep one hand on your chest, one had on your belly.

-Start breathing naturally.

-Which hand is moving more?

Hand on the belly or Hand on the chest?

Do this test without reading ahead because it is important to do this without knowing the interpretation of the test.

Which hand was moving more?

If it’s your belly than its right way! That’s how one should breathe.

If it’s your chest than its alarming, you might be inviting health issues!

If you are not breathing properly, you might not feel good. In this busy world, breathing which is perhaps the only important thing, if we don’t do that properly then it’s a cause for concern. None of us is consciously breathing which is what is leading to health issues!

I have come across this very often. Every 3rd person I know is having stiffness. Some part of the body is stiff (a Few years back, this was my case too!).

Are you having neck stiffness?

Is your back, shoulder, hamstrings, lower back tight/stiff?

Do you have that constant urge to stretch your body to get rid of that stiffness?

Stretching your muscles will definitely give you temporary relief but not for too long. The stiffness will come back in few hours sometimes even in two minutes. There are many therapies which help you in dealing with stiffness but it won’t be a permanent solution.

Why is it so? Because you are not addressing the root cause of the problem!

What is the root cause? Your improper breathing technique

There are many other causes of stiffness but the most basic one is improper breathing technique.

How does your improper breathing affect your stiffness/tightness?

Let’s do a practical (Helps in better understanding!)

Keep your hands free!

Put your one hand on your neck and one hand on your chest.

Start breathing from your chest consciously.

Do you feel that your neck muscles are contracting when you are breathing from your chest?

Now do one thing,

Put your one hand on your neck and one hand on your belly.

Start breathing from your belly consciously.

Do you feel anything on your neck muscles? Probably not because there is hardly any contraction because there is hardly any muscle tension in that place.

Not just the neck, similar reactions happen in your chest muscles, shoulders, lower back and to some extent even in the hamstrings. If you continuously breathe through your chest, those muscles will shorten, and you will get this chronic feeling of stiffness in your body.

You can stretch your tight muscles every day with different stretching exercises but until you correct the way you breathe, any corrective efforts which you take for getting rid of the stiffness will be useless, and at the end you will not be able to get rid of that sensation of tightness/stiffness which you keep getting in your body throughout the day.

Stiffness is just once such effect of poor breathing. Poor breathing can also lead to lower back pain, weight plateau, poor endurance, low energy throughout the day and some digestive issues.

What’s the solution? How to breathe properly?

Well, the solution is not as complicated as you might think.

Here is what you have to do:

Lie down for 5 minutes (this can be done first thing when waking up, or as you are lying in bed before you fall asleep or whenever you feel it is possible) put one hand on the belly and the other hand on your chest. Simply focus on making the hand on the belly move and keep the hand on the chest as steady as possible.
Point 1 should be done every day for at least 3 times a day daily for at least 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, you should naturally be breathing into your stomach by default.
It also helps if you set yourself little reminders throughout the day, like a little message on your iPhone/Android that asks you at regular intervals “how is my breathing?”

This trick has helped me definitely, try it out for yourself!

Try this for 3 weeks, and let me know what you feel! Would be happy to receive your comments! Share your experience!

April 22, 2018 By Shimpli Patil 9 Comments

Did you know you can burn fat just by breathing?

You must have heard from your doctor that you can do without food and water for 3 days but, you cannot go without oxygen or breathing even for 3 minutes. Oxygen is life!!

We cannot see it but, we can feel it. Oxygen performs several functions in our body but, yet taken for granted by all of us.

Oxygen energizes our body and detoxifies the blood by neutralizing the free radicals that enter our body through pollution. It further strengthens the immune system, alleviates migraine/headaches, improves our endurance and performance, and relieves us of stress.

These are no doubt some amazing benefits of Oxygen but, the major benefit that draws attention is the connection of Oxygen with weight loss. Well, that’s a new one you have heard?

We all know that the first requisite for weight loss is burning more calories than we consume. Surprisingly, we can burn more calories just by breathing!

Let’s understand how-

Oxygen is needed for every metabolic process, in fact, the fat combustion occurs more efficiently in the presence of adequate Oxygen. Thus, the optimum oxygen level is as important as the exercise itself if we are aiming to burn fat and lose those stubborn pounds. With less oxygen, our metabolic processes slow down and thus fat storage takes charge and we gain weight.

Moreover, Oxygen is the “food” for our body cells. If our cells are surrounded by a good amount of oxygen, then our tissues and organs have their “fuel” in abundance and most likely will function efficiently. On the contrary, if our cells are not properly fuelled up, the message to our brain is “feed us.” This simply means that we overeat or eat without any reason/hunger if we do not oxygenate our cells well. If most of our energy is derived from oxygen, and the rest is derived from food and water, wouldn’t it lead to a lesser caloric intake and thus aid in weight loss?

Research shows that, over the past 10,000 years, the oxygen level on the earth has reduced by approximately 50%. We humans have got adapted to a climate less rich in oxygen. This has made us inefficient breathers and our bodies have had no other choice but to get used to it.

We can definitely get better at breathing oxygen and actually take in more, thus firing up our metabolic processes and burning fat effectively.

*Firstly, we should do some outdoor exercising. Any open environment (your terrace/garden, etc) will do rather than doing it between the 4 walls of your house. Even if we live in a cramped city, the oxygen levels outside are way better than inside.

*Exercise at such an intensity that you feel the need to breathe more. As your heart rate shoots up and you start sweating profusely, your breathing rate will also increase in order to match up. Take deeper breaths throughout.

*We need to ensure that our back and neck are straight. This would let in more oxygen.

*More you breathe oxygen, better the energy and endurance, allowing you to work out longer-thus paving the way for effective weight loss. Simple logic, isn’t it?

*We have one more opportunity to take in more oxygen and burn fat in a better way. It’s the time before or after eating or during eating. Take in 5 deep breaths before you start the meal or after you are done with the meal or you can do it while eating if you find it comfortable. Believe me; this has worked wonders for many! The fat break down occurs excellently.

Make the most out of this freely available resource and surprise your body with its wonderful effects!

Breathe more and feel the difference!

May 15, 2015 By Parwage Alam 2 Comments

Breathing: A source of life

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a doctor? I would imagine a stethoscope. Stethoscope is used to hear our heart beat or the voice of our breathing. Breathing sounds can indicate problems within the lungs such as obstructions, inflammation, or infection and is an important part of diagnosing many different medical conditions.

The quality of your breathing is a powerful determinant of your physical and emotional state of being. I would like to share some of my knowledge and experience with you.

There are different types of breathing techniques available, which you can do to make your body, mind and soul healthy and fit. When we are talking about breathing techniques “YOGA” word automatically occurs to you and while talking about yoga -Pranayama, Anuloma Viloma will automatically comes to our mind. I have been practicing yoga for several years and would like to share some of my experiences with you and help you understand about breathing better.

Pranayama breathing techniques: Pranayama also has different kinds of breathing techniques like Dirga Pranayama, Nadi Shodhana, Ujjayi Pranayama, Kumbhaka etc..

Dirga Pranayama : It’s a basic technique which teaches us the various ways of breathing and how to breathe right – Deep Breathing. We usually breathe shallowly and use approximately one fourth portions of our lungs. This technique helps us to learn how to utilize the lungs properly for breathing. We have to breathe deeply so that our stomach fills with air, then our chest, till finally it seems like our shoulder blades are being displaced by the air you are breathing in. Dirga Pranayama is akin to filling up and emptying a vessel with water and replenishing the body and soul.

Nadi Shodhana: Nadi Shodhana, also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, is a powerful breathing practice with wide reaching benefits. Alternate Nostril breathing is a beautiful breathing technique that helps keep the mind calm, happy and peaceful by just practicing it for a few minutes.

In this you have to cover your right nostril using the thumb of your right hand and take deep breaths with the left nostril. In the pause between inhalation and exhalation, you release the right nostril and close your left nostril with the ring finger of your right hand. Once you finish exhaling fully, you inhale through the same nostril. In the pause between the inhalation and exhalation, you close your right nostril with your thumb while releasing the left nostril.

Ujjayi Pranayama: The beauty of unifying breath and movement is truly majestic. More popularly the term Ujjayi Pranayama is known as ‘Ocean Breath’ or ‘Victorious Breath’. In this Inhale slowly from your nose and exhale from your mouth. When exhaling, produce the sound ‘HHHHHAAAA’ (ocean sound).

Now, try to keep your mouth closed while exhaling. Generate the same sound as before but, this time with your mouth closed. Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The position of your throat is unchanged and natural. Make sure the sound originates from your throat and not from your nose.

The “ocean sound” is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a “rushing” sound

Kumbhaka : This technique is an advanced level of Pranayama where you have to hold your breath either at the end of each inhalation, exhalation, or both. Do not practice this technique on your own but, only under the supervision of a learned practitioner.

You can also do Kapalabhati, which is most popular in Yoga. Kapāla means skull and Bhati means light. This exercise gets its name from the fact that when practicing the mind fills up with a bright light. This is due to the change in oxygen and energy levels received by the mind. It cleanses your nasal passage, lungs and your entire respiratory system or in short you are strengthening your lungs and stomach muscles.

In this technique, you take passive inhalations followed by forceful exhalations, by contracting your abdominal muscles quickly as you exhale rapidly through your nose. Try to learn this correctly from a certified yoga instructor, It will help you to avoid any drawbacks.

I would like to conclude by saying that you are still breathing, But, if you breath as per the above techniques, you can take your body, mind and soul to the another level of fitness.