Pranayama: how many of you have come across this word? Maybe almost everyone, right? But in today’s world, we are so busy that we have almost no time each day for exercise, but this is something we should not miss because a healthy body and mind can help a person grow in almost every aspect of life. Still, the fast-paced life has pushed us away from self-care. We are almost like a machine, just following a routine that is not even very conscious; we are just trapped in a continuous loop of work, sleep, and repeat. In between these, we eat and sometimes do things for fun and entertainment.
This type of lifestyle is reducing the quality of life. We are not full of prana or energy, which gives us a sense of understanding of everything around us, whether it is luxury, pleasure, etc. If a person is not healthy, he can not experience any pleasure, no matter how much money or status he has.
Hence it is very important to keep the prana alive within ourselves, and to keep it alive we need to follow a routine which needs a dedicated time but where do we have time because we are so much occupied with our ambition that we have almost forgot how to take care of our body and mind and as a result the negative forces like stress can easily conquer our body and mind. It reduces productivity and slows down our progress.
But no worries, we have brought to you something which is very easy to do, and it does not need any preparation or separate time. To do this, you need intention and discipline; that’s all. It is very easy to do. You do not need to go to any teacher or coach but yourself, a calm place, and 5 minutes from your busy s schedule, not more than 2 times a day, because we have designed a set of 6 pranayams which can be done in the morning or evening.
Why Pranayama?
As the name suggests, Pranayama means the control of breath; it is a technique to master our breath. Breathing is the simplest but most complex process of our life we do this every moment but still known very little about it, prana is the breath the vital energy of our body hence Pranayam helps us to get better access of our vital energy.
if we have a better access of our vital energy we can experience the life which is not ordinary, this life is the life where we will be on the best of our physical and mental well being and if we at the best of our mental health then there is less possibility of getting down by stress or anxiety.
How does Pranayama help to reduce stress?
So basically, in pranayama we mostly focus on slow breathing, or more than that, intentional breathing. Slow and intentional pranayam influences the autonomic nervous system by boosting vagal activity and lowering sympathetic activity in both healthy individuals and those with different health conditions.
The vagus nerve, the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, plays an important role in maintaining overall health. It facilitates communication between the brain and internal organs and controls the body’s response during rest. Slow pranayam helps reset the autonomic nervous system by inducing stretching-induced inhibitory signals and synchronizing neural activity across the heart, lungs, limbic system, and cortex.
Recent studies have shown that practicing pranayama has beneficial effects on clinical stress and anxiety levels. In a study, a 4-week pranayam regimen has shown impressive results in reducing anxiety and negative emotions by modulating the activity of brain regions. Pranayama has shown many other benefits, like improved mental energy and positive mental health.
The practice of yoga and pranayama enhances awareness of mind body and spirit,by helping regulate the limbic hypothalmus axis. This helps in relieving anxiety and lowering stress hormone levels in the body. Adding to that, it increases the production of hormones like adrenaline and endorphin, which positively impact the body and the strength of the immune system.
Why does Pranayama work?
It works because for this you do not need much preparation and can be done with very less time spend, it is quite effortless to practice just need to follow few steps and it is done, it is simple but powerful, it is basic but magical it is normal but gives you exceptional results, these simple practices can be performed from anywhere need a disturbance free space in some cases those who are not beginner can do it even in the places which are quite noisy because they have learned the art of dislocating himself from the surrounding and shifting his focus to the breath.
It is mostly helpful for busy professionals who have no time to spend 1 hour in the gym or in a yoga session; they can do it morning and evening, just for 10 minutes, even in bed.
For this, the only preparation needed is that your mind and body should be light and free from any types of residue; then you can sit on the mat or on your bed mat, which is advisable. You can complete your 10 minutes pranayam by the time your tea is ready.
Types and Benefits of Pranayama and Method of Doing Them.
In yogic culture, there are many pranayamas that an individual can do for their well-being, but in this blog, our main focus is working professionals and stress management; hence, these five are highly advisable.
- Anulom-Vilom or Alternate Nostril Breathing: To do this pranayama sit in a meditation pose adjust your posture with straight spine and straight neck and shoulder, then lift your right hand and close right nostril with thumb and breath slowly but intentionally through left nostril, close both the nostrils hold your breath then exhale through right nostril, by keeping the left nostril close breath through the right nostril and hold and finally release the air through left nostril this completes 1 cycle.
Repeat this cycle 10 times, and you will be refreshed and full of energy. Apart from that, regular practice of Anulom Vilom has improved both cardiac and cognitive functioning and, hence, overall well-being.
- ChandraNadi Pranayama or left Nostril Breathing: For doing this, sit in a meditative posture, keeping your right nostril closed with your right hand and breathing in through your left nostril; then hold for as long as possible, and finally exhale through your right nostril, keeping your left nostril closed.
Only make sure the holding duration is longer than the inhale, and the exhale is longer than the holding; this completes 1 round. Repeat this for at least 10 rounds.
There are many benefits of practicing this pranayama; a few of them are: regulates blood pressure, improves sleep quality, improves respiratory efficiency, improves the immune system, etc.
- “Bhramari pranayama”-Breathing through the vibration in ears: Sit in a meditative pose, close your eyes, and Inhale through both nostrils. Then close your ears with your index finger. After this, exhale slowly through both nostrils, creating a humming sound vibrating over both eardrums, throat, and nose; the sound should be the same as that of a Black bee.
Regular practice of this pranayama increases your attention, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps to regulate blood pressure.
- Sheetali Pranayama or Cooling breath: Sit in a meditative posture. Keep the lips slightly apart, allowing the tongue to protrude slightly. Breathe through the mouth, and at the end of the breath, retain the breath by placing the tongue at its natural position. Exhale slowly through the nose, keeping the mouth closed. This completes one round of sheetali pranayam.
There are many benefits of doing this Pranayama. It gives a cooling effect to the body and releases excess heat from the body, helps with the detoxification of the body, reduces stress and anxiety, improves respiratory health, improves digestion, and regulates blood pressure.
- Surya bhedan Pranayama: Sit in a meditative pose keeping the backbone and shoulder straight, first close left nostril with the finger of right hand and inhale through right nostril then close both nostrils and hold the breath and finally exhale through the left nostril make sure the duration of hold should be more than that of inhale and so the duration of exhale should be more than that of hold, this completes one round.
There are many benefits of Surya bhedan Pranayama; a few of them are a better metabolic rate, balanced body energy channels, and increased energy and vitality.
You can also read about different types of pranayam and their benefits: https://www.nccih.nih.gov
This blog gives you an overview of Pranayama, but there are many types of Pranayama that are useful for many other purposes; these five are basic and easy to do; they do not take much time and can be done even with a very busy schedule. Hence, it will help the working professional by adding positivity and value to their life.
Once you start doing these 5 minutes of pranayama, it will fill you with so much positivity and energy that you will start doing asanas. Your productivity will improve exponentially, and then you will have enough time for yourself.
You can also read about Surya Namaskar and start practicing it: https://zenalgorithms.com/surya-namaskar-benefits-morning-routine/