Breath-work nourishes our autonomic nervous system, which works behind the scenes in response to physical and mental stress. Breath-work has a multitude of benefits for the body including: balancing cortisol levels, increasing resilience to stressors and boosting immunity.
Complete Breath:
Benefits:
- Purifies the bloodstream and enriches it
- Develops the chest and diaphragm
- Strengthens lungs, thorax and abdomen
- Increases resistance to colds
- Calms the nervous system
- Aids digestion
- Clears up phlegm
- Helps to lift depression
Technique:
- Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position or in a chair.
- Straighten your back, which will straighten your thorax for easier breathing.
- Inhale slowly through the nose, breathing deeply, consciously.
- Take five seconds to fill the lower part of the lungs, by expanding the ribs and pushing the abdomen out.
- Concentrate on filling the top of the lungs for the next five seconds. This will expand the chest and tighten the abdomen slightly.
- Hold the breath for 1-5 seconds.
- Exhale slowly until you have emptied the lungs.
- Repeat 4-5 times more.
Do’s and Don’ts:
- DO establish a rhythmic rise and fall of your abdomen, to promote regular breathing.
- DO attempt to breathe inaudibly after you have gotten the knack of deep breathing.
- DO concentrate on your breathing alone, with your eyes closed, if you wish. It serves to so the technique better but it is also a preparation for meditation.
- DO push your abdomen out as you breathe in and pull the abdomen in as you breathe out.
- DO give an extra snort as you exhale to rid yourself of stale waste-matter in the bottom of the lungs.
- DO NOT slump. For maximum efficiency the thorax must be straight.
Alternate Nostril Breath
Benefits:
- Has a calming effect on the nervous system
- Helps to overcome insomnia
- Relaxes and refreshes the body
- Purifies the bloodstream and aerates the lungs
- Soothes headaches
- Improves digestion and appetite
- Helps to free the mind of anxiety and depression
Technique:
- Sit in a comfortably cross-legged position, back straight.
- Raise your RIGHT hand and place your ring finger against your LEFT nostril, closing it off.
- Inhale deeply and slowly through the RIGHT nostril to the count of four.
- Close off the RIGHT nostril with your thumb and retain the breath for a count of 1-4 seconds.
- Open the LEFT nostril and exhale to the count of 4-8 seconds. The longer you can make the exhalation, the better. Concentrate on completely emptying the lungs.
- Breathe in through that same LEFT nostril to the count of four.
- Close off the nostril with the ring finger again and hold to the count of 1-4 seconds.
- Exhale through the RIGHT nostril to the count of 4-8 seconds. This makes up one round.
- Repeat these rounds of alternate nostril breathing five more times, or up ten minutes if you are concerned about insomnia.
- Practice a ratio of 4:4:8, if at all possible. Increase this to 8:4:8 eventually, then 8:8:8, after some months.
Do’s and Don’ts:
- DO practice the Alternate Nostril Breath whenever you need calming – if you are nervous, upset or irritable.
- DO NOT push yourself with the holding position or by increasing the ratio until you are comfortable doing so.
- DO NOT make the breathing rhythmic, smooth and slow. You can work on making it inaudible eventually.
- This breath balances the relationship between the body and mind.
The Cleansing Breath:
Benefits:
- Clears lungs, sinuses and nasal passages
- Relieves colds
- Tones the nervous system
- Strengthens the lungs, thorax and abdomen
- Purifies the bloodstream and clears the head
- Aids digestion
- Stimulated the liver, spleen and pancreas
Technique:
- Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position or a chair, back straight.
- Inhale deeply, pushing the abdomen out, and taking in as much air as possible in the space of 1 second.
- Whack your abdomen forcefully to expel the air through the nostrils. The sensation should be one of having been punched in the stomach.
- Inhale again by pushing the abdomen out and letting the air rush back into the vacuum created by the exhalation.
- The whole process, inhalation and exhalation should take not much more than 1-1/2 seconds. Both should be forceful and will be quite audible.
- Repeat ten times, follow with a complete breath and repeat ten times more.
Do’s and Don’ts:
- DO push the abdomen out as far as you can as you inhale.
- DO work up to this breath. This breath is the most taxing of the pranayama.
- DO be careful when doing this breath. Start with just a few reps and work your way up more. It is possible to feel dizzy and faint if this breath is practiced without caution.
- DO NOT exhale consciously, but let the action of the abdomen do it for you.