RUDRA AYURVEDA | NEW YORK Ayurvedic Medicine, Services and Therapies by Vaidhya(Dr.) Reetu Rudra | 358 Fifth Ave. Suite 704 New York, NY 10001 | (646) 331-0398 PRANAYAM | Page 6 of 8 Home | About Ayurveda | About Vaidhya(Dr.) Rudra | Services and Therapies | Prakriti | Pranayam | Panchakarma | Contact Us INTRODUCTION TO PRANAYAM Pranayam is a systematic exercise of respiration which increases the oxygen content in the body and regulates the movement of breath. Pranayam makes the lungs stronger, improves blood circulation,makes you healthier and promotes long life. Most people do not have the habit of breathing deeply, with the result that only one-fourth of the lungs is brought into action and 75 percent remains idle. Lungs are made of about 73 million cells. On normal breathing, to which we all are accustomed, only about 20 million pores in the lungs get oxygen, whereas the remaining 53 million pores remain deprived of the benefit, with the result that they get contaminated by diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory diseases and several ailments like coughing, bronchitis etc. Regular practice of pranayam, deep breathing, results in you required to take lesser number of breaths and therefore promotes a longer, healthier life. UNDERSTANDING PRANAYAM: USAGE AND BENEFITS - Digestive system improves and diseases pertaining to digestive organs are cured. - Diseases pertaining to lungs, heart and brain are also cured. - Obesity, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Constipation, Flatulence, Acidity, Respiratory troubles, Allergy, Migraine, High blood pressure, diseases pertaining to kidneys, sexual disorders of males and females etc. are also cured. - Resistance against diseases and immunity is improved. - Hereditary diseases like diabetes and heart disease are can be avoided. - Falling of hair or its premature graying, appearance of wrinkles on face or other parts of the body at young age, diminution of eye sight, forgetfulness, etc. are relieved and process of aging is retarded. - Face becomes bright, luminous and calm. - Mind becomes stable and tranquil. A sense of contentment and enthusiasm or zeal develops. Conditions like depression are relieved. - Performance of yogic exercises like meditation will be easy. - All physical and mental disorders and abnormalities are cured and toxins eradicated from the body. - Freedom from negative thinking is achieved and the mind develops the habit of positive and constructive thinking. APPLYING PRANAYAM: RULES AND BEST PRACTICES - Select a clean and peaceful place for doing Pranayam. - Breathe only through the nose, because by doing so the air which you take in, is filtered. During daytime when you are not sitting for the performance of Pranayama make it a habit to do respire only through nose and not through mouth. It prevents foreign and harmful objects from getting into lungs. - Like Yoga, Pranayam should also be performed four or five hours after taking food. In the beginning Pranayam should be done for five or ten minutes gradually the time may be increased up to about 1/2 or 1 hour. Maintain a specific number of repetitions a specific rhythm. - Keep your mind calm and composed. Pranayam can also calm down the disturbed mind and keep one happy. .Methods of Pranayam may be varied. Some Pranayama increase the body temperature, whereas, some bring it down. Some Pranayam maintain the temperature at the normal level. - If you feel fatigued in the course of doing Pranayam , rest for sometime and then begin deep breathing, which will remove the fatigue. - Pregnant women, hungry persons, persons suffering from fever should not do Pranayam . - Pranayam does not mean just breathing in, keeping the breathed air in and exhaling it. It also means establishing control on the entire breathing process, and maintaining mental equilibrium, and concentration of mind. - See that while doing Pranayama , none of your organs such as mouth, eyes, nose, etc. feels any strain and it should be done gradually without any undue stress or strain. All the organs of the body should be kept in normal condition. While doing Pranayama sit in an erect posture. Keep your spine and neck straight. This is essential for reaping the full benefit of Pranayama. MEDITATION: USAGE AND BENEFITS Mystics tell us that although we are in a body, we are not the body - we are spiritual beings going through the experience of being human. From this encouraging point of view, we are pure beings of spiritual nature already, but beings whose purity has been temporarily obscured by our mind and senses. We will realize this for ourselves only when our soul dominates our mind, and this higher state of consciousness can be gained through meditation, and through Meditation alone. Through Meditation, we learn to hold our attention still at the spiritual eye centre. Meditation has to be at the top of our priorities. To sit in the Meditation, we have to motivate ourselves. Even if we have little motivation, effort is the place to start. Motivation comes from what we value, and we naturally stick with what is important to us. The knowledge that we are doing what is best for our mind and soul should encourage us to sustain our effort. This understanding will help us build the motivation to make the effort to sit in Meditation. All other considerations have to come in second place. If something interferes with our Meditation, we should discard it without thinking twice. As the German philosopher Goethe points out: "Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." We need to realize that every time we sit for Meditation, we are doing the most important thing a human being can do. It is easier to practise meditation with a fit and healthy body, so it is desirable to care for our body by taking steps to promote its health and well-being.