PRANAYAM : BREATH LEAST LIVE M0ST

EFFORTLESS BREATH CESSATION

Kumbhak means temporary cessation of breath. Then why should we stop the breath? The temporary stoppage leads to a short supply of oxygen. During the stoppage period, our cells starve. It has a positive side also. During the stoppage, cells become alert and active to procure energy from the locality and if not available it learns to live with the least energy.

Here lies the key. Those who learn to live with the least energy live longer! In the Himalayas, oxygen supply is least. Rishi's and hermits live longer only because their systems have learned to manage with the least.

Breath stoppage is of two types.

Sahit kumbak and Keval kumbhak

Sahit kumbhak is voluntary cessation of breath both after inhalation and exhalation. If the cessation is after inhalation it is purak kumbhak and cessation after exhalation is called rechak kumbhak. It should be practiced under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Keval kumbhak is natural cessation of breath both after inhalation and exhalation. It means a natural slowing down of breath. If the breath can be made longer, keval  kumbhak happens. it is easy to practice and an effective method to slow down the breath.

How to know that our breath is fast or slow?

Very easy, just listen to sound of your breath.

.. If the breath sound is audible to others, it is either a kriya or an imbalance. kriyas are voluntary manipulation of breath to derive certain beneficial effects both on the physical and mental levels. in case of wrong breathing habits, one can have shallow breathing, chest breathing, intermittent breathing, breathing with reverse diaphragmatic action, etc. These breathing patterns lead to imbalances at various levels which results in a series of psychosomatic disorders.

.. If breath sound is audible to self it will be slightly longer and can be considered the first stage of pranayama. Examples are Anulom Vilom, sectional breathing, full yogic breathing, Surya bheda, and Chandra bheda, etc.

.. If breath sound is neither audible nor even felt to self, it is called keval kumbhak.,

One more easy test can be done to know whether it is kriya or Pranayam.

If the number of exhalation is more than 100 per minute it is known as kapalbhati kriya. in the case of bhastrika kriya, it is more than 60 rounds per minute.

If the rate is 10 per minute or less, it will be Pranayam and if the rate of breath is 5 (five) per minute or less, it will be considered as keval kumbhak. In practice, keval kumbhak is an integral part of Pranayam. when breath slows down and finally merges with silence the gap is created and this gap is known as keval kumbhak. the objective of Pranayam is to increase this gap which leads the sadhaka to the state of samadhi.

NADI SUDHI PRANAYAM

Nadi sudhi is a balancing Pranayam. It restores and promotes a balance between IDA nadi and PINGLA nadi. IDA flows through the left nostril and PINGLA flows through the right. Each nostril has different functions to perform. During breathing practices and pranayama practices, we find both of our nostrils are open and breath flows through both the nostrils. this is balancing of PRANA. The aim of Nadi Sudhi Pranayam is to restore balance at the cellular level. 

The method of the practice of Nadi Sudhi is simple. Just sit in a comfortable posture with NASIKA MUDRA. Inhale slowly in left nostril with keval kumbhak and exhale slowly in right with keval kumbhak. inhale slowly in right nostril with keval kumbhak and exhale slowly in left with keval kumbhak. this completes one round. One needs to do a minimum of twenty-seven rounds in a single sitting.

BREATH CHARACTERISTICS

Breathing should be slow, steady, continuous, and effortless.
The ratio between inhalation and exhalation should be 1 : 2.

In yoga more attention is given to exhalation or expiration. Why?

All of us know that we have a central nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system has two branches known as Sympathetic and Parasympathetic.

The sympathetic branch sympathizes with our action whereas the Parasympathetic nervous system restores normalcy.

Think of a situation where you see a  snake. You get an immediate reaction. You decide either to kill or flee. This reaction is supported by our sympathetic nervous system. Tension should have been melted away in minutes after the snake disappear but it is not so. He stays with the thought of the snake for a longer period. This is a stress response. A strong Parasympathetic nervous system will do a job.

Our breathing out is our parasympathetic nervous system for all practical purposes.

Through longer exhalation we can easily strengthen our parasympathetic branch and manage stress.

Nowadays hyper tension, hyperacidity, insomnia, stress, and stress disorders are the epidemics, otherwise called silent killers of the human race.

JUST PRACTICE NADI SUDHI WITH KEVAL JUMBHAK DAILY AND BE FREE FROM THESE EPIDEMICS.

With this background let us practice Nadi sudhi  with 1:2 ratio starting from 6:12 and slowly improve as per capacity.