Our lungs pump air day and night at between 12 to 20 times a minute, their mechanism and content ignored as we rush through life. Now under siege, they deserve a deeper look.

“The first thing a baby does after birth is take a breath, and the last act of a dying man is to exhale. Breath is vital and yet we don’t take it seriously,” says Yasotha Siva of the Art of Living Foundation (AOL) in Sri Lanka, who teaches Sudarshan Kriya, a set of powerful pranayama (yogic breathing) techniques created by founder, Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

We come into the world with good breathing habits. Just observe an infant breathe, she says. The baby’s torso expands with each breath and the tummy expands. They are nice full breaths. That’s the best way to breathe.

Stress is another critical threat to health today. As a baby grows, the pressure mounts. “Today, everyone, from small children to elders, are stressed.  Even small children in Grade one are stressed – some are so busy, they don’t even have time to play.”

Chronic stress arising from the many challenges facing us today can lead to psychological and physical issues like heart failure, diabetes and depression.

Good breathing habits help to relieve stress and elevate mood because emotions are affected by the breath. The strong link between breath, health and emotion warrants attention.

Air as we generally know it contains five gases: nitrogen, oxygen, water vapour, argan and carbon dioxide, and various compounds. Simply put, breathing occurs when we inhale air for the oxygen we need and exhale carbon dioxide waste.

However, yogic texts claim that in addition to this gaseous exchange, breathing also energises the body with prana, a driving life force that courses through the chakras, the body’s subtle energy hubs, and a network of nadis, subtle energy pathways, keeping a person active, healthy and emotionally stable.  That is why correct breathing is central to yoga.

Yasotha-ji who has taught Sudarshan Kriya in Sri Lanka since 2009, describes prana as “a subtle life-giving energy, even more subtle than one’s invisible breath.” Breath is the primary source of prana, drawing in 90 percent of this potent life force, she says. Three other sources food, sleep, and mind make up the remainder.  And although breath is all-important, the average person tends to breathe incorrectly.

“Normally people use only 30 percent of lung capacity,” says Yasotha-ji. Poor lifestyle habits and high-pressured lives leave no time to pay attention to breathing. Yet the lungs also expel 90 percent of toxins from the blood.  Breathing under capacity leaves toxic residue in the blood and reduces prana.

Low levels of prana leave us listless, tired and prone to illness, and have a negative impact on mental and emotional health. You may notice that breath changes with emotion. For example, breathing becomes rapid and shallow when anger arises, and long and slow when you are calm.

Pranayama (yama, working with; prana, the lifeforce) breathing techniques activate and move prana along the nadis. Sudarshan Kriya is a rhythmic sequence of pranayama techniques usually conducted over three to six days, designed specifically to harmonise thoughts, emotions and breath. Studies have shown that it reduces cortisol levels and stress and relieves clinical and non-clinical depression.

A typical programme comprises pranayama practices and talks on ‘knowledge points’ or life skills for the mind, says Yasotha-ji.  The mind tends to dwell in the past or the future and fixate on unhappy memories that leave one angry, hurt or guilty, or to glorify good memories. Thoughts of the future may bring anxiety. The knowledge points bring us to the present moment, the only place where happiness truly exists.

Links: https://www.artofliving.org/sudarshan-kriya-benefits

Facebook: Art of Living @ArtofLivingSriLankans

Two pranayama techniques to practise at home

Basic pranayamaExpands lung capacity, improves physical and mental health.How to:1. Sit comfortably on a chair with back straight. Shoulders relaxed. 2. Rest hands gently on thighs, palms facing up. 3. Take a slow deep breath and turn your attention inward. Feel the air fill the lungs gently pushing the diaphragm downwards and expanding the stomach, then expanding the midriff, and finally filling and expanding the upper chest until you reach full lung capacity. 4. Gently exhale, feeling the air leave the lungs, starting from the bottom, allowing the diaphragm and stomach to move back into place, then the chest and the upper shoulders. Relax. 5. Repeat for three to four minutes, increasing to 10 minutes, morning and evening. Basic Nadi Shodan (Alternate nostril breathing) Cleanses the nadis and gives clarity. 1. Sit comfortably on a chair, with back straight, shoulders relaxed. Place left hand on the left thigh, palm facing upwards. Gently bring the tips of the thumb and index finger together to touch. Extend the middle, ring and little fingers keeping them outstretched. 2. Gently position the tip of right thumb against the right nostril, the tips of index and middle fingers on the space between the eyebrows, and the tips of ring and little fingers against the left nostril. 3. Focus attention on the space between the eyebrows. 4. Gently press the ring finger against the left nostril closing it. Inhale for four slow counts through the right nostril, then close right nostril by pressing the ring finger against it, relax thumb and breath out slowly through left nostril. 5. Now breath in through left nostril while keeping the right nostril gently closed. Then close the left nostril, relax thumb and breathe slowly out through right nostril. 6. You have now completed one round. Repeat seven times. Sudarshan Kriya is offered monthly in Colombo. The foundation also conducts courses on asana practice and meditation.  Donations are used to fund two children’s homes for children in need. Contact: https://www.artofliving.org/lk-en/sri-sri

 

What you can you do to boost  prana

Food Eat the right quantity – the size of your stomach is the size of both hands cupped. That’s the perfect quantity of food for a meal. Avoid overeating if the food is tasty. Chew well because digestion begins in the mouth. A small quantity eaten the correct way will give you an energy boost. Eat veggies, fruit, pulses, unpolished rice. Avoid white sugar, white flour, stale food. Eat food within four hours of cooking. Try to eat food cooked by someone with a happy mind as it will have good energy. Sleep Get the right amount of sleep – six to eight hours. Avoid over sleeping or sleeping too little. Sleep at night because the body-clock regulates every organ. At night the body repairs and rejuvenates itself. Mind Meditation focuses the mind bringing clarity. Read good books, listen to calming music or talks on pleasant subjects.

 

 

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