Author is a free-lance writer. He is an engineer-MBA and management consultant by profession & practice. Also visit www.health-fitness-wellness.com for more useful & interesting information on health, fitness & wellness. This article is available for reprint on your website and/or in your newsletter, provided it is not changed and you include the author's web-site address.
Prana in Sanskrit ( ancient Indian language ) is the universal principle of energy. It is all pervading and vital for life. It is found in all forms of life, in human beings, in animals & also in plant life.
Prana shines in our eyes. It is through prana that our ears hear, the eyes see, the nose smells & the brain functions. It is prana that does digestion, excretion and secretion.
Prana is spent by thinking, moving, talking, writing etc. A healthy man has abundance of prana or nerve-energy or vitality. The prana is supplied by food, water, air, solar energy etc. The supply of prana is taken up by the nervous system. The prana is absorbed by breathing. The excess of prana is stored in the brain and nerve centres.
Pranayama is a control of Prana and the vital forces of body. It is a regulation of breath. The aim of Pranayama is the control of breath.
Pranayama though it concerns with the breath, gives good exercise for the various internal organs and the whole body. Pranayama bestows good health and a steady mind.
How to do Pranayama?
Sit in a chair with chest, neck and head in one vertical line. Do not bend your body either forwards or backwards. You can sit in Padmasan or Siddhasan also. You must experience joy & pleasure in doing the same. You should not feel any undue strain. Always inhale & exhale slowly.
Whenever you feel uneasy, depressed or dejected practice pranayama. It is a sure way to feel refreshed.
1) Equal Breathing Pranayama:
Stand erect in a relaxed comfortable position, with feet apart. This practice can be done in a sitting position also. Inhale slowly and continuously in a relaxed manner to a count that is comfortable. (You can count silently in mind 1001, 1002 & 1003 etc. One can initially begin counting 1001 & 1002. Later, after practice one can go upto 1003 or more).
As soon as the inhalation is complete start exhalation in the same manner, keeping the same count as above i.e. equalize inhalation & exhalation.
Concentrate on the gentle uninterrupted long flow of the breath. Do this practice for 10 rounds.
2) Alternate Nostril Pranayama:
Sit in a comfortable position. Exhale fully. Close right nostril with your thumb and inhale slowly through your left nostril. Close left nostril with index finger and exhale through right nostril. Inhale through right nostril. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Continue this pattern for 10 rounds. For the next round start with the opposite nostril. (I.e. inhale through right nostril).
Benefits:
Appetite is improved. Energy level improves. Concentration improves. Mind becomes one pointed.
It is important to avoid stress in performing pranayama.
(Disclaimer: Consult your doctor before practising pranayama, if you are suffering from any heart ailment /high blood pressure or nervous disorders).
Generally, a healthy individual is able to inhale about 500 ml of air per inhalation. A deep breath can amount to upto 3000 ml of air inhalation which is 6 times the normally inhaled air. Each individual has different capacity of inhalation which can be substantially improved with the practice of Pranayama.
By Pradeep Mahajan
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Yoga Exercises Combine Mind And Body For Relaxation
- How to Start Beginner Yoga Exercises
- Yoga Exercises Combine Mind and Body for Relaxation
- Yoga Exercise Improves Blood Glucose Control
- The Top Five Benefits of Yoga Exercise
- Yoga Exercises are Very Beneficial for Good Health
- What You Need to Know When You Start Yoga Exercises
- How About Some Yoga Exercises?
Mens Vitamins – Learn Which Key Nutrients Every Man Needs
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Because of the great biological demands on a human body, it is important to consider, with some formulation of men's vitamins. First, it is important to understand that the word vitamin is often used interchangeably to describe not only vitamins but also minerals, phytonutrients, amino acids, enzymes, herbs and a whole host of other nutritional supplements.
cret Gateway to Health For Men
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Often I hear wives and girlfriends complain their husband never floss. When troubled, they complain, they are simply too busy, or it is not important or needed, with an explanation that a quick brushing once or one days is sufficient to do the work. In addition, they must be forced to go to the dentist if they pain in the big ones. Routine check-ups are just not on the agenda preferred for most men.
Health benefits of green tea men
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Green tea is an ingredient that is increasingly in the assessment of problems for human health. Although it has been used for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes, it seems that the new services has become evident to all the time
Men's Health – Lose Your Man Boobs Now – Pseudocomastia
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Pseudogynecomastia is a pathological condition in human males. E 'the development of women, such as enlargement of the breast. Indeed it can be fun, some are those who suffer, not fun. This condition is different from gynecomastia due to hormonal imbalances. If the importance of breastfeeding, simply because too much fat or fat of the breast, called pseudocomastia – man boobs.
Men's Skin Care Products are Hot – At Last
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010When I was young, long ago, men's skin care products in large part by shaving cream. Skin care for men, has not heard, and people could not care less.
Low Carb Diet Health Tips for Men
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010In this article we will examine a number of ways in which men 's health and fitness can be improved. The most important tip of all is that a man who exercises regularly, every day. Of course, there's no need to be away, there are a lot of information out there about fitness and exercise plans.
Men and obesity – the upward trend
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Men often worry about their weight. Recent studies have shown that most people who know nothing or almost nothing about health and nutrition, and a very small percentage interest in learning more are affected. Since more men than women are more likely to eat what are, regardless of the daily caloric consumption or want long-term consequences. Even if you are overweight and know it's bad to do for them, the men rarely measuresTo obtain overcome obesity, a rebirth in the form of a heart attack or
The male libido and age – which decreases with age – can naturally rejuvenate – Here's how
By: saichon sannok | 07/01/2010Many men begin to lose their libido than four decades and has accelerated in the fifties and sixties, but they do not accept that – you can take simple measures and changes to boost the sex drive again – Here's how …
Health Supplements & You
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 06/07/2009 | NutritionGood health is dependent upon good nutrition. Your health is maintained adequately if you include many and essential nutrients in your diet. Nutrients are substances that are used by your body for variety of functions (for your growth, energy level, body repair etc) Many diseases are caused by incorrect eating habits and absence of proper nutrition. A lack of essential nutrients can result in deficiency diseases.
Are you overweight ?
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 04/07/2009 | HealthWhen one is considered overweight? There are some indicators which tell you that you are over weight. Most commonly used indicator is BMI - Body mass index. What is BMI? BMI (Body Mass Index) is a statistical measure aimed to find the "fitness" of a person according to that person's weight and height.
Diet: What Do I Eat?
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 03/07/2009 | HealthFood constitutes 5 main elements. Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats, Vitamins and Minerals. All five elements are important for the growth and maintenance of our body. Lack of any one for an extended length of time can mean the onset of some disease. Excess of one or more of them also translates into other problems like obesity & other problems.
Healing Process
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 03/07/2009 | HealthHealing: As opposed to “curing” of a disease, healing is seen as a return to wholeness of body, mind and spirit. Healing may or may not include a cure; its focus is restoring balance. Healing is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged area.
Health & Meditation
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 03/07/2009 | HealthSecret to obtaining a good health -- A quiet mind. A quiet mind leads to a more thorough understanding of your body and with that understanding comes knowledge of health. How to help the mind become quiet ? The answer is Meditation.
Health & Yoga
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 03/07/2009 | HealthDisease is the disappearance of natural ease. Yoga philosophy aims at the prevention of the loss of our ease and peace. Most of the modern problems are due to wrong habits like -- smoking, drinking, eating the wrong foods, over eating and stress.
Health & Stress
By: Pradeep Mahajan | 03/07/2009 | HealthStress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency -- Natalie Goldberg, Wild mind. Both men and women live hectic pace of life today. They try to balance the demands at work as well as at home. They try to balance limited means (time, money & resources) & unlimited demands. The inability to balance these expresses itself in terms of stress, anxiety and tensions.