Recently I have been practicing pranayama a lot everyday. For pranayama I follow Swami Ramdev’s methods. Among the pranayama’s I follow Anulom Vilom is one of the prominent ones I practice for around 20 minutes everyday. You may be aware that anulom vilom is a breathing exercise where in you do alternative breathing from one nostril at a time.
The steps for Anulom Vilom are very simple -
1. Sit in a steady position with back straight.
2. Press the right nostril with right hand thumb and inhale long and deep from the left nostril.
3. Release the left nostril and now press the right nostril with two middle fingers of right hand and exhale long and slowly with left nostril.
4. Keep Pressing the right nostril and inhale from left nostril long and deep.
5. Release the right nostril and again press the right nostril with thumb again. Now exhale long and slowly.
This is one round. You can practice several rounds for 10 to 20 minutes. This pranayama is really excellent for relaxing yourself and rejuvenating and cures many diseases.
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama
When we practice the same more slowly without making any apparent sound in the noise it is called nadi shodhan pranayama. I have started practicing nadi shodhan pranayama recently and I do not block the nostrils with fingers as mentioned in anulom vilom. I practice anulom vilom for around 10 times very slowly and then start nadi shodhan pranayama. During that time I concentrate on one nostril and try to inhale and then concentrate on the other nostril and exhale from there.
The sequence of inhalation and exhalation is same as anulom vilom but without touching the nose with fingers for the purpose of blocking the nostril. I have noticed several advantages of Nadi shodhana pranayama which are described below.
Benefits of Nadi Shodhan Pranayama
1. Increased Concentration – During Nadi Shodhan you have to concentrate on each nostril to control the breathing to happen only from that nostril. If we do not concentrate we will not be able to breath from a single nostril. At least in the beginning stages where I am at present. Thus practicing the for even 10 minutes can help you to improve your concentration a lot.
2. Less Tired Back – During anulom vilom the right hand is constantly raised and helping in controlling the nostrils. This tires out the arm and the upper right back when we do it for more than 5 minutes. When our hands are free and resting on the knees when we practice nadi shodhan pranayama the back gets rest and it is easy to stay in the back straight position.
3. More Enjoyment – There is sheer joy when you practice nadi shodhan. There is a feeling of total relaxation and you can feel the entire head to be light and full of oxygen. The tiredness and stress is gone.
4. Oxygenation and Detoxification – When we breathe slowly and deeply the oxygen also reaches the lower lobes of the lungs and the body becomes totally relaxed. When we are in stress or even normal breathing it is very shallow. When we breath slowly and deeply there is more proper utilization of the lungs capacity and in fact we increase its capacity. This way carbon dioxide is eliminated more efficiently and total detoxification happens. This helps in removing stress also very efficiently which is thought to be reason for around 80 percent of diseases including cancer also.
The key is to practice slowly and with focus. It is not that difficult as most people may think it to but the benefits are immense. Try it and see the difference.