There were many times I used to think earlier that yoga was for lazy people.  I was not at all going to do any benefits and people just were lazy enough to practice Yoga for physical fitness.  I have hardly been proved to be so wrong in life .  Once I started practicing yoga on more regular basis those assumptions were easily blown away.

Yoga not only works on the various muscles groups and strengthens them, it also but it is not that easy to practice and it is much more difficult to convince people about this who do not practice yoga.  I met a doctor 2 years back on regular health check up and when he asked if I did any physical exercise I told him that I practice yoga regularly.  He told me that I should go to a gym and yoga was not enough.  Although I did not like what he told but there was no point in trying to explain it to someone who was not ready to listen therefore I kept quiet that time.  More ever at that time I was not this much informed as I am now.

Similarly I met another health counselor recently and when we talked about physical exercise and yoga as an option she felt it was mainly stretching and made you feel good but for proper maintenance brisk walking or little jogging are better options.  While I do not have anything against going to gym and I even like the concept of walking or jogging I feel Yoga is as good as any other exercise and you can select the style or the routine which can suit you.

The question which many of you may have in mind is how can a slow routine which may involve staying in the same position for a longer time be beneficial.  However the fact is most people who practice yoga for a long time are almost always enjoy better health than people who do not practice yoga.  The answer is most times slow practice or exercises are mostly better than those which are practices at a vigorous pace and which involve breathing from the mouth due to exhaustion.

You may find it difficult to believe this but I have found this to be true.  In the December of 2008 I set out to practice Surya Namaskar practice for 30 days.  At the end of the 30 days I was able to practice Surya Namaskar for 42 rounds and at that time I was really proud of my achievement.  I then thought of practicing 108 round of Surya Namaskar.  However from what found from my practice of Surya Namaskar I thought how I would reach 108 rounds.  Even with 42 rounds it used to leave be panting though I was feeling more fresh and stronger but somehow the thought of practicing 108 round did not seem possible with the amount of effort required.

Last year I was thinking of trying to reach 108 rounds and gave it a shot but I used to feel too tired with aching muscles when I reached the levels of 40 to 50 rounds.  However this year last month (January 2012) I read a very important book on sports and the ability of our body to reach its optimum levels and realized that the reason that I was finding it difficult to reach 108 round was the way i was approaching the practice.

I was trying to finish the rounds as fast as I could and that would leave me tired very quickly and eventually it would make it difficult to even practice 50 rounds.  However once I realized the secret of proper practice I was able to reach quickly to 72 rounds today (19th February 2012) without that much difficulty.  The tiredness was not as much as you would feel when I was doing 42 rounds with the earlier method.  Let me explain the secret to longer and better practice.

How to Practice Yoga or Exercise Longer with Harming Yourself

The secret to practicing longer or exercising safely is to practice breathing through the nose.  You may think this it may not be true or I may not be making sense.  Let me explain.  Usually we breath very shallow all the time.  You may not know it but most of us breath at the rate of 15 to 18 rounds of exhalation per minute.  When we exercise the rate increases even further.  We hardly ever utilize the full capacity of our lungs.  We constantly keep on using the upper region or the lobes of the lungs for breathing.  As we know during breathing oxygen is carried from the air in the lungs to the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood is transferred out during exhalation.  When we breathe shallowly we naturally breath faster the exchange of the air is not efficient.

When we use the mouth for breathing the breathing become more shallow. More over the body thinks that it is under stress and become tense.  This will stiffen the muscles you also promote anaerobic respiration which is harmful for our body.  This will make you tired and also make you prone to cold and flu as you immune system will go down when you practice this way for a long time.

On the other hand when you breathe slowly through the nose during the practice you are doing aerobic breathing which provide more oxygen to the body and it is really healthy.  You may ask what if I want to practice sprinting?  Will it not involve breathing from the mouth.  Also what about practicing Surya Namaskar in fast pace.  Will it not involve breathing from the mouth?  The answer to both these questions is no.  You do not need to breathe from the mouth.  Just breathe from the nose and in a slow manner.  If you are forced to breathe from the mouth this indicates that you are doing it in a wrong manner and too fast for your body.

Every one of us have different capacities.  When we try to emulate others or compete then in that endeavor we may try to outpace our capacities which causes mouth breathing.  However if you play with a different set of rules which are more suitable to your body you will be the winner at least for yourself and also avoid injuries.  And you will see that in a few months you will be able to practice faster and more efficiently than what you were doing previously.  If you continue this way you will soon be able to achieve very high performance and reach your potential.

Same has happened with me also.  When I was practicing 42 rounds in December 2008 I was doing it too fast and breathing from the mouth.  That was leaving me too tired.  However when I started the nose breathing practice I can see I can finish more rounds than I was able to do for 42 rounds in almost the same time and also totally relaxed.  I am also able to do it more correctly and aware of the breathing.  Now I coordinate the movements with the breathing and do not lose the count of the number of round I have done.  This is possible because I am more relaxed and more aware.  My ability and stamina has increases and I am able to lose weight more easily.

You can also apply the same principle to running or any other sports also.  Start slowly and ensure that while exhaling you take long breath through the nose.  If you notice the breathing is becoming more uncomfortable or too hard then you should slow down or take a walk.  When you are relaxed then again start and try to reach the earlier pace and observe if you are comfortable. Gradually you will notice that your stamina will increase and you will be able to exercise more efficiently and in a more relaxed manner.  This also prevents injury and problems to your immune system.

Mindful practice helps in reaching your potential to the maximum and in a relaxed manner and also avoid injuries.  So go ahead and take a try.  Who know you may be running your first 10K or marathon next year.