When Covid-19 started spreading in India, the government and the health ministry emphasized everyone to practice Pranayama as a measure to stay safe.

Ancient Rishis in India had discovered an intimate relationship between breathing and mental activity and uncovered the art of pranayama. Prana means “breath” and Ayam means “to control.”

So in simple words, Pranayama is the art of controlling the breath to attain enlightenment.

The secret of Pranayama

As we breathe, one side of our brain gets activated depending on the nostril that you are breathing from.

The left side is for logical thinking, investigation, inquiry, judgement and competition. Whereas, the right side is for love, compassion, art, poetry and religion.

Ayurveda suggests that the left brain is associated with male energy and the right side with female energy.

So when an artist or poet is working s/he uses the right part of the brain and the left breath is dominant. Similarly, when a person is working in a lab or trying to solve a puzzle the left part of the brain gets activated and the right breath becomes dominant.

The secret of Pranayama is the art of handling the male and female energy in your nervous system and balancing them to experience pure awareness and go beyond the energies.

Benefits of Pranayama

Apart from maintaining your mental health here are a few physical benefits of Pranayama–

• Healthy respiratory system – Pranayama improves lung capacity as they workout every time you practice. It has also shown to help with asthma and COPD.
• Boosts immunity system- the diaphragmatic movement in Pranayama helps to stimulate the movement of lymph and breath retention improves immune function.
• Aids in weight loss- consistent Pranayama keeps cravings at bay and also helps to increase awareness while eating.
• Improves your nervous system- slow breathing Pranayama cycles stimulates the Vagus nerve, one of the most important nerves involved in the relaxation response. It also improves your flight and fight response.
• Improves the health of your skin- When you hold the breath, it supplies oxygen to skin cells. This blood thrush improves the appearance of skin.

Alternate nostril Pranayama

There are numerous types of Pranayama: left nostril breathing, right nostril breathing, practices to heat or cool the body and so on.

But one of the simplest techniques is alternate nostril pranayama. Follow these simple steps to practice it-

1. Sit comfortably on the floor in the lotus pose or cross-legged posture, keeping the spine straight. If this isn’t comfortable, simply sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat.
2. Close the right nostril with your right thumb, and inhale directly into the belly.
3. After inhaling, hold your breath for a few moments and focus on the awareness.
4. Exhale through your right nostril while closing the left one with the ring and little finger of the right hand.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 3, but this time start by inhaling through the right nostril.

Have you tried Pranayama? If yes, what was your experience, please share in the comments below-