What is Pranayama and it’s Benefits?
“Pranayama” is a vital constituent of Yoga that either directly or indirectly affects the proper functioning of different systems of the body. If you practice pranayama regularly, it shows beneficial impacts upon respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system and endocrine system. Pranayama benefits include ensuring more oxygen to lungs and good for hearts too. Pranayama tones up kidney and control the functions of nervous system. Kumbhaka or retention of breath helps supply of oxygen or exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide thus facilitates better work of lungs and helps brain to work more efficiently. It affects autonomic nervous system which controls heart rate, glandular secretions, respiration, digestion and blood pressure. This is major significance the significance of Pranayama and it’s Benefits.
Pranayama Breathing Benefits
There is a difference between Pranayama breathing and the Normal breathing process. Pranayama is not a simple breathing process; it is much more than exhalation and inhalation. It is a regulated breathing process, which comprises of 3 stages viz. pukara-slow and prolonged inhalation, kumbhaka-retention of breathe, and recaka-slow and prolonged exhalation. There are several 3 stage Pranayama benefits. While normal breathing involves inhalation and exhalation. Pranayama is always performed in specific posture, especially sitting in padmasana while in case of normal breathing; it is not so like that. Normal Breathing provides physical benefits while Pranayama breathing benefits comprise of physical, mental and spiritual merits.
The top Pranayama Breathing Benefits including the 3 Stage Pranayama benefits are as follows:
- Pranayama yoga control ageing.
- It makes oxygen circulation smooth, helps in weight regulation by melting fat as more oxygen burns more fat.
- Pranayama is the key of intelligence.
- It provides lightness to the body; acts as diseases destructor, brings vigour and power.
- Pranayama yoga helps in lungs expansion thereby improves its efficiency and makes it healthy.
- It helps in resisting blood pressure and heart diseases; makes digestion smooth.
- It cures the phlegm, mucus and tonsillitis problems. Makes your gums and teeth healthy.
- Pranayama yoga brings stillness and calmness to the mind, increased concentration and stability of mind. Pranayama is good for physical, mental and spiritual happiness.
- It makes you free from constipation and indigestion problems.
- Pranamaya stimulates autonomic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous systems. It helps to ease stress, anxiety and tension. It also eases depression, dullness and lethargy. These are some of the Pranayama Yoga benefits.
Benefits of Pranayama for Brain
Pranayama holds a central position in the Indian yogic system; it is said that liberation of soul is achieved through proper Pranayam and meditation. Modern medical science has shown unequivocally that there are benefits of Pranayama for brain and body. However the exact mechanism of how it works remains a mystery.
Health Benefits of Pranayama Yoga
Pranayama Meditation Benefits are both tangible and intangible. God has provided the supreme source of power named “prana” free of cost to all human beings. Proper utilisation of this free source of energy can make remarkable changes to our health, vitality and self-confidence. We simply can’t relate prana with oxygen present in the air; the air we breathe is also filled with vital energy known as prana.
All Pranayama Yoga benefits cannot be written down; there are lot of subtle changes like mental peace and clarity of thought that occur in our mind.
Physiological benefits of Pranayama include:
Reduced Breathing Rate
There are a wide range of health benefits of Pranayama Yoga. With yoga breathing you can train yourself to breathe more slowly and more deeply. You can reduce your breathing rate from about fifteen breaths a minute to 5-6 breaths a minute, which amounts to reducing the breathing rate by one third.
As stated in yoga philosophy, longevity depends on your breathing rate. Lowering of breathing rate is likely to increase your life. For example, a tortoise takes four to five breaths in a minute and it lives up to 200 years or more. Several other physiological benefits of Pranayama include enhanced working of the heart, lungs, diaphragm, abdomen, intestines, kidneys and pancreas.
Pranayama Meditation Benefits include reduced anxiety and depression, lower/stabilized blood pressure, increased energy levels, muscle relaxation and decreased feelings of stress and overwhelm.
