BREATH OF LIFE

(T-D) Ardhachandrasan, Matsyasan and Parivrutta parshwakonasan

Health is wealth! But, in the pursuit of wealth, most us forget about our health and take things for granted. Like many others, VBS Mani would also run away from exercising or doing serious workouts. He often felt guilty for not taking his physical and mental health seriously. 

Over a period of time, his annual  medical checkup started showing the effects of occupational  stress and lack of self care in the form of high cholesterol levels, a deficiency of vitamin B 12 and frequent infections with the body losing its resistance. Fear set in within Mani. He started learning yoga at the age of 62.

Learning and practicing yoga over the past five years has made him physically and mentally very healthy, active and agile.

He says that one does more good when he feels good. This ‘feel good factor’  has come within him through and through.

He realised the real effect of yoga when he contemplated donating his kidney to one of his distant relative, a 13- year-old girl suffering from kidney failure.

She could not find any matching kidney donor either from a close relative or a cadaver. The entire family was devastated. Members of the family and the medical fraternity close to Mani were against his intention of organ donation.

Mani says, “When I went to see how healthy I was and would I survive after kidney donation, the doctor checked and confirmed  that my organs are as healthy as that of a 20-year-old boy.

My pulse rate and cardiovascular parameters were matching with that of an athlete. I was told that after organ donation, I will be as sound as I am for my life time.

This couldn’t have been possible without the help of yoga. I could give life to a young girl on January 6, 2011. I am as normal and healthy as I was before. The girl who received my kidney is also doing extremely well.”

Over the past four years, he has started trekking, atleast one Himalayan trek per year, and many around Sahyadri.

“Using Pranayama and correcting the breathing imbalance I cure myself. When I see young boys and girls of  one third of my age attending the yoga class and practicing yoga, I start feeling young.

Yoga is such a great science given by our ancestors. It is the west which has validated this science with hosts of research. There is also a perception amongst us that yoga is for women or the sick while men must not do it. We are mistaken. We have a lot to learn about the art.”

Mani not only practices yogic breathing, but performs asanas as comfortably as the young member of the batch.

Yogic ujjayi breathing

Breathing few breaths deeply can give a refreshing ‘pep-up’ when we are fatigued by the frantic pace of the day. Then with a little practice, it can become a regular feature of the day. As adults, our ‘hurry and worry’ lifestyle reflects in our shallow and rapid breaths and curtailed exhalations.

A full and unrestricted exhalation is more vital than only a deep inhalation. It is during this exhalation that the ‘relaxation and rejuvenating responses’ gets triggered, restoring the inner balance.

The smooth, quiet, relaxed and flowing breathing that is the outcome of awareness slows the heartbeat, lowers blood pressure, and produces a sense of stability, actually encouraging the heart to rest as the long exhalations slow down the heart rate.

A good exhalation results naturally in subsequent fuller and unforced inhalation. With regular practice the breath becomes free, more steady and deep, without any conscious effort on our part. This reduces stress and enhances our physical, emotional and mental health.

Technique
Airflow is restricted by keeping the voice box area of the larynx and glottis in the throat partially closed which results in a soft, uniform, low hissing sound, as the air rubs across the surfaces. The mind is focused on breathing, particularly on the low hissing sound.

•   Sit comfortably in any posture with ease.

•   Relax the facial muscles with a gentle smile. This will not only relax you but also prevent you from overdoing the practice to a strenuous degree.

•   Bring your awareness to your throat. Visualise breathing through a tiny hole in front of the throat. This way, we will partially tighten the larynx and the air will pass slowly through the throat, producing the hissing sound.

•   The sound should have a low and uniform pitch and should be pleasant to hear. It should not be audible to others but only to oneself.

•   Friction of air in the nose should be avoided so that no nasal sound is heard.

•   Initially, do Ujjayi only while exhaling, and then during both inhalation and exhalation.

Remember, it is never too late to start.

PSORIASIS CAN BE CURED - SKIN DEEP YOGA AND LIFESTYLE

PSORIASIS CAN BE CURED - SKIN DEEP YOGA

Tara Nozaki, born and brought up in Japan, came to me for a month, reading how my psoriasis had got healed. She has had atopic dermatitis for many years and remembers having those terrible urges to scratch places like the creases in her arms, legs, neck, and hands. Atopic dermatitis is a very common, often chronic (long-lasting) skin disease, which is also called eczema, dermatitis, or atopy. There is a known hereditary component of the disease, where the skin becomes extremely itchy and inflamed, causing redness, swelling, cracking, weeping, crusting, and scaling. Some of the most common triggers are environmental, such as allergic reactions to pollen, drugs, dry air, and dust mites, chemicals in cleaning products, detergent, soaps, and perfumes.

Eczema and psoriasis are the two most prevalent dermatological diseases people suffer with daily. The diseases are common, with children being more susceptible to eczema and adults to psoriasis. With many people living with the discomforts of the diseases, they try numerous methodologies for relief and cures.

Now in her 30s, Tara had dry hands of a 50-year old and a “chicken-skin” neck with discoloured creases. When she was put on oral steroids, it helped but side effects made her stop them. She had tried corticosteroid creams, local treatments, with some relief but they would prove to be a temporary fix.

She had realised that to bring a change, she needed a change, and thus she came to Pune. She knew she needed a natural detox regimen as her skin pores were the exit points for ridding the body of toxins. She came with an open mind to learn Yoga and Pranayama, with readiness to change her diet and thought process, to get her system in better shape. With the following practices, done the right way, there was noticeable improvement.

Treatment

From the yogic perspective, both psoriasis and eczema are a result of high stress levels and toxins. During stressful situations, the inflammation in the skin worsens aggravating the skin and the disease tends to spread. Internal factors, besides stress, are allergic reactions to food, poor functioning liver, and a week immune system. The cures for eczema and psoriasis involve a whole body treatment or a more holistic approach to relief – Proper breathing habits, Pranayama, Asana, Nutrition, Yogic Shatkarma, Meditation and Attitudinal changes offer promising results for all chronic skin disorders.

Mindful Breathing - The breath is inhaled slowly, deeply and evenly through the nose. The lower abdomen, lungs, and chest are filled with air. After holding for four counts, one exhales slowly releasing air from the chest, lungs, and then lower abdomen. Longer exhalations are beneficial as they allows the body to work towards an alkaline state as opposed to an acidic state. Alkalinity brings rejuvenation and relief to the body. Taking 10 such breaths every hour benefit the body and the mind too.

Asana: All postures help but those that improve the endrocrine system and massage thyroid and parathyroid glands are sarvangasana, halasana, marjarasana breathing. These should be practiced with deep breathing, holding postures for 3-5 breaths. Tara decided to do 12 rounds of Surya namaskaar everyday and continues to do so.

Nutrition & Vitamin supplements: Eat to balance Pitta dosha and some foodstuffs to avoid are meat, fish, sea food, eggs, fermented foods, nightshades (eggplants, bell peppers), overly sweet or spicy foods. Addition of Vitamins E, D, A, B12, green tea, flaxseeds helped ease symptoms of eczema.

Vaman Dhouti or yogic vomiting is one of the shatkarma or yogic cleansing methods. Vaman Dhouti balances by relieving the stomach of pitta and symptoms like heart burn, acid reflux, etc

Pranayama & Meditation: The most common and effective yogic remedy is meditation through pranayama as pranayama not only detoxifies and energises the body, but also fine tunes the mind towards introspection, self awareness and healing.

• Bhastrika: With your hands resting on your knees and arms stretched straight, close your eyes and inhale deeply through both the nostrils. Follow this with exhaling deeply till you empty out all the stale air inside your lungs.

• Kapalbhati: This is active abdominal exhalations followed by passive inhalations. Take an exhalation and an inward stomach movement per second. For results, depth of abdominal movement is more important thn the speed. Also, the practice should be as noiseless as possible. You can start off slowly; maybe do it continuously for half or one minute, stop and enjoy its relaxing effects on the mind, and then start again. You must work towards doing it for 5 minutes, three times a day.

• Baahya Kumbhak: This is holding the breaths after a full exhalation. Learning this should be with a teacher, who will share how to apply the three bandhas with it. There is now enough scientific proof to the benefits of this practice, which the Yogis recommended many years back to heal chronic diseases.

• Anulom Vilom Pranayama: Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale deeply, without any exertion, through the left nostril. Allow exhalations slowly and smoothly, but deeply, without exertion from the right. followed by inhalation through the right nostril. The cycle has to be repeated for 10 minutes, as slowly as possible, giving more time to exhalations.

• Agnisaar Kriya: Inhale deeply and exhale deeply right thereafter, pulling your stomach muscles inward, as if trying to pull your stomach in as close to your back as possible. Hold your breath here and move your stomach in and out vigorously as many times as possible, before releasing it and allowing air to fill up your lungs. Do this exercise three times daily to tone the liver and digeative system.

• Bhramari pranayama: Close your eyes and touch your tongue lightly to the roof of your mouth. After a smooth deep inhalation, hum like a bee and feel the vibrations traveling deep inside. The humming has special significance and generates energy. At this moment one gets thoroughly charged and yet be at ones calmest. Stay in this position for two to three minutes. While doing the breathing exercises direct the energy generated towards the affected parts of the skin by thinking about its well-being.

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