Benefits of Pranayama! Want to miss? Certainly NOT!

A great Sunday morning and I am in mood to write about my favorite topic, Pranayama! Well, certainly with some leading Yoga gurus imbibing the value of this ancient method of instilling life force, many people are aware of the benefits. But when I see certain section of society totally unaware of the facts about Pranayama, I feel like pursuing everyone to learn it.

“Prana” is our life force. If we want to simplify the Pranayama, we can say that it is with Prana we are alive. And Pranayama is the method to give exercise to that Prana so that it remains in perfect harmony. Well, I know this may sound weird to some people who have heard many other tangible and intangible definitions of Pranayama. But I can see that this one is quite legible and comprehensible. You want good and functioning knees, doctors advise you to walk regularly, you want perfect figure, you should give appropriate exercise to your body. Then isn’t it must to give good exercise to the life force (prana) that runs you as a whole?

Pranayama is in short proper utilization of this amazing and absolutely free source of energy so that we encounter remarkable changes in our health. It is not just oxygen. It is the modified force that enables us to live to the fullest!

Let’s list some of the most visible and comprehensible benefits of Pranayama:
(1) Prevents aging: Well, in face of so many anti-aging creams and pills available in the market at platinum price, Pranayama practice is the free medicine available to avert aging. It is evident that longevity depends upon your breathing rate. If it is faster, you have fewer years to live. Pranayama helps you reduce the breathing rate to a great extent and gives you extra life full of joy and inner happiness. Ask those who practice Pranayama regularly and have a look at their skin. Study has revealed that Pranayama regular practice keeps your skin wrinkle free and glowing.
(2) Cardiovascular health: with regular practice, you tend to inhale more and more oxygen and circulate it freely all over the body. All the body cells get rejuvenated and the blood circulation improves amazingly. The pumping action of heart gets stabilized and blood pressure gets controlled. There are thousands of people who have stopped all anti-hypertensive tablets after they started practicing Pranayama.
(3) Breathing Rate is stabilized and reduced: The way we breathe decides how our health is. It is said that as the meditation helps the person to calm down, Pranayama helps one control their respiration in a positive way and slow down the heart rate so that cardiac outflow is stabilized and no undue stress is laid on heart muscles.
(4) Enhances mental acuity: The study reveals that there has been marked improvement in a person’s concentration power after he practices Pranayama. The changes are visible right from the first week and the person feels less distracted during work. The improvement in cognitive abilities and with memory power is additional plus. If instead of sending students to “improve memory” classes, parents insist on doing Pranayama once a day, it will be rewarding for sure!
(5) Negative mental qualities diminish in course of time: We all go through varied stress and strains. But as is aptly said, ‘make stress work for you’, Pranayama helps us achieve this. We can slowly but surely gain control over our anger, anguish, fears, phobias, anticipatory anxieties, greed, etc.
(6) Enhances immunity: All body parts get more oxygen and toxins are flushed out of the system with daily practice of Pranayama. The enhanced bodily resistance power due to rejuvenation of cells helps us conquer many diseases. No wonder Pranayama experts were striving for a mass attempt to perform Pranayama when we were hit by severe epidemic of swine flu. Digging well upon facing utter scarcity of water is never good than to be in a position to face anything. Immunity booster life force is instilled with every type of Pranayama, be it Kapalbhati or Anulom-Vilom.
(7) Improves digestive system: Pranayama does mild to moderate massage to entire gastrointestinal tract. The people suffering from ANY kind of gastric or intestinal disorder get benefited with Pranayama. People with constipation and hyperacidity never feel the need to take laxative or antacid once they start practicing Pranayama daily.

So, when are you starting your routine of Pranayama? First get your body attuned to it by practicing rhythmic deep breathing and then learn Pranayama step by step from an expert. You will not be far away from reaping the excellent benefits!