Pranayama: Pranayama- let's get more content on here! (New to pranayama please read)

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Pranayama- let's get more content on here! (New to pranayama please read) Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:00 PM PST This subreddit is barely active, and I suspect this to be due to the fact that many people warn not to learn pranayama without a real life instructor for safety reasons. While there is definitely truth to this, the reality is that not all pranayama practice methods are dangerous to learn alone. The danger comes with (like most things in life) a big ego thinking that they can tackle an extremely complex breathing method involving sympathetic system activation, without having any prior experience with the exercise or anything like it ending up in the hospital from a seizure doing the Wim Hof method (No lie, there is a video of someone claiming this on YouTube.) Pranayama is an essential for anyone on the Yogi journey, it is one of the 8 limbs of Yoga. Let's start by breaking down the word pranayama. Prana - breath Ayama - control/stretching/extending So, pranayama = breath control, essentially. Prana is not only a word that means breath, but it also means vital life energy. We can survive for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without prana. Prana is in everything that is alive, it is the force that sustains life and every inhalation of oxygen is a gift. With each breath of O2, life is being taken into the body, revitalizing every cell in the vessel. The control of this powerful and essential force (AKA pranayama) is well known in Hindu practices, including Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda, as well as the Chinese recognizing prana but calling it Chi. Chi is essential in many traditional Chinese practices, such as acupuncture, Qui Gong, Kung Fu, Zhan Zuang, etc. So yeah, learning to control this stuff is the real deal. THE BENEFITS OF PRANAYAMA PRACTICE Increased mental clarity Offers a stand in for meditation and asana practice, and enhances both practices as well Ability to breathe for longer periods of time and deeper breathing available with regular practice Quickly grounds and balances emotions Another way of practicing mindfulness that feels different from yoga or meditation, all three are unique. Works as an internal kriya (cleansing technique) Clears mucus in air passages Relieves congestion Reduces bloating Improves immune system For those who would like to start a pranayama practice, here is a good technique to start. Nadhi Sodhana Pranayama- This is also known as alternate nostril breathing. This breathing technique has been designed to calm the nervous system, making this a great technique to use before bed, before a yoga asana practice, or a seated meditation. It will also help to ground a stressed person if practiced correctly. This pranayama nadhi sodhana can be practiced while sitting or standing. This pranayama also helps to clear the nadis, or energy pathways of the body. In yoga theory, nadis carry prana, life force energy. In the physical body, the nadis are channels carrying air, water, nutrients, blood and other bodily fluids around and are similar to the arteries, veins, capillaries, bronchioles, nerves, lymph canals and so on. Here's a good video on how to do it (By Adriene for those who know her on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwufJrUhic&t=303s I hope this inspires anyone who read this to start a daily pranayama practice themselves, and I hope those with knowledge of pranayama as well as experiences who read this will post in attempts to make this community more active to spread awareness of this beneficial practice. Namaste. submitted by /u/bakejakeyuh [link] [comments]

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