Right Rime To Practice Pranayama

(February 26, 2009)

When we have to do the pranayamas? before the yoga stretches or After yoga stretches

It is absolutely essential that you have a clear understanding about the practice of Pranayama or breathing exercises, so that you can arrive at the best answer. This is because it is a personal practice and therefore must evolve from within, based on your personal experience from the practice of both asanas or poses and pranayam or breathing techniques. Prana means bio-energy or life force. Yama means to restrain. In a certain sense, conjoined with Pranayama, Ayama has come to mean expansion or extension. Pranayama thus means breathing in such a manner that helps absorb optimum bio-energy and, channelize its flow in all the required areas of one’s body. Anyone can practice Pranayama (breathing exercises) at any time, particularly early in the morning when your mind has less disturbances and your body is fresh and rested. The only definite prerequisite is an empty stomach. You can practice Pranayamas (breathing exercises) such as Ujjayi (Ocean breath) during asanas (Yoga poses).

Right Time To Practice Pranayama

However, most senior, qualified, veteran Yogis feel that Pranayama (breathing exercises) have a greater impact on one’s health if done after asana (Yoga poses) practice. All asana practices help, by them selves, stimulate the chakras (subtle nerve centers in the body) by facilitating freer flow of bio-energy through the Nadis (subtle nerve channels). It is for this reason that the benefits of Pranayama or breathing exercises are noticeably more subsequent to Yoga asana practice, and for the same reason and by the same yardstick ideal before meditation practice. We’d also like to state that after Yogasana practice your body and mind are, naturally, more calm, comfortable and balanced.

To sum it up, you can practise Pranayama or breathing exercises at any time, but on an empty stomach. However, for best results we suggest you practise after a Yogasana session and before meditation. The practise of Shavasana (the Corpse pose) encourages the hypersensitivities in your body to dissipate and allows the energy generated through practise of the asanas to be integrated. It is for this reason that we suggest you practice Pranayama (breathing exercises) early in the mornings, regularly at the same time every day. Pranayama (breathing exercises) are best done in a comfortable, sitting meditative pose such as Sukhasana (Easy pose), Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose) or Padmasana (Lotus pose), with your teeth brushed, clear nostrils and a clean, cool, calm and relaxed body. Regular Pranayama (breathing exercises) practices definitely improve the practitioner’s physical and mental health and vigor, more so because of the increased oxygen intake and utilization.

Submitted by A on February 26, 2009 at 04:05