Enhance your health with proper breathing

Enhance your health with proper breathing. Breathing is so simple we often take it for granted, but it has fundamental influence on body, mind, and spirit. Every time we breathe in air, we bring oxygen into the body and spark the transformation of nutrients into fuel. Every time we breathe out, we purge the body of carbon dioxide, a toxic waste.

Breathing influences our state of mind. Shallow breathing can make us tense. Deep breathing can make use calm. Breathing can make our thinking confused or clear. In the yogic tradition, breathing is the means of acquiring prana, the ethereal substance that powers life.

Pranayama is the optimization of prana through the control of the breath. Pranayama can be practiced with or without the practice of other poses. You already know how to do this.

1. Sit comfortable with your spine straight or lie comfortable on your back. Take deep breaths through your nostrils.

2. Relax your breath as you slightly contract the back of your throat. The first time you do this, you may create an "oinking" sound rather like a pig! Do not worry about unusual sounds. With a little practice, you will create a steady hissing sound as you breathe in and out. You do not have to force this sounds, but it should be loud enough that another person in the room could hear it.

3. Breathe as long and deep as you can without creating tension anywhere in the body. Perfect your technique with help of an instructor.

What diseases can be relieved by pranayama? Pranayama purifies the channels along which the life stream of 'prana' flows in the body and prevents various disorders. It increases one's resistance to respiratory diseases. It helps cure cough and cold, insomnia, chronic headache and asthma. And, as recently reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, pranayama can even relieve diabetes and heart disease.