Breathing is a bridge between body and mind in yoga. Adequate breathing can make us gain more powerful energy in our daily exercise. And people who control their breathing in life can also control their emotions. Today, let's take a look at what yoga pranayama is.
For what is yoga pranayama, the book defines it as follows: "pranayama means consciously prolonging inhalation, breath holding and exhalation." When inhaling, you receive the original energy through breathing and hold your breath to taste. When exhaling, all thoughts and emotions are cleared with exhalation. When the lungs are empty, the individual's energy will return to its original energy. Practicing yoga and pranayama can cultivate our stable mentality, strong willpower and comprehensive judgment.
As for yoga pranayama, we can also say that it is one of the eight branches of yoga, and it is an exercise after yoga asana. Its Sanskrit is pranayama, prana is interpreted as Qi of Life, and yama means control. Therefore, pranayama means "controlling the qi of life", which explains that the weekly rest method is too mysterious for ordinary people, but it can also be simply explained as a breath movement.
Then why practice pranayama? Here I want to quote a sentence from the book Light of Hatha Yoga: "Breathe is there, and life is there. When breathing stops, life is over. So please adjust your breathing. " What a concise and clear sentence, which tells the meaning of pranayama.
? Both yoga classics and the practice of all modern yogis in ancient times have proved the fact that breathing control is an important factor to control mental fluctuations. But breathing control is not only a deep breath or breathing exercise in physical exercise, yoga pranayama is much more profound than them. Especially in recent decades, western medicine began to realize the importance of respiratory therapy. People think that practicing and deepening breathing can promote health and improve spirit.
In yoga, there are various pranayama methods worth learning and practicing, such as Wu Jiayi breathing method, cool pranayama method, holy light pranayama method, dredging meridians pranayama method and so on. Later, we will also explain the first stage of Wu Jiayi's breathing, and feel our physical and mental disintegration through basic breathing exercises.
Under the guidance of ancient Indian philosophy, life is not only a process from dust to dust, but also a process from qi to qi. Just as matter is transformed into light and heat through fire, we get life and strength from light and heat. Yoga itself has the meaning of connection and transformation. Through these, we should begin to learn to respect the air, water and light that we don't notice. Without them, life can't survive and the earth can't run.
Therefore, yoga pranayama is the flow of qi, the transformation of breath, and the connection between everything. Now, please practice pranayama with concentration, confidence, memory, courage and constant awareness. These five exercises will help us move towards the path of yoga pranayama.
Relationship between pranayama and respiratory system
According to the enlightenment of hatha yoga, yoga practitioners should practice pranayama under the guidance of teachers and eat nutritious food in moderation after practicing asana firmly and being able to control their senses. Disorder of breathing can lead to fluctuation of consciousness. In order to achieve the stability of consciousness, practitioners need to adjust their breathing. As long as breathing is still there, life is there. When breathing stops, life is over. So, adjust your breathing.
The meaning of this passage is obviously to emphasize the importance of breathing, just as fish can't live without water, so can we. What's the role of practicing yoga to adjust your breath? Practice tells us that correct practice of pranayama can enhance the lung function of practitioners, and can also regulate people's nervous system and blood circulation system.
In addition, practicing pranayama also helps to clean the meridians of the human body, that is, the subtle energy circulation channels of the human body. There are about 72,000 meridians in our human body, most of which originate from the heart and navel. Correct practice of pranayama helps to maintain the healthy state of meridians, and continuous practice can also change the mentality of practitioners.
The reason is that pranayama starts from the pelvic area, and facial muscles are also relaxed by relaxing the diaphragm. The sensory organs of the human body, that is, our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, have no tension. Therefore, the practitioner's brain is relaxed and calm, and he is focused, calm and peaceful.
The goal of pranayama is to make the respiratory system in the best condition and improve the circulatory system. If the circulatory system is not good, digestive organs and excretory organs will have problems, and diseases will come. The respiratory system is the gateway to the purification process of body, mind and spirit. And pranayama is the key to open this door. .
According to the anatomy of human respiratory system, our respiratory system consists of nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchus and lung. Most of the energy needed by human body is provided by oxygen and glucose. By changing the depth, length and quality of breathing, we can breathe more effectively.
According to the principle of human muscle structure, some muscles we use when breathing, such as scalene, latissimus dorsi, intercostal and erector spinae, can be trained and improved by pranayama. The deeper you breathe, the more respiratory muscles are activated. Excellent athletes and climbers can gain stronger muscle endurance and vital capacity than ordinary people through hard training of breathing.
Therefore, the combination of the understanding of human respiratory system and the practice of yoga pranayama can make us have a healthier and better life and better contact with people around us.
Four Breaths in Life
Under normal circumstances, the lungs expand 16 ~ 18 times per minute, and the exchange process of breathing in the human body is completed by inhaling fresh air and discharging waste gas containing carbon dioxide. A breathing cycle consists of three parts: inhalation, exhalation and breath holding. Inhalation is a process in which the lungs are filled with fresh air, and exhalation is a process in which the chest sinks to discharge waste gas and empty the lungs. Holding your breath is a pause after inhaling or exhaling. These three stages constitute a respiratory cycle. In addition, we need to know the position of the lung in the body, that is, the upper end of the lung reaches the clavicle and the lower end extends to the abdominal cavity.
Through the understanding of the position of the lungs in the body, breathing can also be divided into four categories: the first category is called high breathing or clavicle breathing. It is mainly driven by the neck muscles. When breathing, the clavicle will stretch and contract, lift and sink. This kind of breathing is mainly gas exchange in the upper lungs. Next, you can try to feel the shoulder lifting or collarbone stretching when inhaling, the shoulder sinking or collarbone adduction when exhaling, and keep two or three groups; ? The second kind of breathing is called median breathing or intercostal breathing. Specifically, when inhaling, the intercostal muscle starts, which drives the expansion and contraction of the ribs, and at the same time, the chest will fluctuate. This breathing pattern is only activated in the middle lung. We can try to put our hands on both sides of the ribs, feel the expansion of the ribs when inhaling, and feel the contraction of the ribs when exhaling to keep two or three groups of breathing.
The third kind of breathing is called low breathing or diaphragm breathing, which shows that the abdomen expands when inhaling and contracts when exhaling. This breathing mode will bring breathing to the lower lungs, and the upper and middle lungs will be less involved. Next, you can try to put your hand on your abdomen and feel the expansion of your abdomen when inhaling and the contraction of your abdomen when exhaling. You can keep breathing for two or three groups here. ? The fourth kind of breathing is called complete breathing or pranayama breathing, which means that the whole lung area is mobilized and expanded when inhaling. When exhaling, the whole lung returns to its original state, which can give full play to our breathing ability. But in general, it is difficult to start the whole lung without practicing for a period of time. We can try. Inhale and feel the whole lung dilate, exhale and feel the whole lung contract. You can keep breathing for two or three groups and feel it.
These four breathing methods can be practiced and studied at any time. No matter what kind of breathing you belong to, it is normal. There is no difference between these four kinds of breathing, just because the breathing habits are different and the breathing reaches the lungs in different places.
So I hope that after you know these four breathing methods, you can observe the breathing methods of friends or family around you and popularize the four breathing methods we have learned. Let yoga really affect our lives.
What is the relationship between breathing and diet?
Hatha Yoga Light believes that when practicing yoga for pranayama, practitioners should eat rice flour cooked with milk and ghee. When pranayama practice is better, he can choose the food that suits him and is suitable for pranayama practice. So if you do exactly as the book says, you can't practice pranayama without milk and rice? In fact, in the practice of pranayama, the choice of food does not have to be as stated in the book. In fact, as long as the food is hygienic and delicious, it meets the needs of the body, not the needs of the senses.
Food can be roughly divided into three attributes: pleasure, degeneration and inertia. Pleasant food makes people happy, healthy and live longer; Genetically modified food is exciting; Inert food causes disease. If you want to be healthy, you can eat more pleasant food, eat less denatured food and try not to eat inert food; But for the sake of spiritual progress, both denatured food and inert food should be avoided.
In addition, eating these two foods can also lead to unconsciousness. In the practice of pranayama, pleasant food can make us happy physically and mentally. When there are few toxins in the body and all the internal organs feel light, pranayama will become natural and focused. Food does affect people's character. Similarly, practicing yoga for pranayama will actually change the eating habits of practitioners. If pleasant food is eaten by restless or hateful people, it is still denatured or inert. On the other hand, people with noble character are not affected by the type of food itself, even if the food is inert. What really matters is the mentality of people who eat vegetables. However, when you adjust your breath, pleasant food still helps to keep your mind pure and clear.
In the process of pranayama, besides eating pleasant food, we should also avoid overeating or abusing food. According to ancient books, the yogi should fill half his stomach with solid food, fill the other quarter with liquid food, and leave a quarter of space for air to flow freely. Also, when we are upset, don't eat or practice pranayama. Eat with a good mood, any food is pleasant. Try to avoid eating at will when pranayama.
When we know that moderate and nutritious food are indispensable for pranayama, if you want to practice pranayama, you must first control your diet.
What are the benefits of practicing yoga to adjust your breath?
We know that practicing asana safely and effectively can promote blood circulation throughout the body, including the head, trunk and limbs. The effect of asana on the trunk is the same as that of pranayama which makes the lungs expand and contract rhythmically. The practice of yoga pranayama promotes the blood circulation of kidney, spleen, stomach, large intestine, small intestine and other organs, and also affects the trunk and skin.
The quality of breathing is directly related to the discharge of carbon dioxide, and both lungs should be kept clean at all times. Yoga pranayama can help keep both lungs clean and improve fresh blood flow.
The function of the liver is to eliminate or decompose toxins in the body, while the kidney is to make urine. Pranayama will not only strengthen the function of the liver, but also make the kidney in the right position. When practicing pranayama, we will apply it to the muscles of the abdomen and back, which is like an internal massage. It will stimulate these abdominal organs and keep the internal organs and organs healthy and full of vitality.
Using these muscles rhythmically during pranayama can also strengthen the peristalsis of the large intestine and promote intestinal circulation, thus helping the intestine absorb the nutrition of food and discharge waste. You can also stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic detoxification of spleen through pranayama.
According to the instructions of yoga classics, regular practice of pranayama can prevent or even cure diseases. The blood is purified, and the nerves, brain, heart and spinal cord are also purified and regulated, so as to ensure its effective function.
However, improper exercise can lead to asthma, cough, hypertension, heart, ear and eye pain, dry tongue and bronchial sclerosis. The method of regulating breath purifies meridians, neutralizes lactic acid that causes fatigue, and makes people recover their energy quickly. The pranayama method improves digestion, energy, vitality, perception and memory. It gets rid of the obsession with the body and makes the intelligence more acute.
Practicing pranayama every day will improve consciousness, and practitioners will get rid of the fear of death. When a yogi reaches a state of peace, his mind is always in the present state, not in the past or the future. The pranayama method, like the wind, removes dust and impurities from the body. The pranayama is also like fire, purifying various organs, hearts and self. Only by truly understanding the benefits of interest rate adjustment will more people share and benefit.
What should I pay attention to when adjusting interest rates?
First of all, when carrying out pranayama, you should always breathe through the nasal cavity, except in some cases (such as catching a cold or breathing through the mouth). Secondly, the choice of location is also very important. When adjusting the interest rate, you must choose a clean, ventilated and secluded place. Because noise will disturb us, and it may also make us fidgety or even angry. A clean environment is conducive to physical and mental relaxation, while the air quality in ventilated places will be better;
Then there is the choice of time. According to yoga literature, we should practice pranayama in the morning, at noon, at night and at midnight, doing 80 laps at a time. But in today's society, it is very difficult for us to do so. So you can try to adjust the interest rate from 15 minutes every day, and then gradually increase the time. The best time to practice can be early morning, because it is rarely disturbed and the air is fresh. Really not, try to practice at night, which can also help to relax and sleep.
As for the posture of pranayama, you can choose perfect sitting, auspicious sitting, single lotus sitting, hero sitting, little foot sitting and lotus sitting. If you don't know the above yoga postures, you can consult your yoga teacher or refer to yoga to see the detailed introduction of sitting posture. In fact, any posture that can keep the back spine perpendicular to the floor can be practiced by pranayama.
After the above preparations are completed, we need to practice pranayama and get rid of too many desires, so that our study and practice will enter a higher level. After the asana exercise, don't do pranayama immediately. First, master the balanced pranayama with equal length of inhalation and exhalation, and then do unbalanced pranayama with different proportions of inhalation and exhalation, and hold your breath. At the same time, when you are unwell and emotionally disturbed, don't carry out pranayama. Be sure to adjust your physical and mental state first, and then start the practice of pranayama; Once you feel heavy and tight during pranayama, don't do pranayama again. Wrong exercise makes muscles tense, body and mind distracted, and even brings diseases. You can try to continue tomorrow. If you practice pranayama properly, the disease will disappear, your body and mind will be in harmony, and you will feel happiness and stability.
How to breathe in Uganda?
First of all, Wu Jiayi breathing is a breathing method often mentioned by teachers in yoga class. Therefore, Wu Jiayi can be used for asana exercises, and it is no problem to practice Wu Jiayi breathing alone. "Wu Jiayi" contains two meanings, one is upward or expansion; ? Secondly, it also means conquest and success.
In Wu Jiayi's pranayama, the lungs are filled and the chest stands up like a powerful conqueror. All pranayama methods begin with exhalation and end with inhalation. Before we start practicing, we must exhale all the gas in our lungs. Finally, it ends with natural inhalation. The breathing sound of Wu Jiayi breathing method is "hiss" when inhaling and "wow" when exhaling. Please listen to this breathing sound (demonstrate Wu Jiayi's breathing sound twice).
? In the first stage of Wu Jiayi's breathing, he used the state of natural breathing to adjust his breathing. He did not deliberately inhale or exhale, and his breathing was even and natural. First, prepare a pillow or folded blanket, and put the trunk and head on the pillow or folded blanket in a way similar to a corpse. Close your eyes gently, and if necessary, fold the yoga stretching belt in half to cover your eyes. Then breathe normally and consciously observe the flow of breathing. When inhaling, I feel that my lungs are fully expanded, and my chest is opened and expanded outward. Breathe out quietly, feel the turbid air in the lungs, exhale waste gas, and naturally sink to both sides of the chest ribs. Continue to inhale naturally and exhale naturally. We continue to breathe like this for about 10 minutes. Please close your eyes and concentrate on breathing.
When we finish the first phase of Wu Jiayi's breathing, we will feel very tired or nervous. Please lie down and relax. If there is no discomfort, our lungs will feel soft and fresh, and we will enter the second stage of Wu Jiayi breathing.
In the second stage, you need to keep breathing naturally in the first stage and learn to breathe deeply. First of all, keep the first stage, relax your eyes and keep your ears alert. We begin by exhaling and feel the air in our lungs is empty. Next, we naturally inhale. Then, take a deep breath slowly until you feel your breath out and your lungs are clean. Ok, please continue to inhale naturally, take a deep breath 10 minutes, and then enter the body hug to relax.
Keep practicing according to these two stages. If you feel relaxed, your brain is quiet and stable, which proves that you have successfully found a way to breathe in Wu Jiayi. I hope we can continue to make progress, pay attention to breathing and find ourselves. Regular practice of Wu Jiayi breathing can help us expand our lungs and improve our spirit and energy. During the physiological period, it is necessary to avoid practicing beam closing and Wu Jiayi breathing.
Intermittent pranayama exercise
The Sanskrit name of intermittent pranayama is "Viloma Pranayama", which literally translates as "breathing control method contrary to natural things". Because, in intermittent pranayama, inhalation or exhalation is discontinuous, but interrupted by a short pause. For example, if a complete inhalation lasts for 65,438+05 seconds, the intermittent pranayama will be suspended every three seconds, and the duration of an inhalation will be extended to 25 to 30 seconds. Similarly, exhalation is interrupted by a pause, which is extended to 25 to 30 seconds. Let's learn the first stage of the intermittent interest rate adjustment method.
First, please put a blanket or pillow under your body and lie quietly on your back for a few minutes. Then enter the second stage of ugayi breathing and keep it for a few minutes; Next, please start inhaling intermittently. Inhale for three seconds, then pause, hold your breath for two to three seconds, and inhale for the same time. When stopping, keep the diaphragm up. Keep inhaling, don't relax the suction of diaphragm, and then pause. Please continue this way until you can't breathe in and your whole lung feels full. There may be four or five pauses during this process. If you feel nervous, uncomfortable or nauseous when inhaling, please stop practicing and relax. Now, please take a deep breath slowly, just like the second stage of Wu Jiayi's breathing, and relax the diaphragm. The intermittent inhalation and exhalation on it is a circle. Repeat this exercise for 7 to 8 minutes. If you are not tired, you can do it for a longer time. After that, take a few regular breaths before relaxing, and then end the exercise.
The second stage of intermittent pranayama is natural inhalation to fill the lungs, but don't push too hard. Then when you exhale, practice the exhalation pause in the way of the first-stage inhalation pause, so I won't go into details here. This stage is also suitable for beginners and people who are tired, nervous and hypertensive. If we feel quiet and relaxed after exercise, we will get the basic effect of this pranayama method.
For beginners, please practice the first two stages introduced today. Later, you can refer to Iyengar's book "Light of pranayama", which has a very detailed explanation of various pranayama methods and knowledge about pranayama.
How to use pranayama in corpse-lifting.
Sava in SavAsana means corpse, and Asana means posture. Therefore, it tells us to be as still as a corpse. At the same time, stillness also means complete relaxation, and relaxation means repair. Body posture doesn't mean sleeping, it means conscious relaxation, which requires you to concentrate and empty your brain. This experience is the most difficult of yoga poses, but it is also a refreshing and rewarding posture.
At first, the body can't relax, breathing unevenly, and other things will come to mind. In the right posture, body breathing and mind are unified and coordinated, and this state is realized by controlling body and mind. Therefore, we must first learn to control the body, get the quietness of the body, and then begin to pay attention to the smooth movement of breathing. Next, there is the silence of the brain. The three stages are experienced and carried out in turn, and the corpse brings a perfect happiness experience.
Here is a brief introduction to the specific practice of corpse type. Please remove the headband, glasses, hearing AIDS or other things that hinder your body from relaxing before practicing. Although you can do corpse-like exercises at any time, it is best to practice in quiet time.
Please sit on your knees in the center of the yoga mat or blanket, then tuck your knees in your hands and lie down slowly, making sure your body is in the center of the mat. Then leave your hips slightly and push your gluteus muscles away from your waist with your hands. In order to keep your body upright, you can hold your head with both hands and lift it off the mat surface to check that your body is not crooked again.
Secondly, adjust the scapula, bend the arm 90 degrees, push the elbow to the ground, let the scapula retract away from the ear, put down the arm, and the arm will naturally separate to the sides, with the palm facing up, the legs extending forward in turn, and the toes outward.
Now, let's enter the corpse posture, close our eyes gently, keep our eyelids relaxed and our eyeballs sink. Ear observation pranayama breathing state,
When thoughts fluctuate, breathing will fluctuate, so stop fluctuating and let your heart calm down. Relax your ears. Please relax the base of your tongue, relax your lips and keep your teeth away from each other. Next, the muscles of the whole body are relaxed, the skin pores are repaired, and the nerves are rested.
Breathing should flow spontaneously. If you are a beginner, you should take a deep breath, breathe slowly, and then keep breathing naturally until you realize the quiet state. Natural inhalation and deep breathing can soothe the nerves and mind, so please keep breathing like this. Deep breathing may make your body stiff and tight.
Now imagine that when you inhale, it seems that the sea water rushes to the shore, and when you exhale, the sea water recedes. Breathe and relax. . . . . .
Next, we're going to quit the corpse pose. Please put your hands on your abdomen in turn, and then raise your arms over your head when inhaling. Have a big stretch. Next, turn around and lie on your right side, bending your knees to your chest. Rest your head on the inside of your right arm, breathe naturally, and slowly push yourself up with the next exhalation, and we have completed the practice of setting up a corpse.