Yoga can help reduce stress levels and improve overall health.
Swami Ramdev is an Indian yoga practitioner who is famous for popularizing yoga as a practice. The practice of yoga is designed to help people connect their bodies to their minds. Practitioners claim this can help people lose weight, cure illnesses and conditions like depression and improve the general posture. According to the website Know Yoga, the purpose of yoga is to achieve control over the 'prana', the essence that pervades all of life. There are several popular exercises particular to Ramdev Yoga.
Bhastrika Pranayam
Sitting cross-legged, take a deep breath through both nostrils. Inhale deeply until your lungs are full, then breathe out, making sure all the air is expelled. Repeat this sequence for a minimum of two minutes, but for no more than five.
Kapal Bhati Pranayam
Sitting cross-legged, inhale deeply, then push the air out of your stomach forcefully. If you are doing this exercise correctly, your stomach should naturally go inwards when you do so. Repeat this exercise 30 times when you start, and increase your practice up to between five and 10 minutes.
Bahaya Pranayam
Sit cross-legged. Inhale and, as you breathe out, touch your chin to your chest while tightening your stomach muscles. Hold this pose then exhale, lifting your head upright and relaxing the stomach muscles. Inexperienced yogis should try three to five repetitions, while more experienced practitioners can do up to 11. During the winter only, the maximum number of repetitions is 21.
Anulom Bilom Pranayam
This breathing exercise relaxes the body in preparation for yoga moves that require more concentration. Sit cross-legged and close your eyes. Place the first finger of one hand on your forehead and breathe in through your nose. Next, press the second and third fingers of the other hand against your left nostril, closing it. Breathe out and in again through the right nostril. Use the thumb of the same hand to close the right nostril and release the left nostril. Breathe in and out once through the left nostril and repeat the pattern with the right nostril again. Do this whole sequence for five minutes. Yoga website Ayurveda For You recommends doing this exercise three times each day.
Bhramri Pranayam
Sitting cross-legged, place your thumbs over your ears and put your first and second fingers together over your eyes. Take a deep breath. As you breathe out, hum so you can feel the vibrations in your chest and throat. Repeat this practice between five and 11 times, but for no more than 10 minutes.
Ujjayi Pranayam
Sit in any comfortable posture but ensure your spine is upright and straight. Inhale slowly, feeling the air as it enters your throat and listening to the sound it makes as you do so. Don't breathe into the stomach, instead hold the air in the chest, letting the lungs expand. Then exhale slowly, ensuring your abdomen doesn't move.
Pranav Pranayam
The last pose requires you to sit cross-legged and breathe naturally. Do so for two to three minutes, keeping your eyes closed.
Tags: left nostril, Pranayam Sitting, Pranayam Sitting cross-legged, Repeat this, right nostril, Sitting cross-legged