In the last few issues of the TIW, we discussed various techniques of regulating the breath-flow, thereby purifying & cleansing the body and taking it towards a state of balance.
Pranayama – literally translated, it means salutation to the Prana – the all-pervading force in the Universe. Our health and vitality, our emotional and financial state, diseases and glowing health are all dependent on the frequency of prana that vibrates in and around us. The complete system of our pranic body of the chakras, nadis and koshas are dependent on the prana that we are receiving from the environment around us. But to be able to retain the vital prana, the nadis and chakras should be clean and pure, there should be no blocks, i.e. the movement of prana in them should be clean and uninterrupted.
In this issue we will discuss Sinha Pranayama. This pranayama opens the blockages in the pranamaya kosha and has a tendency to balance prana. Immediately after the pranayama, the body feels light and revitalised.
Steps for Sinha Pranayama:
- Sit straight, preferably in Vajrasana. If not, keep your back absolutely straight and don’t take any artificial support.
- Bending slightly forward, hands on the knees, and with your right eye look at the left eyebrow and with your left eye look at the right eyebrow (Shambhavi mudra).
- Hang your tongue out as much as possible. Eyes are to be open.
- Next start exhaling rapidly by pulling your stomach in. The inhalation happens automatically. Do this for at least fifty counts, and at the most hundred counts.
- Next, you pull the tongue back in, the eyes become normal and sitting in vajrasana, let your breath flow at its natural rhythm. Do not try to force the breathing – whatever speed, the breath moves on its own, just let that be. Observe your breath at the nostrils without any kind of strain. Relax the body completely.
- Open your eyes with a smile after five minutes.
NOTE: While practicing any pranayama, sit in a well-ventilated room. Pranayama must not be practiced in a breezy or dusty environ. Similarly one should not sit directly under the direct blast of air cooler or fan while doing pranayamas. It is essential that pranayamas be done under the supervision of the Guru. Doing pranayama in an unsupervised manner either by copying from TV or reading from somewhere can cause long term irreparable damages in the body. Find a Guru and do in conjunction with other practices on a one-to-one basis.
