What are you without your breath? Non-existent. It is the breath, or in yogic terms, the prana that keeps us alive, which, in fact, is the vital life force that flows through us. Doctors talk about the importance of healthy lung function and breath. Mental health professionals, too, vouch for deep breaths as the mechanism to create and maintain calm, and combat anxiety. In simple terms, breath is crucial. Pranayama – yogic breathing techniques and exercises – have many benefits, both physical as well as mental. While ideally you should have a dedicated time and space to practice pranayama to reap maximum benefits, who says you can’t fit it in your daily life if you have a busy schedule? The one key rule you should bear in mind when you practice pranayama is that it should be on an empty stomach. This is why yogis say that the best time to do it is early in the morning. However, here are some alternatives.
Kapalbhati
To do this cleansing and energising pranayama, warm up with a few deep inhalations and exhalations. Once you’re ready, inhale deeply, and then forcefully exhale through the nose in instalments. For every one breath in, exhale in 10 small, forceful exhalations. This pranayama fires up the system, and is great for digestion, and mental alertness. You can fit it into your busy life by doing it:
When you’re stuck in traffic
In the shower
In bed, when you wake up
Bhramari
If you’re prone to anxiety, meet your new best friend. The principle behind this technique is to shut down all external stimuli and focus on the breath and internal vibrations to calm us down. Also called the ‘bee breath,’ it uses sound to calm the nerves. To practice this, gently place your thumbs on your ears, index fingers on your eyes, middle and ring fingers on the bridge of your nose, and pinkie fingers on your chin. Take a deep inhalation, and as you exhale, make a humming sounds like a bee would (hence the name). Do this:
Before you head in for a meeting or an exam
When you’re pulling an all-nighter before that big project
When you have an argument with bae
Shitali and Sitkari
Known as the cooling breaths, these two mouth-breathing techniques are great if you can’t tolerate the summer, or have a temper issue. To practice shitali, roll the edges of your tongue inward and breathe in and out through the mouth. For Sitkari, clench your teeth together, but keep your lips apart, and breathe in and out through the mouth. As you do this, you’ll hear a hissing sound. Both the breathing techniques have similar effects and you can practice one or the other when:
The temperature gets too high for your liking
You feel parched and no amount of liquids seem to help
You’ve been easily annoyed or irritated at things
