3/7/2014 Yoga breathing exercises, Pranayama :: Sivananda Yoga

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Home >> Breathing >> Breathing exercises intermediate level
Breathing exercises intermediate level
After learning the full yogic breathing we can start practising the two basic
pranayamas. It is best to practise these breathing exercises with an
experienced teacher.
Kapalabhati
Is a pranayama exercise but it also cleanses the lungs. Forceful exhalations
expel the old, used air out of the lungs, making space for fresh air enriched
with oxygen. In this way, the entire respiratory system is cleansed. It is a
wonderfully vitalising exercise.
Anuloma Viloma
This exercise consists in inhaling through the left nostril, retaining the breath,
and exhaling through the right nostril in a ratio of 1:4:2 seconds, then
inhaling through the right nostril, retaining, and exhaling through the left
nostril in the same ratio.
The alternate nostril breathing harmonises the whole nervous system and
balances the activity of both hemispheres of the brain. Every two hours the
activity of the brain shifts from one hemisphere to the other. The yogis
discovered through self-observation that this natural occurrence is reflected
in the flow of the breath through the nostrils: at times when we can breathe
more freely through the right nostril, the left hemisphere of our brain is more
active; conversely, when the left nostril is more open, the right hemisphere is
more active. Alternate nostril breathing supports this regular alternation of
breath and thus of brain activity. This is a prerequisite for a healthy body and
mind.
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