Who Am I?I am one among millions of ordinary human being. But I watch my body, sense and mind through my self imposed experiment from which I write this article. These are all my inferences. They have been noted through regular watching of bodily activities and behaviour of the brain. Advises and teachings of learned personnel have helped me a lot. Now let us go to the subject.
Who are We?
Our body is made up of atoms. The same atoms are the basic elements of which the entire universe is made up of. This is the fundamental relation between each and every matter. Thus we are inter linked with the other moveable and immoveable materials of the universe. Though we have definite body, organs and brain to control, disturbances or changes in other matters of the universe will certainly disturb us.
What relates us?
We continue our contact with the universe through food and air. Food, including water swallowed through our mouth enters our body, internal organs and ultimately to brain. Similar is the case with air breathed through the nostrils. A good food and air can lead us to peace as it will nourish our body and brain. A bad food and contaminated air will certainly invite various diseases, destroy the body and damage the brain. I will write about food habit separately. Now I concentrate on air.
What our Brain requires?
Our body is being controlled by brain. Knowingly or unknowingly we do some thing good or bad. That was commanded by the brain. For this brain to function effectively, it needs food. A hale and healthy brain can do good work, calculate, compute and imagine effectively on the expected lines. A healthy brain gives the body brisk and healthy life. Hence up keeping of brain is foremost important. How it can be maintained?
Whatever be the food, fatty, salty, spicy, oily, anything is digested and the power is run in to the steam of blood. This blood carries the strength to various organs including brain. All the organs like lungs, heart, kidney, pancreas, muscles, and bones take up the required fats, minerals, vitamins etc., as it is. But brain takes food in the form of oxygen for functioning. If the oxygen is fresh and more brain will active for longer period. Brains functioning level will diminish with the decrease in the level of oxygen. Thus supply of oxygen to brain is foremost important to ‘think’ freely.
Why Scarcity of Oxygen?
Food plays no role for the availability of enough oxygen in the blood. In fact food supplies toxins in the blood along with power. Good or contaminated food carries certain limit of toxins, like, cyanides, bromine, chlorine, iodine, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbon, etc. These toxic elements form compounds with the oxygen and arrest the free flow of blood. They also reduce the number of oxygen available in blood. Thus supply of oxygen to brain is diminished. We add up the level of toxins in the blood with each meal. As long as we are not removing the toxins from blood or cleaning the blood the toxins will remain in blood and continue to affect our brain and body. This will cause diseases to body and lower level of functioning of brain. Laziness, slowness, weakness, tiredness, not good in thinking, no reasoning, lack of inspiration, etc will result. Hence it is more important to clear the toxins to clean the blood and maintain good body and brain.
Indian tradition has taught us ‘Pranayama’ or breath control. If we can breath correctly and fully we can say that we have full control over the breath. As it is we have no control over the breath. Without our command or like it enters our body and leaves our body. It is not fully filled in the lungs up to its capacity. If, for example, the lungs have the capacity to fill 10 litres of air, we are filling with two to three litres of air. That is the condition with most of us. This may increase when we are doing heavy work, running or exercising like cycling or swimming. We could have noticed that the breast of a sports man is in expanded position than other normal persons. Thus maximum utilization of lungs is the pre-requisite condition for a good breathing.
While we in hale fully, oxygen enters lungs along with air, say 100 molecules (combination of two or more atoms) of oxygen. Of these, a part is combining with the toxic elements available in the blood, say 70 molecules. These toxic compounds will come out of the body while we exhale. Thus a major portion of the oxygen inhaled will be exhaled. A small portion, say 30 molecules, will be available freely in the blood and the same will be supplied to brain. If we are not fully utilizing the lungs or not properly breathing this number will still go down and the supply of oxygen to brain will still decrease.
Now we live in cities and town that are mostly polluted due to rash-industrialisation. The atmospheric air is polluted. Oxygen level in atmosphere is coming down slowly and certainly. Thus, if we still reduce supply of oxygen to brain due to our bad breathing we are certainly doing harm to our body and the brain. Therefore it is foremost important to breathe properly.
What are the Benefits?
The following are the uses that can be achieved within three months of a proper breathing exercise.
1. Blood is purified.
2. Develops Positive thinking.
3. Lessens Tension and Body shivering.
4. Gives Calmness of mind.
5. Increases Concentration.
6. Problems can be faced easily.
7. Less or no body pain or deceases.
8. Good body functioning.
How it can be done?
Wake up early in the morning by 5.30. This time is more suitable, because there may not be any fumes or smoke in the atmosphere. As there is no traffic, dust or suspension may also absent in the air. Complete your morning rituals. Wash face with fresh cold water. Clean both the nostrils with fresh water. There should not be any obstruction. Then drink a glass of fresh cold water. Walk for about five minutes in free air. It can be in the open terrace, just to give relaxation of muscles.
Sit right on a sheet of towel or bed sheet. Do not bend the body or neck. Look straight forward. Breathe slowly for two to three times. Now close the right nostril with the right thumb and inhale as much air as you can through the left nostril (For 8 seconds). After inhalation, shut the left nostril with the ring finger and middle finger (2 seconds). Now release the thumb and exhale all the air through the right nostril (16 seconds). All the three stages form one ‘Pranayama’. Do atleast 10 pranayama in the morning and in the evening before meals.
What not to do?
Do not practice pranayama, when you are in a tension, when you are suffering from running nose, when you have just completed physical exercise or heavy physical work or you are breathing heavily due to some physical activity. Do only you are calm and your body is conducive. To keep your mind under control and away from distraction think of a beauty, say a Lotus, and concentrate on it. Note down the improvements and benefits you are sensing and post in these columns.
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