HYDERABAD: As the urban hustle and bustle drowns the regular human being, relaxing the body has become a major concern. Yoga as Fareena Farid from Fery’s Yoga says, is all about inner quest and knowing oneself.
Particularly while practising Pranayamams, you indulge in swadhaya which means self-study. It creates an environment where you can analyse yourself, understand where the stress is coming from instead of suppressing it and figure out the root-cause. Yoga helps in understanding yourself better, accepting your flaws and also provides the inner strength for you to work on them.
Pranayamam essentially means suspension or control over breath. While the assumption is that Pranayamam is just a breathing exercise, there are types of the same which help in different areas of stress. Here are some of them:
Kapal Bhaathi
This one being one of the most popular type because of the attention given to it by Yoga gurus, is equally beneficial. It involves sitting in an erect position with both palms to the sky. One is required to inhale deeply and exhale rapidly, contracting the abdominal muscles as this is done. It cleanses sinuses and also helps in improving the metabolic rate
Bhramari
This technique is also known as Humming Bee Technique. It is known to calm the mind, improve focus as well as stimulate hormones and release cerebral tension. The technique requires one to close their ears with the thumbs, place their index fingers on the forehead and close the eyes with the rest of the fingers. After inhaling slowly through the mouth, one must exhale through the nose with a steady humming sound.
Bandhas
Bandhas are an advanced technique of breath control which are only advised to be performed by seasoned practitioners. They are “body locks” and involve contraction of various muscles for different benefits. Mula Bandha is the contraction of the perineum, or the muscles on the pelvic floor while, Uddiyana Bandha involves contracting the abdomen into the rib cage. Jaladhara Bandha requires one to tuck the chin close to the chest while the Maha Bandha is combining all these contractions at once.