Benefits of Pranayama for the Brain
1) Improves the supply of oxygen to brain cells, which in turn helps to improve memory and mental alertness. When the supply of oxygen is increased in the body, it not only benefits your physical health but also enhances your mind power. That’s why pranayama is very much recommended for students who are about to sit for an exam or test.
2) Pranayama has a calming effect on the nervous system because it stimulates the ‘parasympathetic area’ of our body i.e., ‘Svadhisthana Chakra’. This Chakra governs our emotional balance and stress management capabilities so by stimulating this chakra one can remain calm even in tense situations.
3) The energy levels in our body can be increased by the regular practice of Pranayama. It is possible because of the simple reason that proper oxygen intake through breathing strengthens the energy-generating process in our cells, which further results in higher energy levels.
4) Some people say that they cannot meditate because their mind is too restless but the fact is it’s not so. People who think like this don’t know how to do a deep meditation and hence they are unable to empty their minds, which is an essential requirement for proper meditation.
The only solution to this problem is pranayama! Regular practice of Pranayama pacifies uncontrolled thoughts, enables you to gradually attain mental clarity, and boosts your concentration power; consequently leading you on the path of deeper meditation where you can attain lasting peace.
5) Pranayama has the ability to balance the functioning of the right and left hemispheres of your brain, which in turn makes it easier for you to think clearly and make difficult decisions in life (especially while confronting difficult situations).
6) It is highly beneficial in controlling arthritis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, circulatory disorders, etc. by keeping your heart healthy & improving blood circulation throughout the body.
7) Healthy lungs are very important for our respiratory system but how many people know that having healthy ‘nervous systems’ is equally important because all functions of our body are regulated by our nervous systems. So maintaining a healthy nervous system is essential not just for physical health but also for mental well-being.
8) By regular practice of Pranayama you can slowly bring your concentration power from the level of your wandering mind to a focused state that is required for prolonged meditation sessions. It is possible because pranayama helps to improve the overall functions of the nervous system, which then becomes capable of maintaining a focused state for a longer duration.
9) Increases our energy levels by stimulating & strengthening various cells, tissues, and organs in our body, especially those affected by poor blood circulation.
10) Regular practice of pranayama helps us understand how deeply we can breathe and hence ultimately improves breathing capacity as well as respiratory diseases like emphysema/COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
11) Pranayama helps to maintain a healthy uterine system because it stimulates the functioning of the different parts of our reproductive system, which in turn results in improved fertility and a controlled menstrual cycle. It also reduces our chances of developing various female-related problems like PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome), Menopause, and so on.
12) The regular practice of pranayama strengthens our voice box and boosts our vocal capabilities by keeping hormonal levels under control, especially those related to the functioning of the thyroid gland. This is why some singers use pranayama as a regular practice for maintaining their melodious voices.
13) Using words such as ‘Pranayama’, ‘Kumbhaka’ in our day-to-day life can make us feel more confident because when you talk about something it comes naturally on your tongue.
14) Pranayama is believed to have anti-aging benefits because, by regular practice, the energy levels in our body are increased which keeps aging at bay.
Benefits of pranayama for the brain:
Table of Contents
Regulated and controlled breathing is called pranayama. Prana means vital force, and Ayama means to control or extend.
Pranayama has three components: Adhar Kumbakam (breath), Adhyatma (mind), and Aadhiyajna (body). The benefits of this are numerous. Here are just a few examples of what can be achieved with the practice of regulated breathing.
The yogis have proven that the mind is nothing but breath because it’s never stored in brain cells instead stored somewhere near the heart. This also proves that how powerful the brain is that stores whole information forever.
The world thinks its mind but no it’s not true, even scientists must have studied some cases in which people have recovered from brain damage due to events like a stroke.
In pranayama, the yogi uses his awareness to focus on breathing. By focusing, he is training her mind to be more aware and focused. When you become good at this then your mind can be trained to develop superpowers, including healing powers for self or others. This practice also allows you to have complete control over your blood pressure.
Benefits of pranayama on the respiratory system:
The respiratory system is the only physical organ that does not have a nerve innervating it. It is controlled by our central nervous system, which controls all body functions. The respiratory tract involves the nose, trachea, larynx, and bronchi.
Pranayama techniques make you control your breath rate and its depth. This enables the muscles around the airways to relax fully when you inhale fresh oxygen into your lungs. If these muscles don’t fully relax then they hinder air intake because of their constant contraction resulting in shallow breathing patterns.
By practicing pranayama repeatedly on a daily basis for a few minutes for 6-8 weeks, makes us get rid of colds, sore throats, or anything related to upper respiratory tract infections.
The yogis have proven that the mind is nothing but breath because it’s never stored in brain cells instead stored somewhere near the heart. This also proves that how powerful the brain is that stores whole information forever.
Pranayama for weight loss:
If you practice pranayama daily, this will not only help you to control your breathing patterns and their depth but even help you shed some extra pounds by melting away your body fat.
The main reason behind this fact is that when we do pranayama we activate our parasympathetic nervous system stimulating it to release gastric juices which helps in digesting food better and hence reduces appetite or cravings for junk food like chips or fried items like samosas.
Pranayama for relaxation:
Pranayama is the most effective way to get rid of all kinds of stress whether it’s work-related or tensions in personal life. During pranayama, we must try and use our lungs and diaphragm to maximum capacity so that we can feel relaxed after a hectic day.
If you do it correctly, you will automatically start feeling good and recharged again. So next time you are stressed out about something just take your breath away and clear your mind by focusing only on the breathing pattern.
Benefits of pranayama for skin:
Yes! Pranayam has also proven effects on skin health especially when one practices deep breathing exercises regularly because when the air intake is deeper during breathing, it automatically means that the body will absorb more oxygen which will then help circulate fresh blood throughout the entire body including the skin.
Pranayama for meditation:
Pranayama if done correctly can be very successful in enabling you to experience deep meditation. As was discussed earlier, pranayama actually allows us to control our breath and also provides quietness of mind because we don’t think about work or life issues while practicing this exercise. Our mind eventually clears itself out allowing us to do other tasks like reading books or listening to music, etc.
Many people practice meditation but become impatient after some time because they believe that their minds are not clearing up soon enough. However, this may not be true, because it is just that they lack practice and patience.
If you regularly practice pranayama and also regularly meditate then all your patience issues will slowly fade away and soon enough you will be able to experience deep meditation within a very short span of time.
Pranayama for face:
If we regularly do deep breathing exercises, we can even use this exercise to control our facial muscles. Since most of the nerves which are responsible for controlling these muscles originate from the brain stem or cervical spine, there are chances that if you start practicing pranayama on daily basis, your facial muscles may also become toned up!
a side effect of pranayama:
If you are a beginner and have just started practicing pranayama, you must remember that when you first start doing it then your stomach muscles may hurt a little.
This is because when we practice deep breathing exercises, the diaphragm gets stronger and in order to accommodate this strength in our abdominal muscles they all need to be toned up. Hence, if done correctly, after a few weeks of regular practice you will see visible differences in the tone of your stomach muscles.
Pranayama for children:
Pranayama can also be very helpful for kids who tend to hyperventilate at times due to anxiety or any kind of mental pressure but yet do not want any help from their parents or adults around them. All they need to do is practice breathing exercises regularly in order to get rid of the hyperventilation syndrome.
Pranayama for headache:
If you are suffering from frequent headaches, you can also use pranayama for controlling them. Do not try and experiment with different breathing techniques because it may lead to more serious problems.
Rather ask an expert who knows how to deal with headaches through pranayama or just choose one method which you feel comfortable doing if only practicing pranayama will provide relief to your pain.