365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 10: Breathe Right!

Learn to Breathe Right

For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.

– Sanskrit Proverb

If you observe a new born child breathing, you will realise how we have spoilt our breathing over a period of time! Newborn babies do what is called ‘diaphragmatic breathing’. They inhale fully, pause, and exhale fully. This process makes them healthy.

Today you meet any yoga master. They will explain the scientific reason behind the yogic breathing exercise called ‘pranayama’.

In this yoga exercise, we are advised to inhale very fast, hold the air in our diaphragm and exhale very slowly. If you think for a while, you will understand the reason for this process: If the air is retained in the lungs for a longer time, the air is purified in the lungs and the cleaned, richly oxygenated air is absorbed by the blood vessels and is supplied to the brain; a richly oxygenated brain virtually becomes a ‘powerhouse’ giving us the much needed energy to fire us into action.

From today, make it a point to breathe well for fifteen minutes early morning and take advantage of the ozone rich air and watch what happens to your health! 

From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live'

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

00000