Ayurvedic breathing exercises. Breathing techniques according to Ayurveda: how to do it. What might be the reaction to breathing practices?

According to Ayurveda, breathing nourishes both the body and mind. This is why breathing techniques are vital. How to master them, what is needed to perform them, and when to use them?

How to practice breathing according to Ayurveda

In fact, no manifestation of material existence is associated with the very concept of life as closely as breathing. Without oxygen, brain function will stop in just a few minutes, and after that very soon other organs will fail.

The need for air distinguishes living from non-living. A single sigh distinguishes life from death: it is no coincidence that the “first cry” is the sign of the beginning of a new life for us, and the “last breath” is the sign of death.

And life itself is often described as a sequence of inhalations and exhalations. The number of inhalations and exhalations allotted to us is set from birth, and with our last breath we die - we give up the ghost.

The basis of breathing exercises

Thought and breath always go hand in hand. When we strain our mind, breathing becomes difficult; when the mind works smoothly and calmly, breathing remains even and deep. But it is important that the opposite is also true.

Once you calm your breathing, your mind and emotions also calm down, and after them your physiology comes into balance. This coordination between breath, mind and body is the basis of all breathing exercises used in Ayurveda.

In a situation of emotional crisis, when breathing becomes difficult and the mind begins to rush, unable to find a way out, we often try to calm ourselves down with mental “persuasions.”

This mental technique may work for a while, but anyone who has tried it knows that controlling a thought is almost as difficult as holding back the flow of a rushing river.

Instead of trying to control the flow of a changing thought, it is better to control the flow of breathing. “The need to inhale is the most imperative of all basic human needs, and it is the most involuntarily satisfied,” writes Ashley Montague.

Nevertheless, it is within our power to voluntarily hold our breath for a short time and consciously control our inhalations and exhalations. We resort to this ability very often - when we blow out a candle, and when we dive, and even when we simply swallow or speak.

What is natural breathing

What is “natural breathing”? This phrase may seem like a tautology. Isn't breathing itself the most natural of processes? After all, this is the most basic instinct. All it takes is to spank a healthy newborn baby once or twice, and he will take his first breath, after which he will breathe without reminders for the rest of his life. Isn't that right?

We call natural breathing the right way to experience, providing maximum health and beauty. This is how a baby instinctively breathes. Watch a sleeping baby: the upper part of his body alternately inflates like a balloon and then contracts in a smooth and even rhythm.

The chest, back, and sides are involved in breathing movements; At the same time, the entire body evenly lengthens and shortens. In early childhood, such natural breathing, using the lungs to their full capacity, is carried out without the slightest effort.

But then, due to stress, illness, poor posture or bad habits, we lose this skill. We unconsciously hold our breath or take uncomfortable positions that prevent the free flow of air.

And this is literally deadly, since an obstacle to breathing is an obstacle to the flow of prana, without which there is no life. During a normal inhalation, about half a liter of air enters the lungs, and during a deep inhalation, about seven times more.

Natural breathing technique in Ayurveda

1. Take a comfortable sitting or standing position with your legs slightly apart. Breathe as usual, but only through your nose.

2. Place your palms on your stomach. Focus on how your belly rises and falls in rhythm with your normal inhalations and exhalations. If you do not feel your stomach moving, tilt your head back slightly and bend your neck and shoulders back, without lifting your palms from your stomach. Continue breathing, this time trying to follow the original instructions.

3. Place your palms on your chest, bringing your fingertips together at a point above the sternum. Focus on how your hands move apart and come together in rhythm with your normal inhalations and exhalations.

Place the backs of your hands on your sides on both sides of your chest, pointing your fingers upward. Focus on how your chest expands and contracts in rhythm with your normal inhalations and exhalations.

If you notice that one side is expanding more, then raise your hand on that side, move it behind your head in the direction of the weaker side and continue to breathe. Do this step from the beginning, making sure that the movements of the chest have become more uniform.

4. From the position described in the previous paragraph, move your hands 10-20 cm lower - to the waist line. Focus on how your midsection expands and contracts in rhythm with your normal inhalations and exhalations.

If you notice that one side is expanding more, raise the hand on the weak side, move it behind your head in the direction of the strong side and continue to breathe. Perform this step from the beginning, observing whether the movements of the middle part of the body have become more uniform.

5. Place the backs of your hands on the middle of your back, touching your fingertips. Focus on how your hands move apart and come together in rhythm with your normal inhalations and exhalations.

If it turns out that your back does not expand when you inhale, take another breath and, as you exhale, gently lower your head, bend forward from the waist so that your fingers touch your toes (or as low as you can bend without overexertion).

6. As you inhale, slowly straighten up. Complete this step from the beginning, making sure that your back does not expand as you inhale.

Pranayama - careful breathing

Pranayama is the Ayurvedic name for a system of neurorespiratory exercises. Literally translated, it means “thorough breathing.”

Pranayama includes a variety of techniques for harmonizing various emotional states and the doshas associated with them.

Some of the exercises include alternate-nostril breathing. Each nostril is physically connected to the opposite hemisphere of the brain: the right one to the left, and the left to the right.

This connection is important because each hemisphere of the brain is responsible for different forms of mental activity.

In general, the left hemisphere regulates analytical (“linear”) functions, responsible for logical thinking, speech, etc., and the right hemisphere regulates conceptual (“spatial”) functions such as intuition and imagination.

Research confirms that when alternate-nostril breathing systematically stimulates both hemispheres of the brain, the brain as a whole begins to function more cooperatively.

In addition, this exercise increases lung capacity (which typically decreases with age) and lowers heart rate.

Alternate-nostril breathing

The ancient masters of Ayurveda also knew about the “division of function” between the hemispheres of the brain, but described this phenomenon in different terms.

In the language of Ayurveda, the left hemisphere is the center of “male” or solar energy, active, calculating and warming, and the right hemisphere is the center of “female” or lunar energy, creative, calming and cooling.

Therefore, breathing through the left nostril (associated with the right hemisphere) awakens lunar energy, which cools excess fire and relieves anger and frustration.

It is useful for those with sensitive skin and for diseases caused by aggravation of Pitta, and also simply helps to cool the body on a hot day.

Breathing through the right nostril (associated with the left hemisphere), on the other hand, awakens solar energy, which stimulates the mind and warms the body in cold weather. Alternate nostril breathing helps with Vata disorders such as stress, anxiety and fear.

What might be the reaction to breathing practices?

While doing breathing exercises, you may suddenly feel anxious, or even laugh or cry for no reason. This is a natural reaction because unconscious anxiety lurks in every breath we take.

Ashley Montague calls it "a vague jolt of fear." This is an echo of that moment of anxiety that preceded the first breath of your life. Ketul Arnold, a teacher of yogic breathing at the New York School of Rasa Yoga, points out that, in addition to this instinctive fear, another phenomenon is often observed: many people, when talking or contracting the muscles of the chest and diaphragm, unconsciously tense their vocal cords, trying to thus suppressing the feeling of discomfort.

As a result, the rib cage loses flexibility and breathing becomes constricted. When such a person finally begins to breathe deeply again, the emotions that he has been suppressing for years break out.

As Arnold repeatedly observed with his students, this can lead to an uncontrollable burst of hysterical laughter or tears. Remember that this is a good sign, it means that you are breathing correctly.

Don't give up on the exercise, even if similar feelings come over you every time. Gradually they will fade away. Over time, you will be cleared of toxins—emotional stress that, like undigested food, has been blocking the flow of consciousness in your body.

In fact, breathing, along with skin pores, sweat glands, urine and feces, is one of the five natural detoxification pathways. With each inhalation, oxygenated blood cleanses the body, and with each exhalation, carbon dioxide and other toxic wastes are eliminated from the body.

This talk “Ayurveda and Breathing” was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in January 1997 in Santa Monica, California. Life has four characteristics. It exists, develops, expresses itself and fades away. And in order for it to exist, develop, express itself and fade away, it depends on five elements: earth, water, air, ether and fire.

19.03.2012
To breathe correctly means to breathe so that the lungs are completely filled with air, so that the body receives the maximum oxygen it needs and so that this oxygen is completely absorbed by all tissues, down to every cell. In this article we will look at three main breathing exercises: lower, energetic abdominal and full.

19.03.2012
To breathe correctly means to breathe so that the lungs are completely filled with air, so that the body receives the maximum oxygen it needs and so that this oxygen is completely absorbed by all tissues, down to every cell. This is how babies breathe. Such breathing is planned for us by nature. And this is natural!

02.03.2012
The term "holotropic" comes from the Greek words "whole" and "moving toward...", and means "aimed at restoring wholeness" or "moving toward wholeness." Stanislav Grof, based on thirty years of experience in studying the therapeutic possibilities of altered states of consciousness...

15.02.2012
Ayurveda is one of many traditional medical systems that emphasizes breathing through the nose as a way of harmonious personal development. Babies breathe this way from birth, but as children get older, they begin to breathe more often through their mouths. In traditional nasal breathing medicine, parents teach their children to continue breathing through the nose...

13.12.2011
In her system of natural healing, Shatalova pays considerable attention to breathing. Breathing sets the tone for a person’s emotional mood, mental activity, blood circulation, nutrition, thermoregulation - all the most important processes of the human body.

18.11.2011
Breathing is inextricably linked with human life. While we live, we breathe. For the most part, the breathing process occurs unconsciously. As we breathe, so we live. Breathing is a way of natural energy exchange between a person and the outside world. Therefore, one can observe the inextricable connection of breathing with attention, the thought process, the flow of consciousness, the state of the physical body, the emotional state...

14.11.2011
The film talks about 5 secrets of breathing, which are very important for the human body, because they allow you to maintain health and longevity. Our life begins with inhalation and ends with exhalation. It is believed that each person is allocated a certain number of breaths. And it turns out that most people breathe incorrectly, since no one taught them how to do this.

17.10.2011
Understanding the mechanism of breathing through the nostrils forms the basis of the ancient science of swara yoga ("unification through breathing"). The founders and followers of this system of self-realization observed changes in the rhythm of breathing, changes in the body and consciousness. Their observations led to knowledge through which any person can synchronize his own internal rhythms with the rhythms of the Cosmos...

03.08.2011
When treating excess weight, Dr. Swami Sivananda pays great attention to proper breathing and specific breathing exercises. Breathing can be considered as a kind of biological barometer, measuring our physical and mental state...

11.06.2011
The effectiveness of this exercise is, without exaggeration, amazing. Example: The 70-year-old mother of the editor of this book was cured of emphysema virtually only through regular practice of this exercise. Vrajana pranayama should be practiced during daily morning and evening walks in places free from dust and smoke, where the air is fresh and the environment is conducive to pleasant reflection...

Prana is the link between the body, mind and consciousness. It is a constant movement of awareness. Irana brings awareness to the object of perception, and this movement of awareness through prana is called attention. The internal movement of prana is the movement of sensation, thought, feeling and emotion. Thus prana and mind are deeply interconnected.
The physical manifestation of prana is breathing, so breathing and mind are also closely related to each other. In Ayurveda, breathing is considered as the physical part of thinking, and thinking as the mental part of breathing. Every thought changes the rhythm of breathing and every breath changes the rhythm of thinking. When a person is happy, in bliss and silence, his breathing is rhythmic. If he is disturbed by fear, anxiety or nervousness, his breathing becomes uneven and intermittent.
The Rishis, the Vedic seers, discovered this close relationship between breathing and mental activity and created the art of pranayama. Pranayama is prana plus ayam. Ayam means “to control” and prana means “breath”. By controlling breathing, we can control mental activity.

Secretpranayama
The Rishis also discovered an important difference between right and left breathing. You may have noticed that at times you find it easier to breathe through your left nostril and sometimes through your right. This shift occurs approximately

every 45 - 90 minutes. Just as the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain and vice versa, breathing primarily through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain, and breathing primarily through the right nostril activates the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with masculine energy, and the right hemisphere with feminine energy. The left is for logical thinking, learning, exploration, aggressiveness, competition and judgment. When we judge something, investigate something, and so on, the right respiratory cycle predominates in us and the left hemisphere of the brain is involved in active work. Quite the contrary, when the right hemisphere is active and the left breathing cycle is dominant, we manifest feminine energy, which is associated with love, compassion, intuition, art, poetry and religion. So when an artist paints a picture or a poet writes a poem, they are using some part of the right hemisphere. And when a scientist works in a laboratory, researching and solving a problem, he is using some part of the left hemisphere at that time.
The secret of pranayama is the secret of controlling the male and female energies operating in our nervous system. When we in Alternating Nostrils pranayama inhale through the left nostril, we charge the right side of the brain, and when we inhale through the right nostril, we charge the left side of the brain. When yogis perform Alternating Nostril Breathing, their masculine and feminine energies precisely balance each other. When these energies are balanced, the neutral energy awakens and the yogi experiences pure awareness, which is called Brahman.
When we perform pranayama, the nadis (subtle channels of the nervous system) are cleared, the mind becomes controlled, and we can move beyond the feminine and masculine energies into pure, non-discriminating, passive awareness.
This is the basis of pranayama. There are many different pranayamas - for warming or cooling the body, for awakening more masculine or feminine energy, and so on.

SIXBREATHING EXERCISES

Pranayamaalternatingnostrils
A simple and at the same time effective breathing exercise is Alternating Nostrils pranayama.
1. Perform this exercise while sitting comfortably on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight. If this position is uncomfortable for you, sit straight at the front of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at right angles.
2. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Inhale deeply, through your stomach, not your chest.
3. After inhaling, hold your breath for a while.
4. Exhale through the right nostril, closing the left nostril with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand.
5. Repeat the first three steps, this time starting with inhaling through the right nostril (clamping the left one with the little and ring fingers).
This breathing exercise can be performed for 5 to 10 minutes.

NOTE: Despite its apparent simplicity, this pranayama, as well as others described in this book, is best learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Sitalipranayama (cooling breath)
Roll your tongue into a tube. Inhale slowly through your curled tongue, swallow, and then exhale normally through your nose, keeping your mouth closed. You will feel how the incoming air cools the saliva, tongue and membranes of the oral mucosa.
This type of breathing is useful for calming increased pitta. It lowers the temperature of the mouth, cools saliva, helps suppress thirst and improves digestion, absorption and absorption of food. Sitali is effective for high blood pressure, burning of the tongue or throat, pain (burning) in the eyes. It cools the whole body.
If you cannot curl your tongue, then there is another way to do Sitali - lightly clench your teeth and press your tongue against them. In this case, you inhale air through your teeth. Since some people feel pain when they suck in cold air through their teeth, pressing your tongue against your teeth will warm them up and prevent this discomfort.

Bhastrikapranayama (breathfire)
This breathing exercise increases lung capacity, relieves allergies and asthma, and helps keep lungs strong and healthy. In addition, it warms the whole body.
Inhale passively (through your nose) and exhale actively and with little effort. Start slowly and gradually increase speed. Imagine a steam locomotive that, moving slowly, picks up speed. Do a cycle of 30 exhalations, then rest for a minute. You can perform up to five cycles in the morning and five in the evening.

Bhramaripranayama (droning breath)
As you inhale, tighten your epiglottis so that a buzzing sound occurs. As you exhale, the sound should be low and long. Traditionally, the higher sound of inhalation is said to be like the hum of a bee, and the deeper sound of exhalation is similar to the hum of a bumblebee.14
If you find it difficult to make a humming sound as you inhale, simply inhale deeply from your belly and make a humming sound as you exhale.
While performing Bhramari, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the soft palate near the back wall of the larynx. Make sure your teeth are not clenched.
Bhramari makes her voice more melodic. The buzzing vibrates the nervous system—a kind of sound therapy for the brain. In addition, it is beneficial for the thyroid, parathyroid and thymus glands. Do ten breathing cycles at a time. 14 When expressing surprise, this sound occurs naturally with inhalation through the nose. It also occurs spontaneously during inspiration during fear or sudden pain, but is usually inhaled through the mouth. This sound will be made if you try to pronounce the letter “n” while inhaling with your mouth closed. As you exhale, you can pronounce the letter “m” for this purpose. (Editor's note)

Ujjayipranayama (breathvictory)
Sit in Vajrasana or Lotus pose with your hands on your knees, palms up. Keep your chest, neck and head in a straight line to keep your spine straight. Lightly press your chin to your chest, pulling your head back and at the same time lowering it towards your chest. Bring your awareness to the throat area.
Further actions may cause you some difficulties. Be careful. Without actually swallowing, begin a swallowing motion to lift your larynx upward. At the same time, tense your epiglottis, as if silently “pronouncing” the letter “i,” and inhale slowly and deeply through your belly. The inhaled air will produce a gentle hissing sound.
After inhaling, swallow and hold your breath briefly, then exhale slowly, contracting the epiglottis again - as if humming, but at the same time making a hissing sound rather than a buzzing sound.15
Performing Ujjayi is extremely enjoyable. The mind calms down, the intercostal muscles relax and a feeling of victory actually arises. Ujjayi has a beneficial effect on all three doshas and helps restore their original balanced combination - prakriti. This pranayama promotes longevity. Do twelve breathing cycles at a time. 15 This hissing sound is not at all difficult to produce both during inhalation and exhalation, but it is more difficult to explain how to do it. We can say that this is the same sound as in Bhramari, but made in a whisper. (Editor's note)

Surya bhedi pranayama (right nostril breathing)
To breathe only through the right nostril, plug the left nostril with cotton or press it lightly with the little and ring fingers of your right hand. Inhale and exhale through the right nostril. Do ten breathing cycles at a time. This pranayama activates the masculine, active aspect in the body and mind and improves digestion.

In Ayurveda, breathing is considered as the physical part of thinking, and thinking is considered as the mental part of breathing.

The physical manifestation of prana is breathing, so breathing and mind are also closely related to each other. In Ayurveda, breathing is considered as the physical part of thinking, and thinking is considered as the mental part of breathing. Every thought changes the rhythm of breathing and every breath changes the rhythm of thinking. When a person is happy, in bliss and silence, his breathing is rhythmic. If he is disturbed by fear, anxiety or nervousness, his breathing becomes uneven and intermittent.

The Rishis, the Vedic seers, discovered this close relationship between breathing and mental activity and created the art of pranayama. Pranayama is prana plus ayam. Ayam means "to control" and prana means "breath". By controlling breathing, we can control mental activity.

SIX BREATHING EXERCISES

Pranayama alternating nostrils

A simple and at the same time effective breathing exercise is Alternating Nostrils pranayama.

1. Perform this exercise while sitting comfortably on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight. If this position is uncomfortable for you, sit upright at the front of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at right angles.

2. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Inhale deeply, through your stomach, not your chest.

3. After inhaling, hold your breath for a while.

4. Exhale through the right nostril, closing the left nostril with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand.

5. Repeat the first three steps, this time starting with inhaling through the right nostril (clamping the left one with the little and ring fingers).

This breathing exercise can be performed for 5 to 10 minutes.

NOTE: Despite its apparent simplicity, this pranayama, as well as others described in this book, is best learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Sitali pranayama (cooling breath)

Roll your tongue into a tube. Inhale slowly through your curled tongue, swallow, and then exhale normally through your nose, keeping your mouth closed. You will feel how the incoming air cools the saliva, tongue and membranes of the oral mucosa.

This type of breathing is useful for calming increased pitta. It lowers the temperature of the mouth, cools saliva, helps suppress thirst and improves digestion, absorption and absorption of food. Sitali is effective for high blood pressure, burning of the tongue or throat, pain (burning) in the eyes. It cools the whole body.

If you cannot curl your tongue, then there is another way to do Sitali - lightly clench your teeth and press your tongue against them. In this case, you inhale air through your teeth. Since some people feel pain when they suck in cold air through their teeth, pressing your tongue against your teeth will warm them up and prevent this discomfort.

Bhastrika pranayama (breath of fire)

This breathing exercise increases lung capacity, relieves allergies and asthma, and helps keep lungs strong and healthy. In addition, it warms the whole body.

Inhale passively (through your nose) and exhale actively and with little effort. Start slowly and gradually increase speed. Imagine a steam locomotive that, moving slowly, picks up speed. Do a cycle of 30 exhalations, then rest for a minute. You can perform up to five cycles in the morning and five in the evening.

Bhramari pranayama (humming breath)

As you inhale, tighten your epiglottis so that a buzzing sound occurs. As you exhale, the sound should be low and long. Traditionally, the higher sound of inhalation is said to be similar to the hum of a bee, and the deeper sound of exhalation is similar to the hum of a bumblebee. 14

If you find it difficult to make a humming sound as you inhale, simply inhale deeply from your belly and make a humming sound as you exhale.

While performing Bhramari, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the soft palate near the back wall of the larynx. Make sure your teeth are not clenched.

Bhramari makes her voice more melodic. The buzzing vibrates the nervous system - a kind of sound therapy for the brain. In addition, it is beneficial for the thyroid, parathyroid and thymus glands. Do ten breathing cycles at a time.

14 When expressing surprise, this sound occurs naturally with inhalation through the nose. It also occurs spontaneously during inspiration during fear or sudden pain, but is usually inhaled through the mouth. This sound will be made if you try to pronounce the letter “n” while inhaling with your mouth closed. As you exhale, you can pronounce the letter “m” for this purpose. (Editor's note)

Ujjayi pranayama (breath of victory)

Sit in Vajrasana or Lotus pose with your hands on your knees, palms up. Keep your chest, neck and head in a straight line to keep your spine straight. Lightly press your chin to your chest, pulling your head back and at the same time lowering it towards your chest. Bring your awareness to the throat area.

Further actions may cause you some difficulties. Be careful. Without actually swallowing, begin a swallowing motion to lift your larynx upward. At the same time, tense your epiglottis, as if silently “pronouncing” the letter “i,” and inhale slowly and deeply through your belly. The inhaled air will produce a gentle hissing sound.

After inhaling, swallow and hold your breath briefly, then exhale slowly, contracting the epiglottis again - as if humming, but at the same time making a hissing sound rather than a buzzing one. 15

Performing Ujjayi is extremely enjoyable. The mind calms down, the intercostal muscles relax and a feeling of victory actually arises. Ujjayi has a beneficial effect on all three doshas and helps restore their original balanced combination - prakriti. This pranayama promotes longevity. Do twelve breathing cycles at a time.

Surya bhedi pranayama (right nostril breathing)

To breathe only through the right nostril, plug the left nostril with cotton or press it lightly with the little and ring fingers of your right hand. Inhale and exhale through the right nostril. Do ten breathing cycles at a time. This pranayama activates the masculine, active aspect in the body and mind and improves digestion.

^ Rishi, Vedic seers discovered this close relationship between breathing and mental activity and created the art of pranayama. Pranayama- This prana plus ayam. Ayam means "to control" and prana means "breath". By controlling breathing, we can control mental activity.

^ The Secret of Pranayama

The Rishis also discovered an important difference between right and left breathing. You may have noticed that at times you find it easier to breathe through your left nostril and sometimes through your right. This shift occurs approximately every 45 to 90 minutes. Just as the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain and vice versa, breathing primarily through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain, and breathing primarily through the right nostril activates the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with masculine energy, and the right hemisphere with feminine energy. The left is for logical thinking, learning, exploration, aggressiveness, competition and judgment. When we judge something, investigate something, and so on, the right respiratory cycle predominates in us and the left hemisphere of the brain is involved in active work. Quite the contrary, when the right hemisphere is active and the left breathing cycle is dominant, we manifest feminine energy, which is associated with love, compassion, intuition, art, poetry and religion. So when an artist paints a picture or a poet writes a poem, they are using some part of the right hemisphere. And when a scientist works in a laboratory, researching and solving a problem, he is using some part of the left hemisphere at that time.

The secret of pranayama is the secret of controlling the male and female energies operating in our nervous system. When we in Alternating Nostrils pranayama inhale through the left nostril, we charge the right side of the brain, and when we inhale through the right nostril, we charge the left side of the brain. When yogis perform Alternating Nostril Breathing, their masculine and feminine energies precisely balance each other. When these energies are balanced, neutral energy awakens and the yogi experiences pure awareness, which is called Brahman.

When we perform pranayama, the nadi(subtle channels of the nervous system), the mind becomes controlled and we can move beyond the feminine and masculine energy into pure, non-discriminating, passive awareness.

This is the basis of pranayama. There are many different pranayamas - for warming or cooling the body, for awakening more masculine or feminine energy, and so on.

^ SIX BREATHING EXERCISES

Pranayama alternating nostrils

A simple and at the same time effective breathing exercise is Alternating Nostrils pranayama.

2. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Inhale deeply, through your stomach, not your chest.

3. After inhaling, hold your breath for a while.

4. Exhale through the right nostril, closing the left nostril with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand.

5. Repeat the first three steps, this time starting with inhaling through the right nostril (clamping the left one with the little and ring fingers).

This breathing exercise can be performed for 5 to 10 minutes.

NOTE: Despite its apparent simplicity, this pranayama, as well as others described in this book, is best learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

^ Sitali pranayama (cooling breath)

^ Bhastrika pranayama (breath of fire)

This breathing exercise increases lung capacity, relieves allergies and asthma, and helps keep lungs strong and healthy. In addition, it warms the whole body.

^ Bhramari pranayama (humming breath)

If you find it difficult to make a humming sound as you inhale, simply inhale deeply from your belly and make a humming sound as you exhale.

While performing Bhramari, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the soft palate near the back wall of the larynx. Make sure your teeth are not clenched.

^ Ujjayi pranayama (breath of victory)

After inhaling, swallow and hold your breath briefly, then exhale slowly, contracting the epiglottis again - as if humming, but at the same time making a hissing sound rather than a buzzing one. 15

15 This hissing sound is not at all difficult to produce both during inhalation and exhalation, but it is more difficult to explain how to do it. We can say that this is the same sound as in Bhramari, but made in a whisper. (Editor's note)

^ Surya bhedi pranayama (right nostril breathing)

^ Chapter 7 Meditation and Mental Discipline

Meditation is the art of creating harmony in the body, mind and consciousness. A life filled with meditation is full of bliss and beauty. Life without meditation is stressful, preoccupied and deluded.

In ancient times, meditation was often considered a way of life. Indeed, meditation is not something separate from everyday life. Firstly, the practice of meditation requires regular practice and therefore forms part of daily life. Secondly, if you have already practiced some type of meditation and mastered it, the experience you gain stays with you and manifests itself in every aspect of your life.

Whatever method of meditation you use, whatever system you follow according to your teacher's instructions, please continue to do so.

^ What is and what is not meditation?

Meditation is not concentration. With concentration the mind narrows, and a narrow mind is a limited mind. A limited, directed and focused mind is needed to view objects, solve problems, learn a language, operate machines, etc. We need him. But not in meditation.

When we concentrate, we build a wall of resistance and in attempts to control the mind we lose energy. Some people meditate in this way for an hour and when they finish they feel tired because they spent that hour in a continuous struggle, denying everything, saying no to all thoughts and perceptions and trying to focus their mind.

Concentration excludes everything, but meditation, on the contrary, includes everything. Meditation is open, non-discriminating awareness. In meditation, everything has the right to exist. Meditation says yes to everything, while concentration says no to everything.

Concentration is effort. But wherever there is effort, there is someone who makes it. The effort is made by the ego. Therefore concentration feeds the ego - the more concentration, the greater the ego.

In meditation there is no effort and no one doing it. And therefore meditation is freedom. You just sit quietly and listen to everything, be it the chirping of a bird, the cry of a child, or the rustling of leaves. Every sound is desired, let it reach you. When you listen to sound, you become the center, and the sound becomes something external, rushing towards you to meet you.

By listening to any sound without judgment or criticism, without sympathy or antipathy, you become the center and all sounds rush towards you to dissolve in you. Surrender to the sound. Let it pass through you. Don't resist.

And then something magical happens. You become empty. You become a silent pure being.

When a gentle breeze touches you, let it penetrate you. No effort, no resistance. Remember that peace and quiet are not the opposite of sound. Every sound dissolves into silence. This silence is you, and sound comes to meet you and dissolve into you.

Look at any object - a tree, a flower or a wall. Let there be no choice, no judgment - just impartial observation.

Awareness is the act of listening, the act of looking. It requires no effort, no concentration. With awareness, in meditation, concentration occurs naturally. It is given as a gift. But when you concentrate by choice, you miss meditation.

In an expanded, empty state of consciousness, thinking stops, breathing becomes calm, and one simply exists as pure awareness. This state is filled with joy, beauty and love. Individual consciousness merges with the Cosmic Consciousness and goes beyond the limits of time and thinking.

In this state it does not matter whether your eyes are open or closed. It comes uninvited, like a breeze, because this state is your true nature: love, bliss, beauty and awareness. There is no fear, no depression, no anxiety, no worry, no stress. A person becomes an impartial witness to worries, worries and stress. In this state healing occurs.

Meditation is closely related to discipline. Discipline means learning, and one who learns is called a student. We need to learn the art of discipline. Discipline means order. Thought has its proper place, desire has its proper place, work has its proper place, and duty has its proper place. Discipline brings harmony to life. Therefore, discipline and meditation are inseparable. There is no meditation without discipline, and there can be no discipline without meditation. In reality they are one. A meditating mind is a disciplined mind.

The so-called concentrated mind is the controlling mind. The preoccupied mind rules. But a free, alert and aware mind is filled with bliss. This is a disciplined mind. Discipline is the scent of life. Without this aroma, life does not become a holiday.

When meditating, sit with your back straight. If you can, sit in the Lotus position (or Half Lotus, if that's more comfortable for you). If you are uncomfortable, you can sit on a chair, but also keep your spine straight.

With persistent practice, you can extend your time in the Lotus position to one, two, or even three hours. One who sits properly in the Lotus position for three hours every day will soon achieve enlightenment.

Sitting in the Lotus position helps open the spiritual heart. Breathing becomes calm, thinking automatically slows down and stops. Going beyond thinking means going beyond suffering, because it is thinking that creates suffering.

^ EMPTY BOWL MEDITATION

Sit quietly and comfortably, place your hands on your knees, open your palms and turn them upward, like empty bowls. Open your mouth slightly and touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth.

Bring your attention to your breathing. Allow your lungs to breathe without any effort on your part. Just watch the movement of your breath.

When you inhale, the air touches the nasal passages. Be aware of this. When you exhale, air passes through the nostrils again. The incoming air is cool, the outgoing air is warm. Get into your nose, move the spotlight there! Stay in the nostril and observe your breathing: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Let your lungs do their job. You just sit and watch.

After about five minutes, begin to follow your breathing: when your lungs inhale, move with the air into the throat, trachea, lungs, towards the heart area and diaphragm. Lower yourself deep down past your navel where it comes to a natural stop. For a split second, breathing stops. Stay at this stopping point, and then as the lungs exhale, follow the breath in the opposite direction. Rise from the navel to the diaphragm, heart, lungs, trachea and throat, back into the nose and finally out of the body.

When you exhale, the air leaves the body about nine inches (approximately 23 cm) from the tip of the nose and makes a second stop. Stop for a moment in this place.

Both breathing stops are very important. The first of them occurs behind the navel, the second - in the space outside the body. When awareness is there, time stops, because time is the movement of the breath. When the breath stops, the mind also stops, because the mind is the movement of the breath. When the mind is stopped, you simply exist, without body, without mind and without breath.

You become like an empty cup, and when you become an empty cup, divine lips can touch you. God comes to you to shower his love. You do not need to seek God, for God Himself seeks you. God is looking for an empty cup to fill with his love. But all the bowls are filled with desire, ambition, business, competition, success and failure.

Just sit quietly and be still. This stop is the door. Enter this door and jump into the inner abyss. You will feel surrounded by incredible peace and serenity.

Practice this meditation for 15 minutes in the morning and evening. As the days, weeks and months pass, you will find that the time spent in the stops increases until eventually the inner and outer stops merge and everything happens within you.

NOTE: If you feel more comfortable, you can practice this meditation while lying down.

^ SO-HUM MEDITATION

When meditating, So-Hum sit quietly and monitor their breathing, as in the Empty Bowl meditation, but add sound to this ^Co inhale and sound Hum as you exhale (this is done silently - the sounds are not pronounced out loud).

When sound, breath and awareness come together, they become light. We know that any atom emits wave quanta - light and thermal energy. The moment we become aware of So-Hum by paying attention to our breathing, the breath becomes a quantum wave and emits light. This light of life can be seen with the third eye.

Inhalation is revival, exhalation is dying. When a child is born, his first breath expresses the inspiration of life. When someone dies, they say that he has given up the ghost. The breath is gone. l 6

^ Hum means "I", or individual ego. Co means "He, the Divine." Therefore, during the natural course of this meditation, along with So, the energy of life enters us, and with Hum, the ego, limited individuality, comes out. This is the meaning of So-Hum meditation. When you breathe in So, you breathe in life. When you breathe out Hum, you breathe out ego and limitation.

Correctly performed So-Hum meditation leads to the connection of the individual with the universal Cosmic Consciousness. You will go beyond thinking, beyond space and time, cause and effect. All restrictions will disappear.

Your consciousness will empty itself, and when it is empty, it will begin to expand. This will be accompanied by joy and peace.

16 The English text uses words inspiration And expiration, meaning not only inhalation And exhalation, but also inspiration And expiration, and thus more accurately convey the meaning of what was said. In Russian one could use the words inspiration And exhaustion, but the first word is not used to denote inhalation, and the second is not used at all (although they say, for example, the mare died). (Editor's note))

^ BI-DIRECTIONAL ATTENTION (WITNESSING)

In Vedic science, witnessing is called samyag darshan. It means “looking outward and inward at the same time.”

When we look at a tree, star, mountain or flower, something comes out of the eyes, touches the object and comes back. What comes out of the eyes to touch the object of perception we call attention. According to Ayurveda, attention is the transference of the vibration of awareness outgoing by prana to an object. Thus, attention is a combination of awareness and prana (movement).

During samyag darshan, while one arrow of attention goes outward and touches the object, the second arrow of attention goes inward, to the center of the heart and observes the observer. While you are looking at an external object, at the same time look at the one who is looking, observe the observer. If you observe the observer, then this observer disappears. Simply observing - without an observer - is called witnessing. When witnessing, there is a closer connection with the object of perception and you can understand it better.

^ Chapter 8. Ayurvedic nutritional recommendations.

The purpose of this chapter is to help you choose the optimal diet to maintain balance, harmony and health. Most health-conscious people today already understand that good nutrition plays an important role in healing and maintaining health, while poor nutrition usually leads to poor health and low vitality.

The Ayurvedic tradition includes knowledge about what food is suitable for a particular person to maintain the balance of his doshas, how to properly prepare food, what food combinations should be avoided, what eating habits should be developed and which ones should be eliminated. These topics, with the exception of detailed cooking tips, will be discussed in this chapter. (Interested readers can find cooking tips in the book "Ayurveda. Healing food" Ushi Lad and Vasanta Lad 17.)

17 The book is being prepared for publication in Russian. (Editor's note)

^ FOOD FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTITUTION

What you eat should suit your constitution. Ideally, you should know exactly your constitution and understand how it relates to the qualities of food, in particular how food will affect the balance of the doshas. To do this, you need to take into account the taste of the food, its qualities such as heaviness and lightness, moisture and dryness, liquid and hardness, know whether the food is cooling or warming, and know its effect after digestion.

If you have a desire to master this knowledge, you can study the theory of Ayurveda in more depth (see the “Additional reading” section). Otherwise, you can rely on the recommendations below, which already take these factors into account.

Food marked “no” tends to excite the corresponding dosha, while food marked “yes” balances it. When planning your diet, choose foods that promote balance and avoid foods that increase the doshas that are currently agitated or increased in your body, or if there are none, the doshas that are predominant in your constitution.

“no” means that you should avoid it in most cases, and if you do crave it, you should practice moderation or take steps to compensate for its effects. For example, apples, if eaten raw, greatly irritate Vata. But if you bake them and eat them warm, with a little ghee and warming spices like cardamom or cinnamon, then in moderation this dish is quite suitable for Vata individuals.

Consider the time of year. For example, summer is pitta season, and at this time it is not at all healthy, especially for people whose constitution is dominated by pitta, to eat too much hot spicy food, which greatly increases pitta. Similarly, in autumn, when the air is dry and cold and the atmosphere is saturated with vata, everyone, and especially people with a vata constitution, should avoid dried fruits, salads, cold dishes and other foods that irritate vata. In winter and early spring, during the heavy, cold and wet kapha season, you should not consume cold foods and drinks, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, melons and other foods that increase kapha.

People with a dual constitution (that is, a constitution in which there is an approximately equal proportion of the two dominant doshas) need to take into account some additional considerations. They are quite simple and consist in the fact that, for example, a vata-pitta individual needs to avoid foods that increase vata in the fall and winter (while not allowing an excessive increase in pitta), and in the summer, minimize the consumption of foods that irritate pitta (making sure so that the vata is not excited either). In other words, it can be expressed this way: in the fall, preference should be given to food that balances vata, and in the summer, food that soothes pitta.

Below I will provide general guidelines for creating a diet to balance the doshas.

cotton wool

50% grain products - whole grain porridge, some bread

20% protein - eggs, high quality dairy, poultry, fish, seafood, meat, tofu, red and black lentils

PITTA

50% grain products - whole grain wheat bread, cracked grain products (corn flakes, etc.), oatmeal, cooked grains

20% protein - legumes (except lentils), tofu, tempeh, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh milk, chicken and turkey (white meat only), shrimp, rabbit, venison

20 - 30% vegetables and, if desired, 10% fresh fruits

Kapha

30 - 40% of grain products - dry rye bread, dry grain semi-finished products, subjected to culinary processing of grain.

20% protein - chicken, turkey, soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, small amounts of goat's milk, most legumes (including chickpeas, aduki, kidney beans, red lentils, black and white beans, mung beans, split peas, black-eyed peas)

40 - 50% fresh vegetables, if desired 10% dried or fresh fruits. It's good to eat salads every day.

^ SIX FLAVORS

The taste of food is of great importance because it directly affects the doshas. According to Ayurveda, every food product (as well as every plant) has a specific taste. When used in proper quantities, flavors bring balance to the body's systems.

The taste buds on the tongue form six groups, corresponding to the six tastes identified in Ayurveda: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. These six basic tastes come from five elements:

Earth + Water = Sweet

Earth + Fire = Sour

Water + Fire = Salty

Fire + Air = Spicy

Air + Ether = Bitter

Air + Earth = Astringent

Different groups of taste buds on the tongue perceive different tastes and send corresponding signals to the brain, where commands are issued that affect not only digestion, but also all cells, tissues, organs and systems of the body.

Sweet

The sweet taste is present in foods such as rice, sugar, milk, wheat, dates, and maple syrup. Foods with a sweet taste are typically moisturizing, cooling, and heavy. The sweet taste revives. When consumed in moderation, it is beneficial to the body and promotes the growth of all seven dhatus (plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and nervous tissue, reproductive tissue). Proper use of this taste gives strength and longevity. It sharpens the senses, improves appearance, voice, and promotes good skin and hair condition. The sweet taste reduces thirst, relieves heartburn and gives strength. It promotes stability.

Despite these positive qualities, excessive consumption of sweets can cause many diseases. Sweet foods increase kapha and can cause colds, coughs, congestion, heaviness, loss of appetite, laziness and obesity. In addition, it can provoke lymph congestion, tumors, dropsy, diabetes and fibrocystic mastopathy.

Sour

Foods that have a sour taste include citrus fruits, sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, cheese and fermented foods. By their nature, sour foods tend to be liquid, light, warming, and moist. When consumed in moderation, they refresh, whet the appetite, increase salivation, improve digestion, energize the body, nourish the heart and give lightness to the mind.

If overused, the sour taste can cause thirst, hyperacidity, heartburn, indigestion, peptic ulcers and tooth sensitivity. Due to its fermenting action, when consumed in excessive quantities it can be toxic to the blood and cause skin diseases, including dermatitis, acne, eczema, furunculosis and psoriasis. Its hot quality can acidify the body and cause a burning sensation in the throat, chest, heart, bladder and urethra.

Salty

Examples of substances that have a salty taste are sea salt, rock salt, and seaweed. The qualities of the salty taste are warming, heavy and moisturizing. When consumed in moderation, it reduces vata and increases pitta and kapha. The water element gives it a laxative effect, and thanks to the fire element it reduces spasms and pain in the colon. In moderation, it promotes growth and maintains fluid and electrolyte balance, stimulates salivation and aids digestion and absorption, as well as waste removal.

Excess salt in the diet can aggravate pitta and kapha, make the blood thick and viscous, cause swelling, high blood pressure and worsen skin condition. Hot flashes, fainting, wrinkles and baldness can also be caused by excessive salt intake. A number of other disorders, including patchy hair loss, ulcers, hemorrhagic diseases, skin rashes and hyperacidity, can be the result of overusing the salty taste.

Spicy

Hot taste is present in various types of peppers (black, cayenne, chili), onions, radishes, garlic, mustard, ginger. By nature it is light, drying and warming. When used in moderation, it improves digestion and absorption, cleanses the oral cavity. It clears congestion in the nasopharynx by stimulating the formation of tears and nasal discharge. The pungent taste promotes blood circulation, breaks up blood clots, helps eliminate waste and has an antiseptic effect. It gives clarity of perception.

On the other hand, too much spicy taste in your daily diet can cause negative reactions. It can cause exhaustion, weaken sexual and reproductive power and lead to infertility in both women and men. It can cause suffocation, a burning sensation, fainting, and severe fatigue accompanied by fever and thirst. Excessive consumption of spicy tastes excites pitta and can cause diarrhea, heartburn and nausea. Since the pungent taste contains the air element, it can stimulate vata, causing dizziness, tremors in the limbs, insomnia and pain in the legs. In addition, the result of excessive consumption of spicy foods can be stomach ulcers, asthma, colitis, and skin diseases.

Bitter

Coffee, aloe, rhubarb, and medicinal plants such as curly dock, fenugreek, turmeric, dandelion root, and sandalwood have a bitter taste. Bitter taste is usually lacking in the diet of residents of northern latitudes. It is cold, light and dry in nature, increases vata and reduces pitta and kapha. Although bitter taste itself is not very pleasant, it restores the sense of taste by enhancing the sensation of other tastes. It has a bactericidal effect, eliminates toxins, helps get rid of burning and itching sensations, fainting conditions and intractable skin diseases. The bitter taste reduces fever and gives elasticity to the skin and muscles. In small quantities, it promotes digestion and suppresses gas formation in the intestines. Having a drying effect on the body, it reduces the amount of fat, bone marrow, urine and feces.

Excessive consumption of bitter taste can cause depletion of all dhatus of the body, extreme dryness, exhaustion and fatigue. Sometimes there is dizziness and loss of consciousness.