PRANAYAMA PRACTICED BENEFITS TO THE LUNGS

Articles In This Section:

· YOGA POSTURES

· MUDRAS YOGA POSTURES

· HEALTHY DIGESTIVE AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

· PRANAYAMA PRACTICED BENEFITS TO THE LUNGS

· FILLING YOUR MIND WITH PEACE AND SERENITY

Proper circulation, indispensable for carrying food particles from digestive organs to tissues, is also a matter of strong muscles, since the heart itself is basically a giant muscle constantly at work. All the asanas which have an effect on the diaphragm help massage the heart at the same time as they massage the abdominal organs. They achieve this by subjecting the heart to alternate pressures. On the other hand, the reverse postures—like the Headstand and the Plough—also have a special beneficial effect on the veins, since during those asanas the blood is made to flow back to the heart without effort, considerably reducing normal pressures and giving the veins a rest they would not normally get even when the body is prone. Yogis claim that with perseverance even varicose veins may be cured by this method. Certainly they can be helped and even more certainly prevented.

Pranayama practiced alone is in itself extremely beneficial to the lungs and hence to the proper cleansing of the blood. But pranayama practiced in conjunction with certain asanas will even further strengthen thoracic muscles and, again through subjecting them to alternating pressures, increase the elasticity of the lung tissues. At the same time it will have a cleansing effect on the air passages, leaving you less susceptible to colds and tonsillitis. In fact, whenever a cold threatens or you detect signs of incipient tonsillitis, practicing pranayama and the proper asanas, especially the Lion Pose, will have an immediate therapeutic effect: the illness will be nipped in the bud.

Ordinary exercise seldom has any direct bearing on the proper functioning of the endocrine glands but—again through the subtle effect of certain positions and motions— many of the asanas will stimulate the functioning of one or another set of endocrines. Similarly, there are asanas for stimulating the proper functioning of the kidneys, the large intestine and the colon. Often the specific desired effect is obtained by some slight pressure, some stretch or twist of the body or a position which sets otherwise seldom-used tendons and sinews into play. Since for reasons of space it is obviously impossible here to analyze the anatomical aspects of each asana in detail, you yourself might, if your mind has this kind of inquisitive turn, try figuring out the physiological reasons for each claim. If you study the anatomical charts as well as the Chakra on pages 53-54, you can readily work out the relationship of the postures to the various organs and glands in the body. In each case, you will then discover that the relationship, and therefore the effect on the general well-being of the body, is a very direct one. Once you have gained such understanding you will come closer to the Yogi's own ability to fill in the shorthand indications of what each pose will do. The claims in terms of added health and strength will become clear to you, and they will no longer seem extravagant.

As we consider the benefits of various asanas on the nervous system—certainly it becomes obvious how improved circulation and digestion directly affect the health of the nerves—we begin also to understand that this effect is more than a purely physical one. A better supply of blood to the brain inevitably results in improved memory, alertness, an overall improvement in one's mental attitudes and a revitalization of all the faculties. A person's whole outlook is therefore affected by what in the beginning is a series of physical exercises. So there is nothing mystical or mysterious in the claim that Yoga asanas have a direct bearing on the human mind and spirit.