Blowing a Conch

If you are an Indian who has seen various mythological epics finely translated on television then you would agree with me that the sound of conch symbolically represents an onset of battle or a special occasion, worship etc. The importance of blowing a conch while worshipping is also mentioned in the Vedas. A conch is blown three times before a Hindu aarti (a worship ritual). Wikipedia offers a good insight into the world of conchs.

The magazine Eternal Solutions mentions that the sound of conch reduces negative energies in the environment. It removes distressing vibrations and allows the flow of sattva (peaceful, stable, positive) predominant frequencies. The Indian scientists also claim that the sound of conch helps destroy the germs and micro-organisms as far as it reaches. Similar to the effects of the sounds of the Tibetan bells. A good way to clean our surroundings!!

There is more benefit for the person blowing the conch. He usually raises his neck upwards and closes his eyes. This posture activates the sushumna nadi (central channel) and helps in maintaining perfect balance. It improves breathing system, improves lung capacity.

To be honest I didn't have any idea that there was such a thing as a conch blowing competition where the contestants are judged on duration, endurance and the novelty of sounds...... sadly we humans want an adrenaline rush in everything in life. But conch blowing is not a cake-walk. Try it & see for yourself.

Panting like a Dog

Stretch you tongue out as much as you can and then inhale & exhale rapidly through the mouth. Exactly like the dogs do. It calms you down completely. It's very cooling. It almost feels like you are sipping lemonade on a hot day. You can do about 30-50 counts in 1 round and do 3-5 such rounds. But do it in fresh unpolluted air specially during hot summer months or when your mind temperature rises.

Are you breathing right?

It's true that most of us living in cities have become addicted to busyness. We don't like to sit idle doing nothing. We are constantly on the move either in the mind & body. And hence we have even forgotten to breathe right!!! (something that we have been internally programmed to do) Isn't that ironical??

Check for yourself. When you breathe in does your abdomen expand out or retreat in? For many of us it retreats in which means that we are breathing shallow. We are not utilizing the lower lobes of the lungs which have the capacity to hold maximum volume of air. Therefore, because we breathe in wrong, there is less oxygen leading to less availability in the body for its functions which ultimately causes lack of energy.

Breathing from the abdomen is the correct way to breathe and is referred to as the yogic breathing. It utilizes and expands lung capacity, relaxes the body, calms the mind, exercises the diaphragm and gently massages the abdominal organs. You can do conscious yogic breathing for a few minutes daily or whenever you feel stressed.

Have you ever seen a child breathing? Observe it's stomach rise & fall as it relaxes into it's breath. It's time we started learning from children.

Whistling on 'mute'

Take a deep breath in and on an exhale slowly blow the air out of your mouth as if you are whistling!!!! Your effort should be to lengthen the duration of your silent whistle, so exhale slowly, rhythmically and smoothly. Do about 4-5 rounds of this breath to feel good. The major benefits of this technique are:

1. Increases lung capacity & therefore is a boon for all
2. Immediately relaxes a tensed mind and an overstimulated body
3. Removes dead air (which never gets emptied) from the lungs
4. Enables better inhalation leading to an energized feeling
5. Can be done anywhere except in polluted environments
6. Very helpful for people suffering from asthma

Do it especially when you are feeling breathless, anxious, just before a critical deliverable in office, angry or frustrated. It helps in activating the parasympathetic nervous system which acts on calming & relaxing us.

PS: if you learn to whistle practising this, don't use it on girls :-)
Happy whistling....

Brahmari Pranayama

Brahmari or the humming bee breath is an extremely useful pranayama. To do it, just sit straight either on the floor or a chair, take a deep breath in & exhale making the sound of a humming bee (mmmm........) from your mouth with the lips pursed. You can put your thumb over the ear and fingers over the head. Repeat this at least 4-5 times. You can also do it more number of times (about 10-12) provided you are feeling okay.

There are no contraindications of this pranayama. Even people with high blood pressure, cardiac problems, pregnant women will benefit immensely out of this. However almost all pranayama practice must stop when one is ill.

The beauty of this pranayama i feel that it is heating for the body but calming for the mind. It energizes you and at the same time clears the clutter in your head. It helps in creating a meditative state of mind so is very useful if done before meditation or some very important task at hand as it improves concentration. Also practise it whenever you are feeling confused, agitated, stressed, anxious and see the effect for yourself.

Have fun with the practice!!!