PRANAYAMA FOR LONG LIFE

With out breath we cannot live for a minute. Breath is the reason and secret behind life. Even though it is so important the most neglected thing in our life is breath. We never aware of how we breathing? Are we breath equally through both the nostrils etc.? All these questions never come in our mind.

The life span and number of breath per minute have direct relation. If we observe the life span of the animals, birds; it’s clearly shows that the creature which have higher breath rate per minutes have less life span, and which have lesser breath rate have higher life span; for example the birds breathing very speed, around 40-50 per minute they live lesser year where as animals like elephant, tortoise-breathing rate is very less they live longer.

A normal human being breathes 15 times a minute. This means he takes 4 seconds for one complete inhalation and exhalation. So in a day his breaths 21600 times, that complete one day for his body. If one breathes in this speed he will live 100 years. But we breathe more speed when we are under stress and sick etc… Present days due to modern stressful life, the number breathing per minute surely more than 15 when we took the average, so naturally, if one count the life span with respect to breathing one’s life span never reaches 100 years!!

But imagine if one took 6 seconds for completion of one breath, his life span increases to 150 years! This is the calculation done by elders; one can even stop the breathing also with practise of pranyama. Our elder’s regularly practising pranayama. It was a part of their regular meditation. Their normal breath rate was much slower and systematic than us. So there is nothing strange in hearing the story of all epic heroes who lived 400 years and more…! Bhishma the Great warrior coming in Mahabharata lived more than 400 years… he was a great master of Pranayama… He only taught His grand son Duryodana the Kumabhaka technique (holding the breath) with which he was hided in a well, by holding breath for a long time.

Still there are some yogis in Himalaya they living since 100’s of years with out old age because of use of pranayama.

In simple pranayama one can easily define as proper systematic deep inhalation and complete exhalation. In scientific also when we complete in hale, the whole lungs will utilize and the huge pure amount of oxygen entering to the blood, so immediately each cell of the body will be benefited. In the same way complete exhalation also very important, when we complete exhale the carbon dioxide from lungs will come completely out, and makes space in lungs for the full entry of fresh air. When one regularly practices the pranayama, normally his depth of breathing is going to increase; if one is a newer to yoga he can experience this with in a month. As depth of breathing increases the quality of oxygen entering to the blood also becomes more pure. So each cell, through which each part of the body, mind, gets benefit immediately. So naturally one can maintain the youth, freshness, good health by following pranayama.