Best Pranayama To Prevent Diseases | Pranayama For Beginners

Physical exercises make our heart pump faster, increasing our breathing volumes. One such way to improve lung capacity is pranayama practices.

Regular yoga practices help us control our breathing patterns and blood circulation. This further assists our immune system to fight diseases.

Pranayama for beginners is a brilliant way to control our body temperature and blood circulation and improve our health.

Pranayama to prevent diseases is not just a breathing technique but also a flow of life force energy. It helps us cure and remove every symptom of diseases, like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, asthma.

Here, we are going to uncover the five best pranayamas to prevent diseases and to stay healthy.

I) Anulom-Vilom Pranayama

Anulom-Vilom is a practice of controlled breathing. It is a back-and-forth process of inhaling and exhaling from one of the nostrils, alternately.

For instance, inhale from the left nostril while keeping the right one closed. Then, exhale from the right nostril while the left nostril is enclosed. 

Now, inhale from the same nostril (right), while the left nostril is restricted. And again, close the right nostril and exhale from the left one. 

The process goes on. That is why it is also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Regular practice of this yogic pranayama shows several physical and psychological improvements. Most common and wondrous benefits of this pranayama include:

• creating an immediate calming effect
• promotes quality sleep
• healthy brain functioning
• prevents diseases like asthma
• improves the cardiovascular system
• lowers the blood pressure

Moreover, several scientific pieces of evidence support many of such claims. In a study, some swimmers revealed that breathing practices like anulom-vilom improves lung functionality and endurance. Besides, it enhanced their performance.

Again, it takes care of your respiratory tract and cardiovascular health, further providing you a healthy and glowing skin. Alike killing two birds with one stone, it promotes beauty factors and helps us stay healthy and fit.

II) Kapalbhati Pranayama

Kapalbhati pranayama is a combination of two Sanskrit words Kapal and Bhati. Here, Kapal means skull or head, and Bhati means to shine. This breathing Practice removes toxins through the trachea and lungs. It is impactful pranayama to prevent diseases, which raises your body temperature.

Ensure that both of your nostrils are clear. Also, you can check it through simple anulom-vilom pranayama.

Take a deep breath. Hold it for some seconds as much as you can. Then forcefully exhale the breath in chunks. Let the abdominal muscles contract while exhaling. Then, again take a long and deep breath and continue the same process.

Since the practice involves contraction and expansion of abdominal muscles, it is beneficial for blood circulation and the digestive tract.

Kapalbhati benefits:

• stimulates abdominal organs 
• prevents diseases like diabetes, asthma, constipation
• betters digestion and metabolism
• improves blood circulation and nervous system
• strengthens brain cells and develops brain functioning

III) Bhramari Pranayama

Bhramari pranayama is a breathing practice that prevents or aids any psychological stress like frustration, agitation, anxiety. During exhalation, there is a humming sound of a black bee called bhramari in Sanskrit. Hence the name bhramari pranayama.

It provides instant relief from stress, anxiety, and concentration. Therefore, practicing bhramari pranayama is beneficial for students, employees, office workers to improve their focus. 

There are more emotional or mental benefits than health like:

• create a calm and soothing sensation for nerves 
• reduces or prevents stress, depression, frustration, agitation
• heals slight headache due to work pressure, migraine
• improves concentration, hence confidence
• calm the mind, further normalize blood pressure

Keep your spine straight. Inhale a deep breath. Now, cover your ears with the cartilage each between the cheek and ear using your index fingers. And exhale with a humming sound. While producing the humming sound, it is helpful to focus on the center of the forehead.

This breathing practice is beneficial for anyone who wants to improve brain functioning, concentration, confidence. It reduces the chances of tonsils by removing germs from the throat.

IV) Bhastrika Pranayama

Bhastrika Pranayama is preferred to improve the intake of oxygen since this aspect alone can prevent many diseases. Therefore, this yoga practice improves our breathing techniques. It includes increased breathing volume, lung health, proper blood circulation.

This pranayama is also called the yogic breath of fire. The reason being on practicing this pranayama body temperature increases. It is beneficial for people who want to get rid of Kapha. 

Bhastrika pranayama includes deep and shallow breathing in a periodic motion. It mainly involves the chest and lungs. Besides, this pranayama for beginners resembles post-running panting.

Take a deep and long breath and gradually decrease the breath length. Again, gradually increase the expansion of breath. Here we complete one cycle. As a beginner, you can practice it 2-3 times and increase the repetition after practice. 

Its benefits include:

• circulating oxygenated blood to every part of the body efficiently
• enhances the nervous system and motor system
• conquers depression and anxiety
• anticipates breathlessness, asthma, cough, allergies

People who already have asthma or cardiac problems should prevent practicing this breathing technique.

V) Sheetali Pranayama

Sheetali pranayama resembles the word – Sheetal – which means to cool down. Therefore, as the name suggests, this breathing practice has a cooling effect on the body and mind. 

This pranayama for beginners is beneficial for our nervous system and endocrine glands. 

The thyroid gland produces thyroxin, which enhances the thirst and hunger of a person. Since sheetali pranayama impacts the thyroid and other endocrine glands, its regular practice helps us control craving and appetite. 

Bring your tongue out of your mouth and roll it like a tube or straw. Now, try to breath-in through the straw-like-tongue you formed and hold it for some time. Put your lower chin at the throat pit to hold the breath for some time (or 6-8 seconds). As a beginner, repeat it 3-5 times and increase the number as you become used to it.

There are several benefits of practicing sheetali pranayama:

• cools the body temperature, relieving from fever, indigestion
• an excellent stress buster, fight against insomnia
• controls blood pressure and hyperacidity
• prevents harmful germs at tongue, mouth, throat

Conclusion 

Practice every pranayama to prevent diseases 2 or 3 hours before or after eating your meal. It would prevent any complications while practicing pranayama.

In any case, you feel uncomfortable, feel free to consult a doctor or yoga expert. Although, there are many pranayamas to choose from them. So, opt for the one you are comfortable doing. 

Regular practice of yoga or pranayama helps us define a scheduled day ahead. These pranayamas influence our appetite that promotes healthy and balanced eating. 

Pranayama to prevent diseases focuses on only breathing practices to circulate oxygenated blood all over the body. Still, it is as beneficial to health as cardio exercises.