Importance and Benefits of Pranayama

How to Do Pranayam

Pranayam (also spelled Pranayama) is an ancient part of Perform Yoga Postures practice, the fourth part of the eight-fold Yoga described in the ""Yoga Sutra of Patanjali". Pranayama is concerned with breathing and posture. Research has shown that that practicing Pranayama can relieve symptoms of asthma[1]. It is also beneficial in treating stress related disorders, such as anxiety and depression[2]. Pranayam supplies oxygen to the entire body, and exercises the lungs, the stomach and its surrounding organs.

There are a total of six types of Pranayam practice:

(A) Bhastrika Pranayama
(B) Anulom Vilom Pranayama
(C) Kapalabhati Pranayama
(D) Bahya Pranayam
(E) Bhramari Pranayama
(F) Udgeeth Pranayam

Bhastrika Pranayam:

Sit in comfortable position; you may sit even on a chair.
Breathe in until the lungs are full through your nostrils.
Feel the diaphragm move down to allow the lungs to expand and forcing the abdomen out, followed by the mid section of your chest expanding and finally your collar bone rising.
Breath out forcefully and uniformly, again through your nostrils.
Again feel the collar bone dropping, chest deflating and the diaphragm moving up as the lungs collapse allowing the abdomen to be sucked in. This process of exhaling should be much faster than the process of inhaling.
Repeat the process.
When correctly done, your chest will expand when you breathe in and deflate when you breathe out.
Continue doing this for 5 minutes.

Kapalbhati Pranayam:
Sit upright
Inhale through your nostrils a little and exhale through both nostrils forcefully.
Inhale again a little and follow with another forceful exhalation passively and effortlessly.
Continue these cycles. The frequency should be about 60 strokes/minute.
Continue doing this for 15 minutes. You may take a minutes rest after every five minutes.

Anulom Vilom Pranayam:
Sit comfortably.
Close your eyes.
Close the right nostril with the right thumb.
Inhale slowly through the left nostril and fill your lungs with air.
Close your left nostril with the ring and middle fingers of the right hand and open the right nostril.
Exhale slowly and completely with the right nostril.
Again inhale through the right nostril and fill your lungs.
Close the right nostril by pressing it with the right thumb.
Open the left nostril, breathe out slowly. (This process is one round of Anulom Vilom Pranayam.)
Continue for 15 minutes. You may take a minutes rest after every five minutes of exercise.

4. Bahya Pranayam:
Breathe air out, touch cheek to chest, squeeze stomach completely and hold for a while. then release chin, breathe in slowly. Duration : 3 times to 5 times normally.
5. Bhramari Pranayam: Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee. Do this three times.

6. Udgeeth Pranayam:
Breathe in deeply, and chant 'Om'kar. OOOOOOm ( long O and small m. Do this 3 times.
Understand the Benefits of Pranayama Practice
Depending on the intensity of the ailment a person doing regular Pranayam starts getting good results from day one. However it can take from one week to approximately nine months to get the complete benefits of Pranayam.

Health changes can include:
Respiratory troubles clearing up, in addition to improvements to allergies, migraines, High blood pressure, diseases pertaining to the kidneys, and psychological dysfunction in males and females.
The digestive system improves.
Memory improves.
Pain in the joints vanishes.
The process of aging is retarded. Falling of the hair or premature graying, the appearance of wrinkles on the face or other parts of the body at young age, diminution of eyesight etc. are all minimized.
The face becomes bright, luminous and calm.

Pranayam cures or improves the following chronic diseases:
Diabetes, H.B.P., Angina, Blockages in Arteries, Obesity, Asthma, Bronchitis, Leucoderma, Depression, Parkinson, Insomnia, Thyroid problems, Arthritis, Cervical Spondalities , Hepatitis, Chronic Renal Failure, Cancer, Cirrhosis of the Liver, Gas, Acidity


Tips:
Do Pranayam preferably in the morning with an empty stomach.
If you prefer to do Pranayam in the evening, do it on an empty stomach and keep a gap of at least 5 hours between your meal and Pranayam.
Those who cannot sit in Asanas can sit on the chair and do Pranayam.
Never hold your breath while doing Pranayam.
Do about 1 to 5 minutes of jogging after Pranayam exercises as per your physical ability.

Warnings:
Consult your doctor before doing any exercises.
Pregnant woman and persons having a fever should not do Pranayam.
Children above 5 years should do Bhastrika Pranayam for only 2 minutes, Kapalbhati and Anulom Vilom Pranayam each for 5 minutes
Even after consulting doctors, it is important to remember that Kapalbhati can be risky in those who have abdominal wounds, surgical operations, hernia, peritonitis, appendicitis, prolapse of rectum or uterus, hiatus hernia and recently delivered women.

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Six Steps to a Successful Meditation

This meditation lasts 15 to 20 minutes.

It is a meditation of SIX steps. Each step will take roughly two and half to about three minutes.

Following is explain to you all the steps and then you can start.

1) The Step Of Rhythmic Breathing:
Breathe in slowly, easily, evenly, and deeply and then breathe out slowly, easily, evenly, and deeply. Within three minutes you should be able to breathe in and out about ten times. But you need not count. I will do the counting for you. And when the three minutes are over, shall ask you to move on to the second step. As your breathing becomes rhythmic, your tensions will relax. It may be better if you blend the repetition of ?OM? with your breathing. As you inhale, take in the breath, utter the sacred syllable ?OM? silently. Then exhale, take out the breath and as you do so, utter the sacred syllable ?OM? orally i.e. with sound.

2) Detached Observation:
In this step, as an observer you have to watch the movements of the mind. Detach yourself from the mind. This is very, very important. You are not the mind. You are only watching the mind. What is the mind doing? What thoughts is it entertaining? You are not the mind. You are not thinking those thoughts. Just watch the mind. Observe the mind without any judgment, without any criticism. You are but a silent observer; observe without judgment, without criticism. You will find that as you detach yourself from the mind and just keep on watching it, its movements, gradually the mind will cease its activities.

3) The third step is the step of serenity, the step of peace. In this third step, you may imagine yourself as a rock in the midst of an ocean. Waves arise. They dash against the rock. The rock is unaffected, is calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene. Waves arise. Waves are the distracting thoughts. They dash against the rock. The rock is unaffected, calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene.

4) It is the step where you realize your oneness with all that is, all men, all creatures, all things, all conditions. You are not apart from others. The others & you are parts of the one great whole. You are in every man, in every woman, in every child. You are in every unit of life, in every bird and animal, in every foul & fish, in every insect, in every shrub, in every plant. You belong to all countries and communities, all races and religions. You are at one with the universe. This type of meditation will fill your heart with loving kindness & a spirit of compassion so that a stage may come when you will not wish to snuff out the life even of the smallest insect.

5) The Meditation On Your Immortality:
In the fourth step you have realized that you are not merely in your physical body. You are in all that is, in the experience that we call death. It is the body that drops down, the physical body. But you will continue to be, even when the body has dropped down, you will continue to be in every grain of sand, in every drop of water, in every ray of sunshine. Death cannot touch you. You are immortal. If you are at one with all humanity, then even if there is one human being alive, you are alive. If you are at one with all living creatures, then even if there is but one creature breathing the breath of life, you are alive. Yes, you are immortal, immutable, eternal, deathless!

6) In this step you breathe out peace and happiness, goodwill and bliss to all. May all be happy and full of peace and bliss. Think of all who dwell in the Northern lands and pray in the heart within: ?may all who dwell in the Northern lands be happy and full of peace and bliss.? Then think of all who dwell in the Southern lands and offer the prayer ?may all who dwell in the Southern lands be happy and full of peace and bliss.? Likewise, ?may all who dwell in Eastern lands and all who dwell in Western lands, may they all be happy and full of peace and bliss.? Breathe out peace and goodwill to all. May all be happy and full of peace and bliss. All living things whether they be near or far, tall or tiny, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, whether they be born or are still in the womb unborn, may all, all, all be happy and full of peace and bliss. May those that love and those that for some reason or the other are unable to love you, may those that speak well of you, and those that for some reason or the other are unable to speak well of you, may all, all, all, without exception, be happy and full of peace and bliss. You are in them all. It is only when they become happy that you are happy. May all be free from disease, ignorance, sorrow. As you get up from this meditation, you will find that you yourself are happy and full of peace and bliss.

And now if you are ready, we shall begin with the meditation. Sit in a relaxed posture; as far as possible, the back, the neck and the head should be in a straight line. In the beginning you may find it difficult to bring them all in a straight line but do it as far as possible. Above all, be relaxed. Relax your body. Relax your muscles. Relax your limbs and now let us embark on this interior journey, a journey that takes us within, a journey that in due course may change our lives and fill us with tranquillity, with peace and bliss and make us instruments of GODS help and healing in this world of suffering and pain.

Tips to improve your mental fitness

There are two basic principles to keep your brain healthy and sharp as you age:
Selection & Interest.

When anything you do becomes second nature, you need to make a change. If you can do the crossword puzzle in your sleep, it's time for you to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best workout for your brain. Interest about the world around you, how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently.

Use the ideas below to help reach your quest for Mental Fitness.

1. Play Games: Games are a wonderful way to make fun of and challenge your brain. suduko, crosswords and electronic games can all improve your brain's speed and memory. These games really on logic, word skills, math and more. These games are also fun. You'll get benefit more by doing these games a little bit every day. Spend few minutes or so, not hours.

2. Meditation: Daily meditation is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind/body health. Meditation not only relaxes you, it gives rest to your brain a workout. By creating a different mental state, you engage your brain in new and interesting ways.

3. Eat for Your Brain: Your brain needs you to eat healthy fats. Focus on fish oils from wild salmon, nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as flax seed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less saturated fats. Eliminate transfers completely from your diet.

4. Tell Good Stories: Stories are a way that we solidify memories, interpret events and share moments. Practice telling your stories, both new and old, so that they are interesting, compelling and fun. Some basic storytelling techniques will go a long way in keeping people's interest both in you and in what you have to say.

5. Turn Off Your Television: The average person watches more than 4 hours of television everyday. Television can stand in the way of relationships, life and more. Turn off your TV and spend more time living and exercising your mind and body.

6. Exercise Your Body To Exercise Your Brain: Physical exercise is great brain xercise too. By moving your body, your brain has to learn new muscle skills, estimate distance and practice balance. Choose a variety of exercises to challenge your brain.

7. Read Something Different: Books are portable, free from libraries and filled with infinite interesting characters, information and facts. Branch out from familiar reading topics. If you usually read history books, try a contemporary novel. Read foreign authors, the classics and random books. Not only will your brain get a workout by imagining different time periods, cultures and peoples, you will also have interesting stories to tell about your reading, what it makes you think of and the connections you draw between modern life and the words.

8. Learn a New Skill: Learning a new skill works multiple areas of the brain. Your memory comes into play, you learn new movements and you associate things differently. Reading Shakespeare, learning to cook and building an airplane out of toothpicks all will challenge your brain and give you something to think about.

9. Make Simple Changes: We love our routines. We have hobbies and pastimes that we could do for hours on end. But the more something is 'second nature,' the less our brains have to work to do it. To really help your brain stay young, challenge it. Change routes to the grocery store, use your opposite hand to open doors and eat dessert first. All this will force your brain to wake up from habits and pay attention again.

10. Train Your Brain: Brain training is becoming a trend. There are formal courses, websites and books with programs on how to train your brain to work better and faster. There is some research behind these programs, but the basic principles are memory, visualization and reasoning. Work on these three concepts everyday and your brain will be ready for anything.

Beautiful Images for Fresh Splashes

Like 80% of our body is water so does 80% of fruit consist of water!

Think about it, it's logical for the human body to consume food that contains as much water as the body itself. The nutrition that meets that requirement is fruit. There is no other food than fruit on this planet that contains on average 80% water. Vegetables also contain a lot of water and are therefore second best.

Creative Nails Life Arts

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Beautiful Embroidery Dresses

The embroidery dresses is always structured in a specific way, and when new patterns are introduced, they are ingeniously incorporated into this structure. The embroidery is arranged on a chest panel, on the sleeves, on the sides of the skirt, and in a rectangular panel above the hem at the back of the dress.

The chest panel is usually rectangular, although in the Gaza- district it is V-shaped. In some areas, such as the Jaffa area and in Hebron Hills, the embroidery on the skirt is heavy and solid, and in others, such as Ramallah area north of Jerusalem, it is often lighter. The dress back panel is always rectangular. However, it varies in size according to region and period.

While each region of Palestinian has its distinct pattern and design, modern Palestinian embroidery has mixed various designs and patterns from more than one region.