It takes just 5 minutes to detoxify your body
As we know, most of the diseases are an outcome of toxins accumulated in the
body over a period of time. Stress, smoking, air pollution, etc are major causes of residual waste called toxins in our bodies. Other reasons are improper breathing, stress, and lifestyle. With a little understanding and awareness, we can purify the body without any medicine or a lot of hard work. I practice a breathing exercise that helps me do that on a regular basis through simple breathing.
Of all breathing exercises, alternate nostril breathing has immense potential to purify the body. The quality of the air we breathe depends upon the depth of respiration. The deeper the inhalation the more carbon dioxide will be expelled out from our lungs. Our body is constantly at work even if it is at rest which leads to wear and tear of body tissue. In order to make up the loss of nourishment of the tissue, oxygen plays a vital role which our body gets through inhalation. When the blood comes to the lungs it takes oxygen from the inhaled air and carries it to the different parts of the body through the circulatory system. When the blood comes to the lungs, it is filled with carbon dioxide collected from the tissues all over the body. It is a waste product resulting from the working of the mechanism of the body. If this toxic gas is allowed to remain in the system, it would poison our body.
The quantity of oxygen and carbon dioxide has a great impact on the respiratory center. If the quantity of carbon-dioxide present in the blood goes beyond its normal measure, the respirations become rapid thus giving rise to many diseases like anxiety, hypertension, and other psychosomatic diseases. Thus it has to be got rid of excess carbon dioxide.
In alternate nostrils breathing when we inhale from one side, hold the breath and exhale from the other side, oxygen is absorbed to great extent and in turn, more carbon dioxide is released from the cells of the body. With the continuous practice of 2 to 3 months, the whole body is purified.
A study conducted by Chirag et. al. (2017) examined the effects of alternate nostril breathing on the lung function on competitive swimmers and found that it had positive effect on respiratory endurance. Another study conducted by Telles and Desiraju (1993) showed significant improvement in vital capacity which helps in the wellbeing of the subjects.
Some other benefits of alternate breathing are:
1. It de-stresses the mind and restores calmness.
2. It improves brain function.
3. It enhances the efficiency of both the hemispheres of the brain.
Steps:
1. Sit comfortably on the floor or on a chair with the backbone straight.
2. Eyes should be softly close and no part of the body should be stiff.
3. Its better to practice in the morning with an empty stomach. It can be practiced during the day with a gap of 2–3 hours from the meals.
Method:
1. Close the right nostril with the right thumb.
2. Keep index finger and middle finger in the middle of the forehead
3. Inhale gently from the left nostril and hold the breath for a while
4. Now close the left nostril with ring figure of the right hand and exhale slowly with the right nostril
5. Again inhale with right and close left nostril and so on.
The sequence of breathing:
1. Breathe from left nostril
2. Hold the breath
3. Exhale from right nostril.
Exercising all three make a round of breathing and you don’t need more than 5–10 rounds to start the detoxification process.
Going into intense detoxification:
Effectiveness of alternate nostril breathing depends on inhaling deep and exhaling as slow as you can.
- The ratio of inhaling, holding breathe and exhaling for beginners is 1:1:1. As the practice advances it can be changed to 1:2:2.
- After a sufficient period of practice, it can be further changed to 1:2:4. For example, if inhaling, holding and exhaling breath time is 10 seconds each then it is 1:1:1. In 1:2:2 inhaling time is 10 seconds, holding and exhaling breath time is 20 seconds each.
- In advance stages, the time of holding breathe and exhaling is four times that of inhaling. DO NOT start with this immediately. Like every natural process, breathing also needs practice
Caution: Those suffering from high blood pressure and heart problem should
NOT hold the breath for a longer time.
References
1. Swami Kuvalayananda (1972) PRANAYAMA, pg 21.
2. Telles and Desiraju (1993) Autonomic changes in Bharam kumaris Rajayoga meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 15 : 147-152.
3. Chirag Sunil Hakked et.el. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine,
Vol.8, April –June 2017, pages 99–104.
