Sheetkari Pranayama

Last week we learned about Sheetali Pranayama, however, a small percentage of people are unable to roll their tongues into a tube to perform this pranayama. In that case, they can perform the Sheetkari Pranayama.

How to perform Sheetkari Pranayama:

• Adopt an erect position as usual.
• Go into the usual state of relaxation by addressing every part of the body and consciously relaxing that part of the body. Make sure to maintain a constant awareness of the body.
• Bring your teeth together in a light clench and part the lips
• The tongue should be kept relaxed on the floor of the mouth.
• With the lips slightly parted, inhale slowly and deeply.
• At the end of inhalation, close the lips and exhale slowly and deeply through the nostrils.
• As usual, pay attention to the duration of inhalation and exhalation. Consciously make an effort to elongate the duration of each. Also, count as you in inhale, and see if you can prolong the exhalation to twice as long as the inhalation.
• This is one cycle. Repeat for 10 cycles.

Precautions:

This type of breathing is not recommended for people with cracked/broken teeth, fillings, dentures etc.

The Benefits of Sheetkari Pranayama:

Performing Sheetkari Pranayama can bring considerable benefits to the teeth and gums with practice. People with gum infections, decay of the gums and small tumors such as Epulis, will benefit from this. Similarly, the teeth become stronger and are better anchored into the jaw bones with this practice.

Regular practice of Pranayama brings steadiness to the mind and body. The mind becomes composed and calm. Even if there are distractions, the mind maintains its single-pointedness. People with the shakes will notice that their hands are steady. Other disorders of movement also improve. The heart rate will slow down over a period of time.

There is a belief in Yoga that the life-span of an individual is inversely proportional to the number of heartbeats. In other words, the lower the heart rate, the longer and healthier the life of that individual is. Steadiness of the mind leads to improved concentration and enhances memory. One of the common reasons for poor memory is the tendency of the mind to be easily distracted. Retention of information is improved by steadiness of the mind.

~ Hari Om

Originally published at www.tirungopal.com on April 6, 2016.