Timed breathing Pranayam Anulom Vilom count 5-0-5-0

Pranayama techniques provide the method whereby the life force can be activated and regulated in order to go beyond one's normal boundaries or limitations and attain a higher state of vibratory energy and awareness.

"If the inhalation is rough we do not have to worry, but if the exhalation is uneven it is a sign of illness, either present or impending."

The exhalation is vitally important because it transports impurities from the body, making more room for prana to enter. Often when pranayama is discussed it is the holding of the breath that is emphasized. Yet the ancient texts talk about the total breath, not simply kumbhaka, breath retention.
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Human Respiration system - facts
• Respiration fuels the burning of oxygen and glucose, producing energy to power every muscular contraction, glandular secretion and mental process.

Measuring your own respiration rate
• While watching a clock, count the number of times you breathe in two minutes. Make three trials, and find the average.
• Divide by two to find the average number of breaths per minute.
• The rate should be measured at rest, not after someone has been up and walking about.
• Being aware that your breaths are being counted can make the results inaccurate, as people often alter the way they breathe if they know it is being monitored.
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Naadi Shodhanam or Anuloma-Viloma, Naadi Shuddhi (नाडी शुद्धि)

Technique
Stage 1
• Sit in any comfortable sitting posture with the spine erect, eyes closed and shoulders relaxed.
• Make the Vishnu Mudra (shown in the picture to the right) with the right hand – make a soft fist, lift the thumb and the last two fingers up, keeping the middle two fingers at the base of the thumb. During the practice using this mudra, the thumb is used to close the right nostril whereas the ring finger is used to close the left nostril.
• With the left hand, make the Chin Mudra – join the tips of the index finger and the thumb, keeping the rest of the fingers open and relaxed. Keep the hand on the left knee, palm facing up.
• Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. To get started, exhale through the left.
• Begin the first round by inhaling through the left nostril.
• At the end of inhalation, close the left nostril with the ring finger and open the right. Then exhale through the right nostril.
• Inhale now through the left. At the end of inhalation, close the right nostril with the thumb again and exhale through the left.
• This completes one cycle of breathing. Continue for about 6-7 similar cycles. Make sure to use deep and soft Ujjayi breaths for each inhalation and exhalation.

Stage 2
• Once you become comfortable with the basic breathing pattern for naadi shuddhi, you can introduce a count into your breathing.
• The effort in this breathing technique is to make the duration of exhalation longer than that of inhalation.
• Over a period of time, with practice, you want to achieve a ratio of 1:1 between inhalation and exhalation.
• So, for example, if your count for inhalation is 5 seconds, then try to extend the exhalation to up to 5 seconds.
• As your practice deepens, you may be able to extend the duration of each breath, maintaining the same 1:2 ratio. Try to build up your capacity to a count of 5:10 – 10:20 seconds of inhalation and 20 seconds of exhalation.



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