Life is full of small miracles: thinking, imagining, feeling… Giving them the attention they deserve realigns us physically and psychically.
E1 good weather offers the opportunity to relax in natural environments such as the beach, the bank of a river or the mountain, much more favorable to calm the mind than cities, where noise pollution and generalized stress can make it difficult to concentrate.
Looking at the sea, under a tree, at dawn or at sunset, relaxation and meditation are qualitatively different.
A simple way to find inner stillness and generate energy is to practice the breathing techniques of yoga or pranayama. Prana is the universal principle of energy or life force that resides in every living being. It would be equivalent to the chi of Chinese medicine.
In the human being, its first manifestation is breathing. Therefore, the practice of pranayama aims to increase and control that life force. Mastering prana also dominates the mind, considered its inner manifestation.
WHAT IS ALTERNATE BREATHING AND HOW IS IT PRACTICED?
Anuloma villoma or alternate breathing is a powerful pranayama technique used to calm the mind and balance energy, especially useful for relaxing before meditating or sleeping.
This alternate breathing or Anuloma villoma teaches to enjoy silence and one’s own breathing, to realize the pleasure of being able to breathe freely and to be grateful that life breathes through our body.
1. HOW TO POSITION YOUR FINGERS
Sit on the floor or a chair with your spine upright; in a comfortable position, with the back straight and the chin somewhat raised.
With the right thumb cover the right nostril; with the little finger and the ring, the left. Index and heart fold inward.
The left-hand rests on the left knee.
The eyes should remain closed and the mind should focus on the point between the eyebrows.
2. AIRFLOW AND TIMES
Start by covering the right nostril and expel all the air on the left.
Inhale on the left for three seconds, open the right fossa, cover the left and exhale on the right for six seconds.
Inhale on the right for three seconds, open the left fossa, cover the right and exhale on the left for six seconds.
Make the exhalation last twice as long as the inhalation: it relaxes and helps to focus.
Repeat until you complete three rounds.
It can be increased progressively to ten dailies.
You can also increase the times, respecting the proportion: 4-16-8, for example.
WHY ALTERNATE BREATHING SERVES TO MARVEL AT
Wonder gives pleasure and produces an inner expansion, a deep emotion of gratitude, respect and appreciation. That is why it is usually accompanied by a more aligned physical posture.
When we naturally get an “Oh!”, the spine lengthens and we inhale deeply as if we want to absorb the moment. We even put our hands to our hearts.
We often believe that to marvel we need to be in front of a splendid landscape, hug a baby or other extraordinary experience that leaves us speechless and moistens the eyes. We forget that a mere breath is already a miracle.
Moving, thinking, imagining, feeling, singing and activities that could be considered ordinary are wonderful, because they give us freedom: of expression, of movement, of growth.
To appreciate the beauties and blessings that allow life to flourish you don’t need anything special, just take a conscious breath and remember them.
Appreciating and wondering are key to our health. They allow us to see clearly the magic in life.