YOGIC PRANAYAMA : Prana is the universal principle of energy; the vital force, It is all pervading. The Human body works with Prana shakti, deriving this Prana through breath.

Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. They breathe shallowly, barely expanding the ribcage thus they suffer from lack of oxygen.

Breathing is our most critical and intimate connection with life itself. Not surprisingly, improper breathing is at the core of many physical, emotional and mental health issues. Almost 80% of us use less than a third of our breathing potential, yet it is the last place we tend to look for answers!

Clear thinking, concentration, and focus require a great deal of oxygen to the brain. In fact, the brain is known to consume 20% of the oxygen available in the body. If you are one of the 80% who are functioning at 30% of breathing capacity, your brain is not functioning fully either.

Two main breathing techniques are: Kapal-bhatti, the shining pate and Anuloma-Viloma, alternate nostril breathing.

In a single day we breathe about 2300 times. Average volume air intake in a single breath ranges from a half to a litre, this volume can be increased upto 4 to 5 litres. We can learn the capacity of breathing in five times the oxygen that we normally breathe and breathing out carbon-di-oxide much faster.

However we can train ourselves to breathe more slowly and deeply. The rate can easily be reduced to four to five breaths per minutes. Slower breath rate results in reduction of wear and tear in the entire body. less work for the heart, it reduces high blood pressure and quieter nerves.

For Expert Guidance and further details contact Aashish Nanda at nanda_aashish@yahoo.com or +919810288020 (New Delhi).