PRANAYAM NO. 4 - “ANULOM-VILOM”
Anulom-Vilom: Find Balance Through Every Breath
THE METHOD OF DOING “ANULOM-VILOM”
- Sit in a cross legged position with the back of your left hand resting on your left knee and the fingers in the Gyanmudra position.. Gyanmudra means closing and making a circle with your thumb and the forefinger as shown in the figure and the video. Click here to see the picture of Gyanmudra.
- With the thumb of your right hand close your right nostril, inhale deeply with your left nostril filling your lungs and diaphagm with as much air as possible.
- Then close the left nostril with your second and third finger of your right hand and exhale from the right nostril breathing out the entire air till your stomach mildly caves in. Obese people or the ones with bulging stomach should push the stomach as back as possible while breathing out.
- Then breathe in from the right nostril as much as you can inhale, keeping your left nostril still closed with the second and third finger.
- Again close your right nostril with the thumb of the right hand, and exhale out all the breath completely. Repeat this cycle.
- Continue this cycle of breathing in from one nostril and breathing out from the other, and breathing in again from the very same nostril from which you have breathed out.
For more details watch the video clip carefully.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON “ANULOM-VILOM”
This Pranayam can be done basically in 3 speeds.
A. Slow speed:
One cycle of inhaling and exhaling is done in about 5 to 6 seconds.
B. Moderate speed:
One cycle of inhaling and exhaling is done in about 3 to 4 seconds.
C. Fast speed:
One cycle of inhaling and exhaling is done in about 1 to 1.5 seconds.
In the beginning kindly do this Pranayam in slow speed then migrate to moderate speed then eventually to the fast speed till you keep improving your timing and experience.
This Pranayam in the beginning has to be done for 5 minutes only. With the passage of time, you can increase it by 1 minute every week, till you reach the appropriate time of 15 minutes. To acquire full benefits from this Pranayam it has to be done for 15 minutes every day, but kindly take your own time in reaching this time level.
You can do this Pranayam with intervals in between. You can do 3 sets of 5 minutes or 5 sets of 3 minutes with intervals of 1 to 2 minutes in between. In the intervals you can breathe normally.
The best way to do this Pranayam is to do the first instalment of 5 minutes at slow speed, the second instalment of 5 minutes at moderate speed and the third and last instalment of 5 minutes at fast speed.
The ideal way for doing Pranayam is to close your eyes and imagine that while you are breathing in, the power of the Cosmos is entering the body through your head and while breathing out the same power which is accumulated into your head is moving into your entire body from top to toe. This practice will help in curing all ailments and diseases faster, making you a healthier person at the earliest.
In the intervals you can also do “butterfly exercise” or “blood circulation” exercise of the legs and feet. Click on these names to see the video clip of these exercises.
BENEFITS OF “ANULOM VILOM”
This Pranayam improves the blood flow in each and every vein of your body, and with continuous practice the blood circulation becomes normal.
It is very much beneficial in clearing the clots in the arteries of your heart as well as anywhere else in your body.
It helps in curing rheumatism, gout and many of the diseases pertaining to the urinary tract and its organs.
A regular practice of this Pranayam also cures cold, cough and sinus of even chronic character.
It helps in bettering your eyesight and even reduces your cataract clouding. Some of the people have been able to get rid of their glasses or contact lenses.
If this Pranayam is practiced for 3 to 4 months or more regularly, 30% to 40% blockages of the arteries of the heart are dissolved preventing the risk of heart attack in people who have heart problems.
This reduces the cholestorol level in your body and decreases the fat and helps in controlling obesity.
It banishes negative thinking and creates positive attitude of the mind.