Detoxification and the Breath
The use of breath exercises or pranayama is a longstanding health technique in the yoga tradition that is one of the fundamentals to help improve one's health And these breath techniques can even be foundational before beginning asana or posture practice that are guided by yoga teachers in studios across the country The question from an energy science perspective is how can breathing exercises give us such a physiologic advantage
The Elements and Tissue Layers
All the ancient healing traditions saw the mindbody as an energy field and spoke of the 5 great elements that were observed in Nature....space, air, fire, water, and earth Energetically the energy of space is nuclear energy, air electromagnetic energy, fire radiant energy, water chemical energy, and earth mechanical energy Each of these energies in the energy science of Ayurveda become Vata(space and air), Pitta(fire and water), and Kapha(water and earth)
The tissue layers are composed of these 5 elements in varying degrees...so the nervous tissue of the mindbody is mostly space and air while the muscle layer is mostly fire water and earth and the bone tissue is mostly earth due to its solidity So when you clear toxic load from the elements themselves you clear the toxicity from the elements that make up the tissues
Improving All Agnis Improves Detoxification of All the Tissues of the Mindbody
There is no energy science technique that can do so much for the overall health of the physiology than pranayama simply because there is no known technique available that can induce detoxification like it does for all the tissue layers This is due to its overall effect on agni
Not nutrition, not herbs, not changing lifestyle, not even panchakarma over time can beat the daily consistent practice of pranayama
Consistency in Practice Develops Strength Stamina and Endurance
Done on a consistent basis these breathing techniques gradually and slowly enhance the strength and stamina of the physiology One starts out with difficulty maintaining good posture during and creating strength during the exercise that gradually improves as one maintains consistency
Consistency also leads to better lung capacity and better posture This is played out over months of practice but the results can be nothing short of a miracle Another interesting thing that happens is that flexibility occurs particularly in the back muscles because fibrosis or scar is lost from around these particular muscles hence leading to better overall strength, better posture, and more ease at doing simple daily tasking
Done properly the techniques can lead to weight loss, reduction in cravings, improved mental clarity, and clearance of toxic load from the physiology leading to lightness and improved energy This is because each technique in this sequence improves the agni of each tissue layer of the mindbody Hence each tissue layer gets cleared of ama or toxic load This sets the stage for real healing to take place
Next week I'll cover the sequence that can change your life forever
