Benefits of Pranayama

Pranayama, literally translated, means to extend the life force. The practice of pranayama involves converting unconscious normal breathing to conscious regulated breathing. We all know how to breathe normally, enough to keep us alive and to carry out our routine activities. In fact breathing is the first skill we automatically learn when we are born. So why bother to regulate the breath and make it deep and smooth? Classical texts such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yoga Sutra, Yoga Yagna Valkya Samhita, Yoga Rahasya and others tout innumerable benefits of breath regulation, including physical, mental and spiritual. Certainly, most if not all of the physical and mental benefits have been validated by science, but validating the spiritual benefits of the practice using current technology is still somewhat of a challenge. Keeping the largely skeptical reader in mind (and I count myself as one), I would like to focus on the three ancient concepts of the benefits of pranayama that are now being validated by modern science.

Increasing Life Span - According to ancient scriptures, every individual is endowed with 788,400,000 breaths, sufficient to last for 100 years, at 15 breaths / minute. (Modern science has shown that normal respiratory rate, for a healthy adult at rest, can range anywhere between12 – 20 breaths / minute). Short and quick breaths were believed to quickly deplete our breath account, thereby reducing our lifespan. Conversely, making each breath last longer was believed to increase our life span. Science today can logically explain and prove definitively that long and deep breathing can indeed increase life span. With the advent of modern technology even high school children have a clear understanding of the breathing mechanism in our bodies. We all know that air exchange takes place between the walls of the alveoli and the blood capillaries that surround the alveoli. When we inhale, the alveoli expand and their surface area increases. A longer deeper breath allows the alveoli to expand further, increasing the surface area for air exchange, as well as increasing the time available for the exchange to happen. More oxygen into our body (and more carbon dioxide out of our body), allows our various organs and systems to function at their optimum level, resulting in a healthier life and longer lifespan.

Cleansing Power - Pranayama as a cleansing activity is well documented in several texts. Both the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Yagna Valkya Samhita talk about the digestive fire (Jathara Agni) that is stoked by the breath. The jathara agni is said to be in the navel area located right above the impurities (malas) which are in the lower abdomen area (apana). During inhalation the downward movement of the breath creates a draft and turns the fire downwards towards the malas and burns them. During exhalation, the burnt malas are expelled. The texts talk in detail of the results of eliminating the malas such as, improved appetite, a lean, strong and healthy body, clear skin, sparkling eyes and freedom from all sorts of diseases. Scientifically speaking, this makes sense because when our digestion and elimination processes improve, not only are our internal organs better able to assimilate the necessary nutrients, they are also not hampered by unnecessary toxins that impair their functioning. But how does regulating breath improve digestion and elimination? Regulating breath relaxes the mind, which reduces sympathetic nerve activity resulting in reduced adrenal secretions, which in turn improves digestion. Also, pranayama techniques require a rhythmic pulling in of the abdominal muscles, which not only stimulates the liver function and blood circulation to the digestive system, it also activates the elimination process. The use of locks (bandhas) in pranayama improves the functionality of the sphincter and abdominal muscles.

Mental Clarity - The third and possibly the most important concept is, pranayama as a link between the external practices (bahiranga sadhana) and internal practices (antaranga sadhana). Regular practice of pranayama, says Patanjali, helps us clear our mind of the veil of impurities (kleshas) and allows our inner light to shine through. It gives us the capacity to control our senses (pratyahara) as we move towards meditation. Scientific research has shown that mindful breathing is one of the most effective ways to lower everyday stress levels and improve a variety of health factors ranging from mood to metabolism. How does this actually work? Apart from the indirect ways of impacting our mental state via physical well-being, breathing has a direct impact on our mental state through the autonomic part of the central nervous system. The autonomic nervous system governs the body’s sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) responses to stimuli. The sympathetic nervous system works as a survival mechanism for the body by dialing up functions like the heart rate and force of contraction of the heart muscles, while the parasympathetic nervous systems works to restore homeostasis after the sympathetic stimulation. When we breathe, millions of sensory receptors in the respiratory system send signals via the vagus nerve (the largest parasympathetic nerve in our body) to the brainstem. Fast breathings pings the brain at a higher rate, triggering it to activate the sympathetic nervous system, turning up stress harmones, heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, sweat production and anxiety. And slow breathing induces the parasympathetic response, dialing down all of the above as it turns up relaxation, calm and mental clarity.