Read the article and learn about the effect on the lungs when you hold your breath during yoga.
“When the breath is irregular, the mind is unsteady, but when the breath is still, so is the mind still and the Yogi obtains the power of stillness. Therefore, the breath should be restrained.”
~ Hatha Yoga Pradipika
How Yoga affects the body and mind is not a mystery but rather pure biological science. Yoga techniques like Pranayama affect your mind and body directly, which also means that it makes an impact on the organs of your body as well. Newsflash! No, it's not rocket science rather understood that lungs are the first organ in the body which experiences inflation and deflation by holding and releasing a breath. An average person takes about 12 to 20 breaths per minute, which is a person's respiratory rate.
Breathing patterns are advocated for stress management, relaxation, and mental balance. The therapeutic role of Yoga is to alleviate the chronic negative effects of anxiety and stress. For good mental health, breathing exercises like Pranayama is the green-light you need if you want to refresh your brain. Master your breath by holding and releasing it voluntarily. The variations in the breathing technique like alternate nostril breathing are essential for both sides of the brain to function productively and more efficiently. You can learn these techniques at any certified Yoga center during Yoga teacher training in India, like the popular Yoga teacher training in Rishikesh.
"By this, the mind becomes full of bliss;
verily the practitioner of Pranayama is happy.”
~ Gheranda Samhita
Filter the purities from the residing toxins in your body! The researchers have confirmed that the breathing exercises like Pranayama enhance parasympathetic tone, improve cardiovascular and respiratory function, positively affect the immune system, asthma, hypertension, and also decrease the frequency of sympathetic nervous activity. It decreases the negative emotions of stress, anger, frustrations by further improving the mental and physical health of the individuals. Even the fitness professionals use this knowledge to their benefit and incorporate such breathing activities in their daily training sessions at the gym.
If we solely talk about the lungs and how they react when you hold your breath during Yoga, then we will come to this conclusion that breathing can add some more years to your life. The pulse, blood pressure, the activity in the brain is all under the control of the breath. The dormant energy is activated when all the human potential is watered well. If we address the elephant in the room which is lungs, then any yogi can claim that holding a breath not only relaxes the muscles of the brain but in fact, it improves the lung capacity. The damage which the pollution, cigarettes, and the dirt may have caused to your lungs may not be visible, but it exists and breathing exercises is a free treatment to clear the ashes away for longer and healthier life.
The diaphragm muscle is the key player in establishing the pattern of the breath. The contractions push the digestive organs and lengthen the chest cavity above. When you hold your breath by contracting the muscles of the diaphragm, it raises oxygen levels and reduces carbon-dioxide levels before a breath-hold. Your physical activity based on how active you are decides your breathing pattern!
If you get a chance to learn Yoga in Rishikesh, you will notice that deep-breathing exercises are the wisest way to keep your lungs, mind, and body healthy. In the holy book, ‘The Holy Science’, Sri Yukteswar quotes, "holding a breath creates such calm in the autonomic nervous system that the inner organs get a rest which they otherwise never do, not during sleep, nor the waking state!"
Cleanse your lungs, recharge your mind, and rejuvenate your soul by inhaling-in and exhaling-out!