Breath of life

A suppressed immune system can cause increased susceptibility to viruses. Kuhoo Gupta suggests some unique breathing techniques that help build immunity

Life is an amalgam of unpredictability and apprehensions, especially at times like these. While many things remain out of control, your mind is the only powerhouse which can ameliorate you to cope with a multitude of difficult circumstances.

Through a long and ongoing quarantine in response to Covid-19, one of the biggest concerns for healthcare providers isn’t the spread of the phenomenon, but the mental health, another public health crisis that’s rearing its ugly head.

Procrastinating treatment for mental health disorders can heighten the risk of weakening and suppressing the immune system that can cause increased susceptibility to viruses.

Here are nine unique breathing techniques that help in building immunity and in keeping stress at bay:

Kapaalbhati: It activates the diaphragm area, which in turn engages the internal organs and glands in that area. It also helps in activating the lymphatic system which decides the immunity level of the body. It also increases the resistance of the respiratory tract and helps in overall detoxification.

How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax the body. Exhale through both the nostrils with a forceful contraction of abdominal muscles. The inhalation should take place passively by allowing the abdominal muscles to relax.

Anulom Vilom: It increases the resistance of your sinuses and balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain aiding in relaxation.

How to do it: Sit comfortably. Keep your back straight. Now place your right thumb on your right nostril and inhale deeply from your left nostril. Now close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale from your right nostril. After the exhalation, inhale from your right nostril.

Bhramari: It relieves stress and cerebral tension and helps in alleviating anger, anxiety, insomnia and increases the healing capacity of the body. It creates a soothing effect on the mind and nervous system.

How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and relax the body. Inhale through the nose. Exhale slowly and in a controlled manner while making a deep steady humming sound like a bee.

Sitali: This cools the body and affects important brain centres associated with biological drives and temperature regulation. It cools and reduces mental, emotional excitation and encourages the free flow of prana in the body. It induces muscular relaxation and mental tranquillity.

How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax the body. Extend the tongue outside the mouth as far as possible without strain. Roll the sides of the tongue up so that it forms a tube. Practice a long, smooth and controlled inhalation through the rolled tongue. After inhalation, draw the tongue in, close the mouth and exhale through the nose. The breath should produce a sucking sound.

Ujjaiyi: It helps in boosting immunity and lightens up the mood. It is helpful in activating the throat chakra, thereby activating the thymus and thyroid glands. It calms the mind and warms the body. It has a relaxing effect at the psychic level. It slows down the heart rate and keeps the BP under check.

How to do it: Sit comfortably and close your eyes, relax the body. Imagine the breath is being drawn in and out through the throat and not the nostrils. Gently contract the glottis so that a soft snoring sound is produced in the throat. Inhale and exhale in this fashion.

Bhastrika: It helps in oxygenating each and every cell in your body. It rejuvenates and refreshes you and also boosts blood circulation. It burns up toxins and helps balance the doshas (vata, pitha, kapha). It stimulates the metabolic rate and tones the digestive system. It helps to alleviate inflammation in the throat.

How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax the body. Take a deep breath in and breathe out forcefully through the nose. Immediately breathe in with the same force. Forceful inhalation results from fully expanding the abdominal muscles and forceful exhalation from the firm contraction of the abdominal muscles.

Surya bhedan: It creates heat in the body and counteracts imbalances of the vata and kapha doshas. It stimulates and awakens the pranic energy and alleviates depression.

How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax the body. Watch the breath until it spontaneously becomes slow and deep. Close your left nostril with the ring finger and inhale through your right. Then close the right and exhale through the left.

Chandra bhedan: It calms the brain and cools the body. It helps in heartburn. Helps in reducing stress. Do not perform surya bhedan and chandra bhedan on the same day. Heart patients should avoid both of these.

How to do it: Simply reverse the instructions in surya bhedan, inhaling always through your left nostril, exhaling through your right.

Kumbhak (holding breath in between inhalation & exhalation): According to a study, holding your breath can not only change the genetic activity of white blood cells (immune cells), but it also appears to significantly increase white blood cells to help fight illness.

You can practice kumbhak while doing deep breathing or anulom vilom and many other kinds of pranayam. But deep breathing would be the easiest for beginners. Kumbhak should be practised only when one is experienced to some extent in normal pranayama.

And ideally kumbhak should be done under the guidance of an expert. Heart patients should avoid kumbhak.

(The author is founder, The K Junction)