Deadlines, consecutive tasks, growing tension and no respite? Smoke breaks in the workplace are out of fashion; Disconnect from work and regain your morale and productivity with this 10-minute Pranayama break. Get the same kind of stress relief, without damaging your lungs and heart, and return to work refreshed, calm, and with renewed vigor. Additionally, foster connections with colleagues by practicing together.
A good time to do this would be before sunset or before your afternoon tea break. Preferably sit in a ventilated place for practices; Otherwise, your own chair will also work.
Pranayama is usually recommended after a person has practiced Asana, and also regularly practices Kriyas or cleansing techniques. However, healthy and fit people can perform limited rounds of these Pranayama directly. The only prerequisite is not having eaten anything for two hours.
THE SIMPLE BREATHING SEQUENCE
You can finish this in less than 10 minutes.
Position yourself: Sit in a chair, feet on the floor, back straight, and shoulders relaxed. Adopt the 'Cin Mudra' by touching the tips of the index fingers with the tips of the respective thumbs and place the hands comfortably on the thighs near the knee. Close your eyes and relax your body completely by inhaling and exhaling once.
Heating: Do three rounds of abdominal breathing, that is, inhale slowly and deeply while puffing out your abdomen and exhale completely. Continue with three rounds of chest breathing, expanding the chest area on the inhale and collapsing the chest as you exhale. Continue with clavicular breathing, that is, raise the clavicle with the inhalation and lower it back with the exhalation. Inhalations should be slow, deep, continuous and soft; Exhalations should be slow, not jerky, and complete.
With this we have been able to breathe at full lung capacity, and if you take a few seconds to observe yourself you would already be feeling light.
Now we move on to the two relaxing and energizing Pranayamas: Sitali and Bhramari.
SITALI PRANAYAMA OR THE REFRESHING BREATH
Sitali Pranayama is a “refreshing pranayama” that is perfect to counteract the accumulated “Rajas” or state of high activity.
Coincidentally, here the tongue is rolled up like a cigarette through which one draws one's breath. A perfect substitute!
• Do the 'Cin Mudra' with your thumb and index finger, with your hands placed casually on your thighs.
• Stretch your tongue and roll it into a tube. Draw air through the tube slowly and gently. You will feel a rush of fresh air go down your throat and fill your lungs.
• Close your mouth and exhale completely through your nostrils. Do five rounds of this practice.
You will immediately experience calm and tranquility, as tensions are released in both your muscles and mind. Additionally, a general cooling of the body may be felt, including the eyes, ears, and inside of the head. An added benefit of cooling is that it helps relieve thirst and hunger for some time, particularly useful for those extra workload days!
(Note: Avoid Sitali in case you have low blood pressure or any kind of breathing problem).
BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA OR THE BEE'S BREATH
Bhramari Pranayama is the ultimate in calming the nerves and relieving brain tension.
• Adopt 'Cin Mudra' as above and close your eyes.
• Place your tongue lightly on the upper palate and inhale deeply.
• Exhale completely, making the sound of a bee buzzing (a “nnn” sound) on a low pitch. Feel the vibrations on your head, providing a full-body massage effect.
• Do five rounds of this pranayama to relieve mental stress, agitation and frustration.
Take a minute and sit quietly after these two practices, with your eyes still closed, and experience the changes. Then gently open your eyes and continue with the rest of the day.
Practiced regularly, these breathing practices will help reduce anger, anxiety, blood pressure, and other psychosomatic problems.
In addition to relieving work pressure, these pranayamas have their own additional set of benefits: tissue healing, healing of skin and digestion problems, balancing the autonomic nervous system, expansion of consciousness and spiritual growth.
Remember, it is important to first learn Yoga techniques with a trained teacher. Do this slowly, with deep inhalations and full exhalations. Although this is a short session, make sure you are not under tension while doing the practice.
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor, and certified yoga teacher. You can contact her at [email protected].
