Yoga for those with busy lives

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of healing teaches us that our digestive tract is key to our overall health and wellbeing. Most of the physical disorders have their origin in a sick digestive constitution, something that may go undetected all your life.

Hence, the system of yoga, as the ancient Indian regime of breathing exercises, developed and evolved around making our vital environments conducive and fit enough to interact with our vital organs to keep them in good health.

The practice of yoga, as with any other discipline, needs time and effort. I can imagine it is difficult to begin with and then sustain over a period of time for the busy and really hard pressed for time.

Including my friend Chris, who runs this web site, I know at least two dozen such busy persons who started yoga whole heartedly but gave up after a few days to a week or so. But all of them have reported good feedback on their few days of the practice, regretting their inability to continue.

Lately I had been busy experimenting trying to work out a yoga package for those who have little time to practise.

In the series of seven breathing exercises called pranayama, as prescribed under the regime of yoga, Bahya and agnisar pranayamas prove to be a great solution to the problem. You don’t really have to make time for the breathing exercises. You can do these while you are driving or travelling by public transport to your place of work and back; you can do these while you are working on your computer or when you are not talking. And the practice needs just less than three minutes whenever and wherever you have that time.

For Bahya pranayama all you have to do is inhale as much air as you can and then exhale. While you exhale contract you stomach muscles gradually inwards as much as you can. Remain in this position for as long as you can without breathing. Repeat this exercise three times.

For agnisar pranayama contract your stomach muscles as in case of Bahya pranayama, without breathing. While in this position contract and expand your stomach muscles; give you stomach as much muscular exercise as possible before relaxing and breathing in.

The two breathing exercises will improve the vital environments of your digestive tract and your lungs. The exercises must be performed about five hours after a full meal and a couple of hours after a light meal. Otherwise, fifteen minutes before lunch and five hours thereafter are ideal times for the practice.

The best way though would be to practise while travelling back home from work in the evening.

These exercises have significant health benefits. The first one that you feel within a few days is that you do not get fatigued during the day. Those who are sick will feel improvements in their conditions.

And it costs you nothing; not even your time.

1 comment September 26th, 2006 Written By: lalitgambhir