The link between Pranayama & Medicine
The breathing practice of Pranayama has tangible benefits on the human body & mind.
There have been more than 1500 research studies on Pranayama in the published scientific literature. Many of these have come from India where yoga is accepted and consistently practiced as more than just lifestyle modification. It is used as a therapeutic tool.
There is now a growing interest to study these techniques as therapeutic strategies even in the west, especially as it relates to disorders of breathing, autonomic and cardiovascular control.
One of the most obvious and immediate results of a sustained practice is to slow and deepen one’s breathing pattern. Long term Yoga practitioners have respiratory rates close to 5-6 breaths a minute.
Their corresponding breath volume is around 1 Liter. This is different from the average human being who breathes 12-15 times a minute with a breath volume of 0.5 Liter.
This pattern of slow and deep ‘resonant’ breathing can have significant effects on cardiac autonomic outflow (sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems) and its modulation of blood pressure and heart rate.
UJJAYI breathing, one of the pranayama techniques that emphasizes the creation of a particular throat vibration, results in the full expression of “resonance” in the cardiovascular system. Waxing and waning sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on the heart and blood vessels are better synchronized during the breathing phases of inspiration and expiration.
This “resonant frequency breathing” Is comfortably achieved with UJJAYI breathing. At less than 6 breaths per minute, there is an improvement in the ventilation-perfusion relationship of the lung as well as it’s gas exchange capability i.e. oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide elimination.
Healing is not just a physical experience. Healing occurs when there is complete harmony at the level of the body, the mind, the breath as well as the spirit.
Our breathing sits at the interface between our bodies and our minds and can be used as a powerful tool to create conditions of excitation, relaxation, calm, internal warmth, cooling and even sleepiness.
We believe these techniques can help integrate the body's healing response with other therapeutic strategies such as medications, nutritional and physical interventions, for many disease conditions. If you want to breathe better and experience an improvement in the quality of life, then this course is for you.
The introduction of a consistent Pranayama practice can have benefits on blood pressure and heart rate control. It can also positively influence breathing mechanics and the efficiency of gas exchange.
These physiologic changes can influence conditions characterized by elevations in sympathetic nervous system tone, i.e. hypertension, arrhythmia, asthma, anxiety, depression and sleep apnea. It is also proving beneficial in patients recovering from long haul covid-19 symptoms.
