These 2 pranayama routines control anxiety best: Find out what a study says

Breathing techniques impact the vagus nerve, says yoga expert Kamini Bobde.

Stress is impacting people’s mental and physical health the world over. Amidst this despair, there is research and evidence that your breath holds the key to unlocking the secrets of how to manage these problems.

A recent study, published in JAMA Network Open and conducted among doctors, found that Sudarshan Kriya Yoga significantly decreased stress, depression and anxiety compared to other stress management techniques. All it involves is rhythmic and cyclical breathing. This involves Ujjayi or “victorious breath”, which involves experiencing the conscious sensation of the breath touching the throat. This slow breath technique of two to four breaths per minute increases airway resistance during inspiration and expiration and controls airflow. Then there is Bhastrika or “bellows breath,” where the air is rapidly inhaled and forcefully exhaled at a rate of 30 breaths per minute.

This works through the vagus nerve, which starts from the brain and moves to different parts of the body. It takes care of heart rate reduction, blood vessels, glandular activity of the heart, lungs and digestive tract, liver and immune system regulation. It controls gastrointestinal sensitivity, motility and inflammation. Breath is the only conscious activity which is connected with the vagus nerve and by regulating your breath, you can regulate the whole gamut of your being.

Vajrasana, or the simple sitting posture, impacts our vagus nerve. Therefore, this asana is said to be good for digestive and circulatory systems.

Besides this asana, Bhastrika, followed by Nadi Shodhan pranayama and meditation practice, have been found to reduce psychological distress, reverse burnout symptoms and enhance well being.

Bhastrika: Sit comfortably in your preferred posture. The spine and head should be in a straight line with the whole body relaxed. Watch your breath for a few rounds and centre your mind on your breath. Start with forceful exhalation and immediately follow it up with forceful inhalation. Continue with a series of forceful inhalations and exhalations.

Concomitant with this will be the movement of your stomach, diaphragm and chest area. With every exhalation, the stomach muscles will pull the stomach in, the diaphragm will move up, squeezing the lungs. As you inhale, the stomach muscles will push the stomach out, the diaphragm will move down giving space for the lungs to expand to their fullest. Begin with 25 counts to begin with then build it to 50 and even 100.

Nadi Shodhan: Sit in any of the meditational postures with body erect but relaxed. Close your eyes, then take your right hand towards your nostrils. Place the middle and forefinger at the eyebrow centre, use the ring finger to close the left nostril and the thumb to close the right nostril. The left hand may be in Gyan or Chin mudra.

Close your right nostril and breathe in through the left nostril as deep as possible without straining or making any loud sound, or pulling up your body. The inhalation should happen inside the left nostril. When you have reached your maximum capacity, close your left nostril and breathe out gradually through the right nostril. When the exhalation is complete, then inhale through the right and exhale through the left. This makes one round. Do five to seven rounds.

As beginners you may comfortably start with anything between six to 15 counts of inhalation and exhalation. Follow this up with meditation.

First uploaded on: 16-03-2024 at 12:00 IST

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