The importance of yoga space, time and spiritual guru

 The importance of yoga space, time and spiritual guru / teacher for your Yoga Sadhana

The most benefits and therefore the best yoga experience you get from your yoga practice is, by choosing the same place, time and teacher.

Time: The time you practice yoga is important. Choose a convenient time, the time which is most relaxing for you. Once you start with your practice your body remembers it. Your body clock adjusts to it and whatever your body is used to it, it is easy to continue with it. 

Though morning time is always the best because your body clock naturally works with the sun. The body clock and the natural / universal clock (sunrise and sunset) work together.

Space: Whenever you do your Yoga Sadhana, you create an aura and energy field around you. If you practice regular in the same space, you are less distracted, you can conserve your energy and you are more focused and receptive for your learning and your practice. 

Guru / teacher: Yoga learning is not an intellectual teaching, it is an experimental teaching. You connect with your guru and your teachers energy from your heart and not your brain. Once you find your guru / teacher, you should not change. If you keep changing your guru it is very difficult to connect with your guru’s teaching and experience.

Conclusion: Practice Yoga as a Sadhana (Anything that is practiced with awareness, discipline, regularity and the intention of spiritual growth can be considered as sadhana). Your time, space and guru should stay the same and not changed weekly.

Bhastrika Pranayama (the natural ventilator breath)

 

Bhastrika Pranayama (the natural ventilator breath):

 

Bhastrika Pranayama or the Bellow’s Breath belongs to the heating group of the Yoga breathing practices. In Sanskrit, Bhastrika means the ‘bellows ’. Just as the blacksmith blows his bellows to create heat and increase the fire, we do the same with our abdominal muscles (creating heat, increasing our body temperature and increasing the ‘digestive fire’).

This wonderful practice energizes and activates the digestive fire and provides better ventilation to the lungs. Our lungs are always exposed to the outer environment and attacked by viruses and polluted air. When our lungs are exposed over a longer period of time to polluted air, our lungs getting blocked, cough, cold, infection and allergy. Is our respiratory system disturbed, other body systems get disturbed too.

To do Bhastrika correctly, you have to inhale and exhale forcefully with the help of your abdominal muscles. The forceful use of your abdominal muscles massages your organs (the liver, kidneys, pancreas and the intestine), and activates your digestive fire (metabolism). When your respiratory system works normally then it balances other body systems and boosts your immunity. Bhastrika keeps your lungs healthier and maintains the normal functioning of your lungs.

 

How to do?

Sit in any comfortable posture with your spine upright. If you cannot sit on the floor, you can sit on a chair or bed. Close your mouth, inhale and exhale through your nose, using your abdominal muscles forcefully. During inhalation the abdomen goes out and during exhalation the abdomen goes in. Beginners should start slowly, breathe one by one (not too fast) one breath in two seconds. Once you feel comfortable you can increase the breathing speed, like two breaths in one second. One round of Bhastrika can be 50 to 100 breaths, do 3-5 rounds. If you feel difficulties in using both nostrils at the same time, begin with one nostril. Start with your left nostril first, close the right nostril with your thumb, inhale and exhale forcefully through your left nostril with the help of your abdominal muscles. Later close the left nostril and inhale/exhale through the right nostril forcefully by using your abdominal muscles. 

 

Precaution:

Those having high blood pressure, epilepsy, hernia, asthma, heart problems and recent surgery should not do this practice or consult your yoga teacher first. Bhastrika should be practised on an empty stomach.

  Benefits:

This practice controls cough and cold, infection, obesity, mental stress, depression and protects from any viral infection and polluted air, as well as boosts immunity. The forceful breathing relaxes and contracts our perineum and activates our dormant braincells.