Prana Vayu And Apana Vayu, 2 - Technique Of Balancing Two Miniature Breathing

WHO CAN PERFORM THE ASANA?
Anyone can attempt to perform this asana, there are no adverse effects from performing it. Furthermore, this exercise has the advantage of being able to practice it, even when you are not dressed properly for a yoga session.

PLACE IN THE SERIES OF ASANAS
This exercise can be included in a yoga session before the yogic relaxation, but it may also be performed outside of it, for its own advantages.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA
Each half of the body will work alternatively. For the technique to have the maximum yogic effectiveness you need to pay close attention to the breath and to make the inhalation and exhalation last an equal interval. The part of the body that does not work needs to stay inactive. You can make five executions on the left side followed by five executions on the right side or you can alternate the legs you are working with; one exercise on the left side followed by an exercise on the right side, and so on. The way you practice it is up to you. If you decide to work alternative legs, start with the left side. If you decide to work a series of five, start with the right side.

STARTING POSITION
Lie relaxed on the floor with a slight contraction of the abdominal muscles so that the lumbar area rests on the floor during this exercise. The legs are stretched and should touch each other. The arms are also on the floor, along the torso, palms facing down.

Direct your mental focus inwardly and to try perceive distinctly the two halves of the body, the left and the right, not the upper and lower parts. Attempt to balance the sensations at the level of the two halves, without allowing one to dominate over the other, as the right-handed people tend to do with the right side, which they use more. You need to feel that your weight on the left side is the same as on the right side.

EXECUTION ON THE LEFT SIDE
Focus on the left side, contract the muscles of the leg and inhale slowly while lifting up the contracted leg. Lift the left leg, without lifting or bending the right leg, and by the end of the inhalation the left leg should be perpendicular to the body.

The abdominal muscles should be very tense, especially on the left side.

Relax the muscles on the right side of the abdomen, pay close attention to the left side, and imagine that you breathe only with this side. It is obvious that the air will get in through both lungs but you need to use the left side to its maximum, as if you were unable to breathe with the right side.

At the end of the inhalation stop for a few seconds and keep the lungs filled with air. Before exhaling, stretch the toes and perceive other muscles that contract the left leg.

Then exhale slowly and bring the leg to the starting position. The heel must not touch the ground, before the lungs are empty.

EXECUTION ON THE RIGHT SIDE
Focus on the right side, contract the muscles of the leg and inhale slowly while lifting up the contracted leg. Lift the right leg, without lifting or bending the left leg, and by the end of the inhalation the right leg should be perpendicular to the body.

The abdominal muscles should be very tense, especially on the right side.

Relax the muscles on the left side of the abdomen, pay close attention to the right side, and imagine that you breathe only with this side. It is obvious that the air will get in through both lungs but you need to use the right side to its maximum, as if you were unable to breathe with the left side.

At the end of the inhalation stop for a few seconds and keep the lungs filled with air. Before exhaling, stretch the toes and perceive other muscles that contract the left leg.

Then exhale slowly and bring the leg to the starting position. The heel must not touch the ground, before the lungs are empty.

PHYSICAL EFFECTS
There are differences between physical effects and the subtle effects.
Muscles
This exercise practiced with maximum interior focus grants a great muscular control and activates each half of the body.
The abdominal muscles are gradually fortified, and so are the leg muscles. The legs work hard and therefore they will be toned and you will get a better control over them.
Also the toes will be tensed, then relaxed and stimulated. The effectiveness of this exercise can sometimes cause cramps. If this should happen, act immediately and after the cramp has passed, massage the area slowly.
The skeleton
This exercise when correctly performed can bring the spine, especially the lumbar area into its correct position.
The coxo-femural articulation preserves the spine’s mobility and this is important considering that after the age of 40 the mobility tends to vanish. If the mobility of the spine is lost, the mobility of the whole body will suffer.
In severe cases, if one loses the mobility of this articulation, he may suffer from premature impotence. Although this exercise appears simple, it develops complex physical actions.
The blood circulation
The blood circulation is better when you lie down than when you stand because it is easier to circulate a liquid (the blood) without the interference of gravity. In this position the rising of the leg and the extended breathing make the blood act according to Pascals law: the pressure of an incompressible liquid is transmitted into all the senses and is proportional to the column of liquid.
This principle of hydrostatics is highly important for the body. The blood is an incompressible liquid like water and thus it will transmit the pressure into the entire body and the blood will return faster to the heart.
The cardiac muscle does not need to work as hard and the blood receives more oxygen. This exercise is very effective in preventing cardiac arrests. After a heart attack you may perform this exercise progressively during convalescence.
Abdominal organs
The abdominal organs need the rhythmical contraction of the abdominal muscles during walking or during the other daily activities. In your daily routine, this stimulation does not usually occur, which results in a decrease of vitality.
Lifting the leg, you act on the abdominal muscles and thus stimulate the whole area of the abdomen, the inner organs included. This is why we perform a series of five movements. The exercise massages the organs deeply and superficially.

SUBTLE EFFECTS

• Balance and symmetry are two main purposes of yoga. The bodily and pranic balance is obtained by inhaling and exhaling for the same length of time and by keeping a permanent focus on what is going on inside your inner universe.
• Some regions of our body are controlled by one or another of these vayus. Apana vayu, particularly stimulated by exercise affects the area from waist down. Apana vayu is responsible for the elimination of urine, salts, sperm, menstrual blood, and for the birth process.
• In our exercise, the entire action is based on the area controlled by apana vayu, with a special effect on the legs and toes. If we equal the time for an inhalation with that of an exhalation, the prana vayu and the apana vayu will become balanced.
• In our exercise, when we try to make one part of the body active and the other passive, prana vayu and apana vayu are energetically stimulated by each half.

If we practice this exercise daily, it will help our spiritual practice, in the sense that asanas such as Halasana, Sarvangasana or Sirshasana will be easier to approach. The perseverant practice of this apparently simple exercise will bring special benefits to the practitioner.

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