Friday 6 February 2015

6 Pranayams for Reproductive Health


For thousands of years Yoga and Pranayam has been practiced in India for mental, spiritual and physical health. Many experts have advocated these 6 Pranayams for Sexual and Reproductive health for men and women. The Pranayams are:

1. Bhastrika for 3 to 5 minutes
2. Kapalbhati  for 20 minutes
3. Bahya pranayam 3 times
4. Anulom Vilom for 20 minutes
5. Bharmri 7 times
6. Udgeet 7 times

You need to know this hand position or mudra to make the practice of pranayam even more fruitful. It is called Gyan Mudra or Dhyan Mudra. To form Gyan Mudra, sit cross legged with the heel of the left foot touching the body at the center. Place the right foot over the left with the heel touching the body and the fingers of the right foot between the thigh and the calf of the left leg. Keep the spine straight. Make a circle with the index finger and the thumb of the hands. Place the hands on the knees with the palms facing up. This is Gyan Mudra. This mudra helps in insomnia, memory management, helps you focus better and energizes you. The Gyan Mudra is good for mental health and keeps you calm.

For improving reproductive health you need to practice these pranayams in the sequence and time duration given here. Practice on an empty stomach after freshening up in the morning. These exercises together will help improve sperm count and prostate health in men. They also improve the squeezing action for better reach of sperm and chances of conception. For women it will help the ovaries function optimally and regularize the menstrual cycle. Practice of paranyam by women during and after pregnancy affects the health of the child positively. The practice of pranayam will bless you with a beautiful and healthy child. Women should practice all pranayams except Kapalbhati and Bahya pranayam during pregnancy and menstruation.




Bhastrika Pranayam
Start the session with Bhastrika and practice it with full faith, gratitude and devotion. While practicing Bhastrika be thankful to god for what you have and ask him for help with whatever you want to receive. Imagine that your body is getting energized and strong and believe you will get everything you desire. This is how you practice Bhastrika. Sit in Gyan Mudra preferably on the floor connecting with the earth. Breathe in as deep as you can and exhale and keep repeating. Feel the body being energized and blessed by the force above. Keep medium pace and focus on your breath. This will balance and strengthen all the bodily functions. It will make you a (wo)man full of vigor and power. After doing Bhastrika for at least 3 minutes move on to Kapalbhati pranayam.

Kapalbhati Pranayam
Keep sitting in Gyan Mudra. Breathe in and quickly force the air out by working your abdomen muscles. The squeeze of the abdomen is similar to the squeeze during sneezing or coughing. Breathe in normally through the nose and squeeze the abdomen muscles to throw the air out through the nose in a quick burst. Concentrate on pushing the air out and breathe in normally. During Kapalbhati the breathing is much faster than normal breathing. You need to target doing 60 repetitions in one minute with medium strength. Going too slow will not give you the benefit of the exercise and going too fast may injure you. Women should not practice kapalbhati during menstruation and stop completely during pregnancy. Continue to practice Bhastrika, Anulom Vilom, Bhramri and Udgeet. Kapalbhati increases the oxygen intake which helps cure many ailments. It also balances thyroid function. Higher Oxygen levels and improved thyroid function increase energy levels and help correct many deviations in reproductive function. Initially you may get tired quickly. So start with three to five minutes and don’t push yourself. Build up slowly and target doing 20 minutes of Kapalbhati every day. Once you have built up to 20 minutes of daily practice, continue for as long as you do not conceive as a couple. It should help you conceive in 3 to 4 months but the time will depend on the severity of the problem and your dedication, commitment and devotion. This is a very powerful pranayam which brings the cure of many problems within reach and completely in your control. Kapalbhati alone can increase sperm count and help the female reproductive system work optimally. I have heard of instances where blocked Fallopian tubes have been set right with Kapalbhati. Always practice it with utmost devotion and a prayer in your heart. While doing anything in life it is your faith that really helps produce results. Never practice Kapalbhati if you are hypertensive, have another heart condition or have an issue with the abdomen like hernia.

Bahya Pranayam
Follow Bahya after Kapalbhati. Sit in Gyan Mudra and breathe out completely. Pull your abdomen muscles so as to make the front of the abdomen touch the spine, pull as far in as possible. Now hold the breath as long as you can and then breathe out. Repeat this 3 to 5 times. The mooladhar is energized during Kapalbhati. Bahya pranayam helps distribute this energy throughout the body for maximum benefit. Try to pull up the lower abdomen while holding the breath out. This is done because Kapalbhati has maximum effect in energizing the mooladhar and pulling the mooladhar helps redirect this energy throughout the body. Women should not do this during pregnancy and menstruation.

Anulom Vilom
This is the pranayam that should be done after Bahya pranayam. Women should continue Anulom Vilom once they have conceived; Kapalbhati and Bahya should be stopped. Sit in lotus position with the left hand in Gyan mudra. Close the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand and breathe in through the left nostril. Now close the left nostril with the middle two fingers and exhale through the right nostril. Keep the left nostril closed with the fingers and breathe in through the right nostril. Now close the right nostril with the thumb and breathe out through the left nostril. This completes one round of Anulom Vilom. This pranayam has a soothing effect on the nervous system and balances the energy throughout the body. It should be practiced for at least 20 minutes daily. Kapalbhati and Anulom Vilom are the most important and should be practiced with full devotion and gratitude. They may be practiced for up to 30 minutes. Our left nostril represents the moon and has a cooling effect during respiration. The right nostril represents the sun and has an energizing effect. Anulom Vilom balances the two energies in the body. It is also helpful in treating headaches and problems of the vision. Some people have difficulty going 20 minutes just with one hand, change hands if needed. Breathe nice and deep and breathe out completely contracting the chest and abdomen.

Close your eyes with the fingers and close your ears with the thumbs. Breathe in and exhale through the nose saying “OM”. Keep your lips together, exhaling only through the nose. This will create a buzzing sound. Repeat it 5 to 7 times. Think of God, Allah, Bhagwan whichever force you believe in and do it with full devotion. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. Try and exhale at a uniform pace, slowly and stretch as long as possible. This will relax you. It can also be done at night if you are having trouble sleeping.

Udgeet pranayam
Udgeet or Udgeeth is similar to Bhramri but you exhale through the mouth chanting “OM”. Close your eyes and sit in Gyan Mudra. Breathe in and exhale through the mouth saying the word “OM”. It is important to focus on your breath and keep a slow stretched pace. Breathe out completely and repeat 5 to 7 times.

Some yogis recommend that once you have completed the 6 pranayams, rub your hands together to warm them and then place the palms on your eyes once.

This set of pranayams should take you about an hour to complete and if done with regularity and dedication will bless you with a beautiful and healthy baby. They will also make you better and healthier parents.

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God Bless


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