Elongating breath

Source: http://swamij.com/breath.htm#retention

In basic breathing, one eliminates the pause between the breaths. For one doing retention practices, which are different practices, a pause is intentionally created so as to arouse energy. 

Eliminate the pause completely: However, there is another way to deal with the pause and retention. That is, eliminate the pause completely, and then gently, over time allow the breath to elongate. Reflect on this for a moment, and you will come to see that elongating the breath gradually leads to a virtual retention of breath, though without actively restraining it. When the breath naturally becomes very slow, it is as if, it is not moving at all. 

Allowing breath to slow: Lie on your back in the corpse posture, and put your attention on the navel center, or going up and down the spine. You can gradually allow the speed of breath to slow, though still having no pause. 

• 10 second breath: When you notice it naturally slow to about a 10-second breath (exhalation and inhalation), there will be relaxation. 
• 15-20 second breath: When it slows naturally to about 15-20 seconds (3-4 breaths per minute) you will be quite relaxed (presuming it feels natural, not forced). 
• 30-60 second breath: When it naturally slows to about 30-60 seconds for one breath (1-2 breaths per minute), you will be at the doorway of deep meditation, provided you are not straining, and do not sleep. 
• 90 second breath: A rate of 90 seconds for one breath can be used as a target to aim for, allowing six months or more to reach this level. To do this naturally, without straining will probably require having a well balanced life, regular physical exercise, a healthy diet, and regular sleep. 
• Towards Samadhi: These slower breathing rates gradually move one towards deep meditation and Samadhi. 
• The masters: A Yoga master might have only one breath in 10 minutes (though we need not pursue this, or feel that this is necessary to have deep meditation or Samadhi; actually it comes as a result of Samadhi) 

The practice of eliminating the pause and elongating the breath
is a most direct route,
or short cut. 

A short cut: This process of Elongating the breath is thus a short-cut (direct route) for most people. It is very gentle, and very loving to your body, nervous system and your mind. It allows you to progress at your own, natural rate. 

The simple is advanced: Oddly, this practice seems too simple, too basic, but this simple practice is profound and is quite advanced. This is one of the reasons that people are usually told to not meditate lying down. Usually you will go to sleep. For meditation, the corpse posture is an advanced practice. However, if you can lie down in the corpse posture, and yet remain wide awake while the breath slows, it will take you very deep. The key is to be gentle, patient, and to stay awake. Remember that it is best to have a healthy lifestyle, good food, exercise, and regular sleep.

Genetic Evidence of Yoga’s Impact on the Immune System

by Tom Jacobs

Norwegian researchers find a strong and immediate genetic response to yoga practice. 

Newly published research from Norway suggests that a comprehensive yoga program rapidly produces internal changes on a genetic level. The results help explain the well-documented health benefits of this ancient practice. 

“These data suggest that previously reported (therapeutic) effects of yoga practices have an integral physiological component at the molecular level, which is initiated immediately during practice,” writes a research team led by Fahri Saatcioglu of the University of Oslo. The team’s study is published in the online journal PLOS ONE. 

Researchers first reported five years ago that practices such as yoga, which elicit the “relaxation response” may have a long-term effect on gene expression. That’s the scientific term for whether a specific gene is “turned on,” meaning its protein or RNA product is being made. This latest study confirms those findings, links them to the body’s immune system, and suggests this effect may be instantaneous. 

The University of Oslo experiment featured 10 participants who attended a week-long yoga retreat in Germany. For the first two days, participants spent two hours practicing a comprehensive yoga program including yogic postures (Asanas), yogic breathing exercises (Pranayama), and meditation. For the next two days, they spent that same time period going on an hour-long nature walk and then listening to either jazz or classical music. 

Immediately before and after each of the four sessions, the researchers drew blood from each participant. They then isolated and analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which play a key role in the body’s immune system. The researchers found that the nature walk and music-driven relaxation changed the expression of 38 genes in these circulating immune cells. In comparison, the yoga produced changes in 111 genes. 

Fourteen genes were affected by both exercises, which suggests “the two regimens, to some degree, affect similar biological processes,” the researchers write. That said, they note that yoga’s impact was far more widespread, which indicates the practice “may have additional effects over exercise plus simple relaxation in inducing health benefits through differential changes at the molecular level.” 

So, if your yoga mat has been gathering dust, this research provides an incentive to take it out of the closet. It suggests that, as far as the immune system is concerned, walking in nature is good—but yoga might be substantially better.

Source: http://www.psmag.com/health/genetic-evidence-of-yogas-impact-on-immune-system-55994/