What is Anulom Vilom Pranayama?
Anulom Vilom pranayam or Alternate nostril breathing is an ancient indian yogic practice of pranayama. It is a method of breathing in a systematic way, by inhalation and exhalation from either of the nostrils at a time.
Anulom and vilom are Sanskrit words. Anulom means ‘going in the natural way’ or ‘in order/direction’. While Vilom is ‘ reverse order’.
Anulom vilom pranayama starts with inhaling from the left nostril while the right nostril remains close, and exhalation from the right nostril while left remains close and vice versa.
What is Pranayama?
Prana means life force/vital force. Ayam means control.
Pranayama means control over the life force / Vital force
Read more on – What is Prana in Pranayam?
According to Hath yoga pradipika “ As long as the air remains in the body, it is called life. Death consists in the passing out of the air. It is, therefore, necessary to restrain the breath.”
According to Hath yoga pradapika, Pranayama is,
बद्ध-पद्मासनो योगी पराणं छन्द्रेण पूरयेत |
धारयित्वा यथा-शक्ति भूयः सूर्येण रेछयेत || ७ ||
पराणं सूर्येण छाकॄष्ह्य पूरयेदुदरं शनैः |
विधिवत्कुम्भकं कॄत्वा पुनश्छन्द्रेण रेछयेत || ८ ||
Assuming / Sit in the Padmâsana position, the Yogî should fill up their left nostril while closing their right, and then gently exhale through their right nostril, the sûrya nadi, while maintaining the confinement of their breath. After filling the belly with air through the sûrya (right nostril) and executing Kumbhaka as before, the air should be slowly ejected through the chandra (left nostril).
How Respiratory system work?
This is a detailed explanation of how the respiratory system functions:
Breathing in: Through the mouth or nose, air enters the body. The air is warmed, filtered and humidified by the nose.
Larynx and Pharynx: The larynx (voice box) and pharynx (throat) are where air travels through. Food and liquids are prevented from entering the airways by the larynx.
Trachea: The tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi, known as the trachea or windpipe, is where the air travels.
The bronchi and the bronchioles: Each of the two bronchi that emerge from the trachea leads to a single lung. The bronchi divide into smaller tubes called bronchioles inside the lungs.
Alveoli: Alveoli are the little air sacs at the end of the bronchioles. This is the location of gas exchange. Blood takes in oxygen from the surrounding air and releases carbon dioxide into the alveoli for exhalation.
Gas Exchange: Haemoglobin in red blood cells is bound by oxygen when it diffuses from the alveoli into the nearby capillaries. Waste product carbon dioxide diffuses into the alveoli from the blood
Exhalation: The diaphragm and other respiratory muscles loosen up, causing the air that is rich in carbon dioxide to leave the lungs along the same, but opposite, pathway.
Research on Anulom Vilom and lungs
- Lung Capacity & Vital Capacity – Capacity means maximum air can be expelled by a person through exhalation. Study shows that lung capacity has been increased., according to International journal of the health sciences and research & International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences
- Lung function and endurance: According to a research article published in Journal of ayurveda and integrative medicine -2017, It was found that there was significant boost in respiratory muscle endurance.
- Improvement in acute sinus due to anulom vilom – Research in 2013 suggested that anulom vilom pranayam for 30 mins a day can improve acute sinus condition.
- Cleansing of airway secretions – According to a research article published into the international journal of innovation and research in educational sciences, anulom vilom is decreasing the resistance to the air flow which will aid in full & free utility of alveoli in the respiratory system.
- Detoxification lungs and purification of blood in lungs: Anulom vilom practice is doing detoxification of lungs and it boosts the supply of oxygen in lungs hence it will increase the efficiency of blood purification.
- Increase muscle strength on lungs wall: Because of work hypertrophy, pranayam practice on a regular basis increases muscle strength and flexibility. By using the abdominal and diaphragmatic muscles more effectively, it raises thoracic and pulmonary compliances.
- Protracted expiratory period : Regular pranayama practice lowered breathing rate and lengthened expiratory phase.This results in a protracted expiratory period because the dorsal group of neurons may be blocked by the pneumotaxic and apneustic centres.This is not indicator of COPD disease, but nervous system will move away from the fight or flight action and goes into resting mode, it will have significant impact on mental and physical health.
- Impact on Vagus nerve due to anulom vilom : Vagus nerve is running from brain to large intestine. It is responsible for heart rate, digestion, blood pressure, speech, taste, urine and mucus in the body. Nobel Prize-winning physiologist Otto Loewi discovered that stimulating the vagus nerve caused a reduction in heart rate, anulom vilom can stimulate the vagus nerve.
Anulom Vilom Pranayama Or alternate nostril breathing is good practice to employ in day to day life for better ment of the health. I have been doing Anluom Vilom Pranayama and teaching the pranayam from last 15 years and many people get benefits of it.
