Ayurvedic remedy (vati) “The breath of the universe. The Respiratory System and the Influence of the Three Doshas Natural Breathing Technique in Ayurveda

Prana is the link between body, mind and consciousness. It is a constant movement of awareness. Irana transfers awareness to the object of perception, and this movement of awareness through prana is called attention. The internal movement of prana is the movement of sensation, thought, feeling and emotion. Thus, prana and mind are deeply interconnected.
The physical manifestation of prana is breath, so breath and mind are also closely related to each other. In Ayurveda, breathing is seen as the physical part of the mind, and thinking as the mental part of the breath. Every thought changes the rhythm of breathing and every breath changes the rhythm of thinking. When a person is happy, blissful and silent, his breathing is rhythmic. If he is disturbed by fear, anxiety, or nervousness, his breathing becomes uneven and irregular.
Rishis, Vedic seers, discovered this close relationship between breath and mental activity and created the art of pranayama. Pranayama is prana plus ayam. Ayam means "to control" and prana means "breath". By controlling the breath, we can control mental activity.

Secretpranayama
The Rishis also discovered an important difference between right and left breathing. You may have noticed that at times it is easier for you to breathe through the left nostril, and sometimes through the right. This shift occurs approximately

every 45 - 90 minutes. Just as the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain and vice versa, breathing predominantly through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain, and breathing predominantly through the right nostril activates the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with masculine energy, while the right hemisphere is associated with feminine energy. The left is for logical thinking, learning, exploration, aggressiveness, competition, and judgment. When we judge something, investigate something, and so on, the right respiratory cycle prevails in us and the left hemisphere of the brain is involved in active work. Quite the contrary, when the right hemisphere is active and the left breath cycle predominates, we manifest feminine energy, which is associated with love, compassion, intuition, art, poetry and religion. So when an artist paints a picture or a poet writes a poem, they are using some part of the right hemisphere. And when a scientist works in the laboratory, researching and solving a problem, he is using some part of the left hemisphere at that time.
The secret of pranayama is the secret of controlling the male and female energies operating in our nervous system. When we inhale through Alternating Nostrils pranayama through the left nostril, we charge the right side of the brain, and when we inhale through the right nostril, we charge the left side of the brain. When yogis perform Alternate Nostril breathing, their masculine and feminine energies precisely balance each other. When these energies are balanced, the neutral energy awakens and the yogi experiences pure awareness, which is called Brahman.
When we do pranayama, the nadis (subtle channels of the nervous system) are cleared, the mind becomes controlled, and we can move beyond the feminine and masculine energies into pure, non-discriminatory, passive awareness.
This is the basis of pranayama. There are many different pranayamas - for warming or cooling the body, for awakening more male or female energy, and so on.

SIXBREATHING EXERCISES

Pranayamaalternatingnostrils
A simple yet effective breathing exercise is Alternating Nostrils pranayama.
1. Perform this exercise while sitting comfortably on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight. If this position is uncomfortable for you, sit upright on the front of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at right angles.
2. Close the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand and inhale through the left nostril. Breathe deeply into your belly, not your chest.
3. After inhaling, briefly hold your breath.
4. Exhale through the right nostril, closing the left with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand.
5. Repeat the first three steps, this time starting with inhalation through the right nostril (pinching the left with the little finger and ring finger).
This breathing exercise can be done for 5 to 10 minutes.

NOTE: Despite its apparent simplicity, this pranayama, as well as others described in this book, is best learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Sitalipranayama (cooling breath)
Roll your tongue into a tube. Inhale slowly through your curled tongue, swallow, and then exhale through your nose in the normal way, keeping your mouth closed. You will feel how the incoming air cools the saliva, tongue and membranes of the oral mucosa.
Such breathing is useful for calming increased pitta. It lowers the temperature of the mouth, makes saliva cold, helps suppress thirst, and improves digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. Sitali is effective for high blood pressure, burning tongue or throat, cutting (burning) in the eyes. It cools the whole body.
If you cannot roll your tongue, then there is another way to perform Sitali - slightly clench your teeth and press your tongue against them. In this case, you inhale air through your teeth. Because some people feel pain when they draw in cold air through their teeth, pressing the tongue against their teeth will warm them up and prevent this discomfort.

Bhastrikapranayama (breathfire)
This breathing exercise increases lung capacity, relieves allergies and asthma, and helps keep the lungs strong and healthy. In addition, it warms the whole body.
Inhale passively (through the nose), and exhale actively and with little effort. Start slowly, gradually increasing the speed. Imagine a steam locomotive, which, moving slowly, picks up speed. Do a cycle of 30 exhalations, then rest for a minute. You can perform up to five cycles in the morning and five in the evening.

Bhramaripranayama (buzzing breath)
When inhaling, tighten the epiglottis so that a humming sound is produced. On exhalation, the sound should be low and long. Tradition has it that the higher sound of inhalation is like the buzz of a bee, and the deeper sound of exhalation is like the buzz of a bumblebee.14
If you find it difficult to make a humming sound as you inhale, simply inhale deeply with your belly and make a humming sound as you exhale.
While performing Bhramari, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the soft palate near the back of the larynx. Make sure your teeth are not clenched.
Bhramari makes the voice more melodic. The buzz causes the nervous system to vibrate - it's a kind of brain sound therapy. In addition, it is useful for the thyroid, parathyroid and thymus glands. Do ten breaths at a time. 14 When expressing surprise, this sound occurs naturally with inhalation through the nose. It also occurs spontaneously on inspiration with fright or sudden pain, but is usually inhaled through the mouth. This sound will be obtained if you try to pronounce the letter “n” while inhaling with your mouth closed. As you exhale, you can pronounce the letter “m” for this purpose. (Ed. note)

Ujjayipranayama (breathvictories)
Sit in Vajrasana or Lotus position with your hands on your knees, palms up. Keep your chest, neck, and head in a straight line so that your spine is straight. Lightly press your chin to your chest, pulling your head back and at the same time lowering it to your chest. Bring your awareness to the throat area.
The next step may be a bit difficult for you. Be careful. Without actually swallowing, begin the swallowing motion to lift the larynx up. At the same time, tighten the epiglottis, as if silently "pronouncing" the letter "and", and slowly, deeply inhale from the stomach. The inhaled air will make a gentle hissing sound.
Inhaling, swallow and hold your breath for a short while, then slowly exhale, contracting the epiglottis again - as if buzzing, but making a hissing sound instead of a buzzing sound.15
Performing Ujjayi is a great pleasure. The mind calms down, the intercostal muscles relax and there is actually a feeling of victory. Ujjayi has a beneficial effect on all three doshas and helps restore their original balanced combination - prakriti. This pranayama promotes longevity. Do twelve breaths at one time. 15 This hissing sound is not at all difficult to produce both on inhalation and exhalation, but it is more difficult to explain how to do it. We can say that this is the same sound as in Bhramari, but made in a whisper. (Ed. note)

Surya bhedi pranayama (right nostril breathing)
To breathe through the right nostril only, plug the left nostril with cotton or lightly press it with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand. Inhale and exhale through the right nostril. Do ten breaths at a time. This pranayama activates the masculine, active aspect in the body and mind and improves digestion.

Prana is the link between body, mind and consciousness. It is a constant movement of awareness. Irana transfers awareness to the object of perception, and this movement of awareness through prana is called attention. The internal movement of prana is the movement of sensation, thought, feeling and emotion. Thus, prana and mind are deeply interconnected.

The physical manifestation of prana is breath, so breath and mind are also closely related to each other. In Ayurveda, breathing is seen as the physical part of the mind and thinking as the mental part of the breath. Every thought changes the rhythm of breathing and every breath changes the rhythm of thinking. When a person is happy, blissful and silent, his breathing is rhythmic. If he is disturbed by fear, anxiety, or nervousness, his breathing becomes uneven and irregular.

^ Rishi, Vedic seers discovered this close relationship between breath and mental activity and created the art of pranayama. Pranayama- This prana plus ayam. Ayam means "to control" and prana means "breath". By controlling the breath, we can control mental activity.

^ Secret of Pranayama

The Rishis also discovered an important difference between right and left breathing. You may have noticed that at times it is easier for you to breathe through the left nostril, and sometimes through the right. This shift occurs approximately every 45 to 90 minutes. Just as the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain and vice versa, breathing predominantly through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain, and breathing predominantly through the right nostril activates the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with masculine energy, and the right hemisphere with feminine. The left is for logical thinking, learning, exploration, aggressiveness, competition, and judgment. When we judge something, investigate something, and so on, the right respiratory cycle prevails in us and the left hemisphere of the brain is involved in active work. Quite the contrary, when the right hemisphere is active and the left breath cycle predominates, we manifest feminine energy, which is associated with love, compassion, intuition, art, poetry and religion. So when an artist paints a picture or a poet writes a poem, they are using some part of the right hemisphere. And when a scientist works in the laboratory, researching and solving a problem, he is using some part of the left hemisphere at that time.

The secret of pranayama is the secret of controlling the male and female energies operating in our nervous system. When we inhale through Alternating Nostrils pranayama through the left nostril, we charge the right side of the brain, and when we inhale through the right nostril, we charge the left side of the brain. When yogis perform Alternate Nostril breathing, their masculine and feminine energies precisely balance each other. When these energies are balanced, the neutral energy awakens and the yogi experiences pure awareness, which is called Brahman.

When we perform pranayama, the nadi(subtle channels of the nervous system), the mind becomes controlled and we can move beyond the feminine and masculine energies into pure, nondiscriminatory, passive awareness.

This is the basis of pranayama. There are many different pranayamas - for warming or cooling the body, for awakening more masculine or feminine energy, and so on.

^ SIX BREATHING EXERCISES

Pranayama alternating nostrils

A simple yet effective breathing exercise is Alternating Nostrils pranayama.

1. Perform this exercise while sitting comfortably on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight. If this position is uncomfortable for you, sit upright on the front of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at right angles.

2. Close the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand and inhale through the left nostril. Breathe deeply into your belly, not your chest.

3. After inhaling, briefly hold your breath.

4. Exhale through the right nostril, closing the left with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand.

5. Repeat the first three steps, this time starting with inhalation through the right nostril (pinching the left with the little finger and ring finger).

This breathing exercise can be done for 5 to 10 minutes.

NOTE: Despite its apparent simplicity, this pranayama, as well as others described in this book, is best learned under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

^ Sitali pranayama (cooling breath)

Roll your tongue into a tube. Inhale slowly through your curled tongue, swallow, and then exhale through your nose in the normal way, keeping your mouth closed. You will feel how the incoming air cools the saliva, tongue and membranes of the oral mucosa.

Such breathing is useful for calming increased pitta. It lowers the temperature of the mouth, makes saliva cold, helps suppress thirst, and improves digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. Sitali is effective for high blood pressure, burning tongue or throat, cutting (burning) in the eyes. It cools the whole body.

If you cannot roll your tongue into a tube, then there is another way to perform Sitali - slightly clench your teeth and press your tongue against them. In this case, you inhale air through your teeth. Because some people feel pain when they draw in cold air through their teeth, pressing the tongue against their teeth will warm them up and prevent this discomfort.

^ Bhastrika pranayama (breath of fire)

This breathing exercise increases lung capacity, relieves allergies and asthma, and helps keep the lungs strong and healthy. In addition, it warms the whole body.

Inhale passively (through the nose), and exhale actively and with little effort. Start slowly, gradually increasing the speed. Imagine a steam locomotive, which, moving slowly, picks up speed. Do a cycle of 30 exhalations, then rest for a minute. You can perform up to five cycles in the morning and five in the evening.

^ Bhramari pranayama (humming breath)

When inhaling, tighten the epiglottis so that a humming sound is produced. On exhalation, the sound should be low and long. It is traditionally said that the higher sound of inhalation is like the buzz of a bee, and the deeper sound of exhalation is like the buzz of a bumblebee. fourteen

If you find it difficult to make a humming sound as you inhale, simply inhale deeply with your belly and make a humming sound as you exhale.

While performing Bhramari, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the soft palate near the back of the larynx. Make sure your teeth are not clenched.

Bhramari makes the voice more melodic. The buzz causes the nervous system to vibrate - it's a kind of brain sound therapy. In addition, it is useful for the thyroid, parathyroid and thymus glands. Do ten breaths at a time.

14 When expressing surprise, this sound occurs naturally with inhalation through the nose. It also occurs spontaneously on inspiration with fright or sudden pain, but is usually inhaled through the mouth. This sound will be obtained if you try to pronounce the letter “n” while inhaling with your mouth closed. As you exhale, you can pronounce the letter “m” for this purpose. (Note ed.)

^ Ujjayi pranayama (breath of victory)

Sit in Vajrasana or Lotus position with your hands on your knees, palms up. Keep your chest, neck, and head in a straight line so that your spine is straight. Lightly press your chin to your chest, pulling your head back and at the same time lowering it to your chest. Bring your awareness to the throat area.

The next step may be a bit difficult for you. Be careful. Without actually swallowing, begin the swallowing motion to lift the larynx up. At the same time, tighten the epiglottis, as if silently "pronouncing" the letter "and", and slowly, deeply inhale from the stomach. The inhaled air will make a gentle hissing sound.

Inhaling, swallow and hold your breath for a short while, then exhale slowly, contracting the epiglottis again - as if buzzing, but at the same time making not a buzzing, but a hissing sound. fifteen

Performing Ujjayi is a great pleasure. The mind calms down, the intercostal muscles relax and there is actually a feeling of victory. Ujjayi has a beneficial effect on all three doshas and helps restore their original balanced combination - prakriti. This pranayama promotes longevity. Do twelve breaths at one time.

15 This hissing sound is not at all difficult to produce both on inhalation and exhalation, but it is more difficult to explain how to do it. We can say that this is the same sound as in Bhramari, but made in a whisper. (Ed. note)

^ Surya bhedi pranayama (right nostril breathing)

To breathe through the right nostril only, plug the left nostril with cotton or lightly press it with the little finger and ring finger of the right hand. Inhale and exhale through the right nostril. Do ten breaths at a time. This pranayama activates the masculine, active aspect in the body and mind and improves digestion.

^ Chapter 7

Meditation is the art of creating harmony in the body, mind and consciousness. A life filled with meditation is full of bliss and beauty. Life without meditation is stressful, preoccupied and delusional.

In ancient times, meditation was often considered a way of life. Indeed, meditation is not something separate from everyday life. First, the practice of meditation requires regular practice and is therefore part of everyday life. Secondly, if you have already practiced some kind of meditation and have mastered it, the experience remains with you and manifests itself in every aspect of life.

Whatever method of meditation you use, whatever system you follow according to your teacher's instructions, please continue to do so.

^ What is and what is not meditation?

Meditation is not concentration. Concentration narrows the mind, and a narrow mind is a limited mind. A limited, directed and focused mind is needed to view objects, solve problems, learn a language, operate machines, and so on. We need him. But not in meditation.

When we concentrate, we build a wall of resistance and lose energy in trying to control the mind. Some people meditate in this way for an hour, and when they finish, they feel tired, because they spent this hour in a ceaseless struggle, denying everything in the world, saying no to all thoughts and perceptions, and trying to focus their minds.

Concentration excludes everything, while meditation, on the contrary, includes everything. Meditation is open, nondiscriminating awareness. Everything has a right to exist in meditation. Meditation says yes to everything, while concentration says no to everything.

Concentration is an effort. But wherever there is effort, there is one who makes it. The effort is made by the ego. So concentration feeds the ego - the more concentration, the more ego.

In meditation there is no effort and no one who makes it. And so meditation is freedom. You just sit quietly and listen to everything, whether it is the chirping of a bird, the cry of a child, or the rustle of leaves. Every sound is welcome, let it reach you. When you listen to the sound, you become the center, and the sound becomes something outside, rushing towards you to meet you.

Listening to any sound without judgment or criticism, without liking or disliking, you become the center and all sounds rush towards you to dissolve into you. Give in to the sound. Let it pass through you. Don't resist.

And then something magical happens. You become empty. You become a silent pure being.

When a light breeze touches you, let it penetrate you. No effort, no resistance. Remember that peace and quiet is not the opposite of sound. Every sound dissolves into silence. That silence is you, and the sound comes to meet you and dissolve into you.

Look at any object - a tree, a flower or a wall. Let there be no choice, no judgment, just impartial observation.

Awareness is an act of listening, an act of looking. It requires no effort, no concentration. In awareness, in meditation, concentration happens naturally. It is given as a gift. But when you choose to focus, you miss meditation.

In an expanded, empty state of consciousness, thinking stops, breathing becomes still, and one simply exists as pure awareness. This state is filled with joy, beauty and love. The individual consciousness merges with the Cosmic Consciousness and transcends time and thought.

In this state, it doesn't matter if your eyes are open or closed. It comes uninvited, like a breeze, because that state is your true nature: love, bliss, beauty, and awareness. There is no fear, no depression, no anxiety, no anxiety, no stress. A person becomes an impartial witness to anxieties, worries and stress. In this state, healing occurs.

Meditation is closely related to discipline. Discipline means learning, and one who learns is called a student. We need to learn the art of discipline. Discipline means order. Thought has its proper place, desire its proper place, work its proper place, and duty its proper place. Discipline brings harmony to life. Therefore, discipline and meditation are inseparable from each other. There is no meditation without discipline, and there can be no discipline without meditation. In fact, they are one whole. A meditating mind is a disciplined mind.

The so-called concentrated mind is the controlling mind. A preoccupied mind rules. But a free, alert and aware mind is filled with bliss. This is a disciplined mind. Discipline is the flavor of life. Without this fragrance, life does not become a holiday.

When meditating, sit with your back straight. If you can, sit in the Lotus (or Half Lotus, if that's more comfortable for you) position. If you feel uncomfortable, you can sit in a chair, but also keep your spine straight.

With persistent practice, you can extend the time spent in the Lotus position to one, two or even three hours. One who properly sits in the lotus posture for three hours every day will soon attain enlightenment.

Sitting in the Lotus position helps to open the spiritual heart. Breathing becomes calm, thinking automatically slows down and stops. Going beyond thinking means going beyond suffering, because it is thinking that creates suffering.

^ EMPTY BOWL MEDITATION

Sit quietly and comfortably, put your hands on your knees, open your palms and turn them up, like empty bowls. Open your mouth slightly and touch your tongue to the palate behind your front teeth.

Bring your attention to your breathing. Let the lungs breathe without any effort on your part. Just watch the movement of your breath.

When you inhale, the air touches the nasal passages. Be aware of this. When you exhale, the air again passes through the nostrils. The incoming air is cold, the outgoing air is warm. Enter your nose, move the focus to it! Stay in the nostril and watch your breath: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Let the lungs do their job. You just sit and watch.

After about five minutes, begin to follow the breath: when the lungs inhale, move along with the air into the throat, trachea, lungs, to the heart area and diaphragm. Go deep down past your navel where it will naturally stop. For a fraction of a second, breathing stops. Stay at that stopping point, and then as the lungs exhale, follow the breath back. Ascend from the navel to the diaphragm, heart, lungs, trachea and throat, back to the nose, and finally out of the body.

When exhaling, the air leaves the body about nine inches (approximately 23 cm) from the tip of the nose and makes a second stop. Stop for a moment at this place.

Both pauses in breathing are very important. The first of them occurs behind the navel, the second - in the space outside the body. When awareness is there, time stops because time is the movement of the breath. When the breath stops, the mind also stops, because the mind is the movement of the breath. When the mind is stopped, you simply exist, with no body, no mind, and no breath.

You become like an empty cup, and when you become an empty cup, the divine lips can touch you. God comes to you to pour out his love. You do not need to seek God, for God himself is looking for you. God is looking for an empty cup to fill with his love. But all cups are filled with desire, ambition, business, competition, success and failure.

Just sit quietly and be at a stop. This stop is the door. Enter this door and jump into the inner abyss. You will feel that you are surrounded by incredible peace and serenity.

Practice this meditation for 15 minutes in the morning and evening. As the days, weeks and months go by, you will find that the time spent in the stops increases until eventually the inner and outer stops merge and everything happens within you.

NOTE: If you feel more comfortable, you can practice this meditation while lying down.

^ SO-HUM MEDITATION

In meditation, So-Hum sit quietly and watch their breath, as in the Empty Bowl meditation, but add sound to this. ^ Co inhale and sound Hum on exhalation (this is done silently - sounds are not pronounced aloud).

When sound, breath and awareness unite, they become light. We know that any atom emits quanta of waves - light and heat energy. The moment we become aware of So-Hum by paying attention to our breath, the breath becomes a quantum wave and radiates light. This light of life can be seen with the third eye.

Breathing in is living, breathing out is dying. When a child is born, the inspiration of life is expressed in its first breath. When someone dies, they say about him that he gave up his spirit. The breath is out. l 6

^ Hum means "I", or individual ego. So means "He, the Divine." Therefore, in the natural course of this meditation, along with So, the energy of life enters us, and with Hum, the ego, a limited individuality, comes out. This is the meaning of So-Hum meditation. When you breathe in So, you breathe in life. When you breathe out Hum, you breathe out ego and narrowness.

Correctly performed So-Hum meditation leads to the connection of the individual with the universal Cosmic Consciousness. You will go beyond thinking, beyond space and time, cause and effect. All restrictions will disappear.

Your consciousness will empty itself, and once empty, it will begin to expand. This will be accompanied by joy and peace.

16 The English text uses the words inspiration and expiration, meaning not only inhalation and exhalation, but also inspiration and expiration, and, thus, more accurately convey the meaning of what was said. In Russian, one could use the words inspiration and breath, but the first word is not used for inhalation, and the second is not used at all (although they say, for example, the mare died). (Note ed.)

^ BIDIRECTIONAL ATTENTION (WITNESS)

In Vedic science, witnessing is called samyag darshan. It means "to look outward and inward at the same time."

When we look at a tree, a star, a mountain, or a flower, something comes out of the eyes, touches the object, and comes back. What comes out of the eyes to touch the object of perception, we call attention. According to Ayurveda, attention is the transfer by outgoing prana of the vibration of awareness to an object. Thus, attention is a combination of awareness and prana (movement).

In samyag darshan, while one arrow of attention goes outward and touches the object, the second arrow of attention goes inward to the center of the heart and observes the observer. While you are looking at the external object, at the same time look at the one who is looking, observe the observer. If you observe the observer, that observer disappears. Merely observing - without the observer - is called witnessing. When witnessing, a closer connection with the object of perception arises, and you can better understand it.

^ Chapter 8. Ayurvedic recommendations for nutrition.

The purpose of this chapter is to help you choose the optimal diet for balance, harmony and health. Most health conscious people today already understand that good nutrition plays an important role in healing and maintaining health, while improper nutrition usually leads to poor health and low vitality.

The Ayurvedic tradition includes knowledge about what kind of food is suitable for a particular person to keep his doshas in balance, how to properly prepare food, what food combinations to avoid, what eating habits to develop and what to get rid of. These topics, with the exception of detailed cooking recommendations, will be discussed in this chapter. (Interested readers can find cooking advice in the book "Ayurveda. Healing food" Ushi Lad and Vasanta Lada 17.)

17 The book is being prepared for publication in Russian. (Ed. note)

^ FOOD FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTITUTION

What you eat should suit your constitution. Ideally, you should know exactly your constitution and understand how it relates to the qualities of food, in particular how food will affect the balance of the doshas. To do this, you need to take into account the taste of food, such qualities as heaviness and lightness, moisture and dryness, liquid and hardness, know whether this food is cooling or warming, know its effect after digestion.

If you have a desire to master this knowledge, you can study the theory of Ayurveda in more depth (see the section "Additional literature"). Otherwise, you can rely on the recommendations below, in which these factors are already taken into account.

Food marked "no" is able to excite the corresponding dosha, while food marked "yes" balances it. When planning your diet, choose foods that promote balance and avoid foods that increase the doshas that are currently aroused or increased in your body, and if not, the doshas that predominate in your constitution.

“no” means that in most cases you should avoid its use, and if you still want it, then you need to observe moderation or take measures to compensate for its effect. For example, apples, if eaten raw, greatly irritate vata. But if you bake them and eat them warm with a little ghee and warming spices like cardamom or cinnamon, then in moderation this dish is quite suitable for vata individuals.

Take into account the time of year. For example, summer is the season of pitta, and at this time it is not good at all, especially for people whose constitution is dominated by pitta, to eat too much hot spicy food, which greatly increases pitta. Similarly, in autumn, when the air is dry and cold and the atmosphere is saturated with vata, everyone, especially people with a vata constitution, should avoid dried fruits, salads, cold dishes, and other foods that irritate vata. In winter and early spring, during the heavy, cold and wet season of kapha, cold foods and drinks, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, melons and other foods that increase kapha should not be consumed.

Individuals with a dual constitution (that is, a constitution in which the two dominant doshas are approximately equal) need to take into account some additional considerations. They are quite simple and consist in the fact that, for example, a vata-pitta individual needs to avoid food that increases vata in autumn and winter (while not allowing an excessive increase in pitta), and in summer to minimize the consumption of food that irritates pitta (watching for so that vata is also not excited). In other words, it can be expressed as follows: in the fall, food that balances vata should be preferred, and in the summer - food that calms pitta.

Below I will give general guidelines for compiling a diet to balance the doshas.

cotton wool

50% grain products - whole grain cereals, some bread

20% protein - eggs, high quality dairy products, poultry, fish, seafood, meat, tofu, red and black lentils

PITTA

50% grain products - whole grain wheat bread, cereal products (corn flakes, etc.), oatmeal, cooked grains

20% protein - legumes (except lentils), tofu, tempeh, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh milk, chicken and turkey (white meat only), shrimp, rabbit, venison

20 - 30% vegetables and optionally 10% fresh fruit

kapha

30 - 40% of grain products - dry rye bread, dry semi-finished grain products, subjected to culinary processing of grain.

20% protein - chicken, turkey, soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, small amounts of goat's milk, most legumes (including chickpeas, aduki, kidney beans, red lentils, black and white beans, mung beans, shelled peas, black eyed peas)

40 - 50% fresh vegetables, optionally 10% dried or fresh fruit. It is good to eat salads every day.

^ SIX FLAVOR

The taste of food is of great importance because it has a direct effect on the doshas. According to Ayurveda, each food product (as well as each plant) has a specific taste. When used in the right amounts, flavors balance the body's systems.

The taste buds on the tongue form six groups corresponding to the six tastes distinguished in Ayurveda: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy and astringent. These six basic tastes come from the five elements:

Earth + Water = Sweet

Earth + Fire = Sour

Water + Fire = Salty

Fire + Air = Sharp

Air + Ether = Bitter

Air + Earth = Astringent

Different groups of taste buds on the tongue perceive different tastes and send corresponding signals to the brain, from where come commands that affect not only digestion, but also all cells, tissues, organs and systems of the body.

Sweet

Sweet taste is present in foods such as rice, sugar, milk, wheat, dates, maple syrup. Sweet-tasting foods tend to be moisturizing, cooling, and heavy in quality. The sweet taste is refreshing. When consumed in moderation, it is good for the body and promotes the growth of all seven dhatus (plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and nervous tissue, reproductive tissue). Proper use of this flavor gives strength and longevity. It sharpens the senses, improves appearance, voice, promotes good skin and hair condition. Sweet taste reduces thirst, relieves heartburn and gives strength. It promotes stability.

Despite these positive qualities, excessive consumption of sweets can cause many diseases. Sweet food increases kapha and can cause colds, coughs, congestion, heaviness, loss of appetite, laziness and obesity. In addition, it can provoke lymphatic congestion, tumors, dropsy, diabetes and fibrocystic mastopathy.

Sour

Foods that taste sour are citrus fruits, sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, cheese, and fermented foods. By their nature, acidic foods are usually liquid, light, warming, and moist. Used in moderation, they refresh, whet the appetite, increase salivation, improve digestion, energize the body, nourish the heart, and lighten the mind.

When abused, the sour taste can cause thirst, acidity, heartburn, indigestion, peptic ulcers, and tooth sensitivity. Due to its fermenting action, consumed in excessive amounts, it can be toxic to the blood and cause skin conditions, including dermatitis, acne, eczema, furunculosis, and psoriasis. Its hot quality can acidify the body and cause burning in the throat, chest, heart, bladder and urethra.

Salty

Examples of substances that have a salty taste are sea and rock salt, sea kale. In terms of its qualities, salty taste is warming, heavy and moisturizing. When used in moderation, it reduces vata and increases pitta and kapha. The water element gives it a laxative effect, and thanks to the fire element, it reduces spasms and pain in the colon. In moderation, it promotes growth and maintains fluid and electrolyte balance, stimulates salivation, and aids in digestion and absorption, as well as waste removal.

Too much salt in the diet can excite pitta and kapha, make the blood thick and viscous, cause puffiness, high blood pressure, and worsen skin conditions. Hot flashes, fainting, wrinkling, and baldness can also be caused by excessive salt intake. A number of other disorders, including patchy hair loss, ulcers, hemorrhagic conditions, skin rashes, and hyperacidity, can result from salty taste abuse.

Spicy

A sharp taste is present in various types of pepper (black, cayenne, chili), onions, radishes, garlic, mustard, ginger. By its nature, it is light, drying and warming. With moderate use, it improves digestion and absorption, cleanses the oral cavity. It eliminates congestion in the nasopharynx by stimulating the formation of tears and nasal discharge. The pungent taste promotes blood circulation, breaks down blood clots, aids in waste removal, and has an antiseptic effect. It gives clarity to perception.

On the other hand, the abuse of spicy taste in the daily diet can cause negative reactions. It can cause emaciation, impair sexual and reproductive power, and lead to infertility in both women and men. It can cause suffocation, a burning sensation, fainting, and extreme fatigue accompanied by fever and thirst. Excessive use of pungent taste excites pitta and can cause diarrhea, heartburn, and nausea. Since the element of air is included in the pungent taste, it can excite vata, causing dizziness, tremors in the limbs, insomnia and pain in the legs. In addition, the result of excessive consumption of spicy food can be stomach ulcers, asthma, colitis, skin diseases.

Bitter

Coffee, aloe, rhubarb, medicinal plants such as curly sorrel, fenugreek, turmeric, dandelion root, sandalwood have a bitter taste. The bitter taste is usually lacking in the diet of people living in northern latitudes. It is cold, light and dry in nature and increases vata and reduces pitta and kapha. Although the bitter taste itself is not very pleasant, it restores the sense of taste, enhancing the sensation of other tastes. It has a bactericidal effect, eliminates toxins, helps to get rid of burning sensations and itching, fainting and intractable skin diseases. Bitter taste reduces fever, gives elasticity to the skin and muscles. In small quantities, it promotes digestion, suppresses gas formation in the intestines. Having a drying effect on the body, it reduces the amount of fat, bone marrow, the volume of urine and feces.

The abuse of bitter taste can cause exhaustion of all the dhatus of the body, extreme dryness, emaciation and fatigue. Sometimes there is dizziness and loss of consciousness.

This talk "Ayurveda and Breathing" was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in January 1997 in Santa Monica, California. Life has four characteristics. It exists, develops, expresses itself and fades away. And in order for it to exist, develop, express itself and fade away, it depends on five elements: earth, water, air, ether and fire.

19.03.2012
To breathe correctly means to breathe in such a way that the lungs are completely filled with air, so that the body receives the maximum oxygen it needs, and so that this oxygen is fully absorbed by all tissues down to every cell. In this article, we will look at three basic breathing exercises: lower, energetic abdominal, and full.

19.03.2012
To breathe correctly means to breathe in such a way that the lungs are completely filled with air, so that the body receives the maximum oxygen it needs, and so that this oxygen is fully absorbed by all tissues down to every cell. This is how babies breathe. Such breathing is planned for us by nature. And it's natural!

02.03.2012
The term "holotropic" comes from the Greek words "whole" and "moving towards...", and means "aimed at restoring wholeness" or "moving towards wholeness." Stanislav Grof, based on thirty years of experience in studying the therapeutic possibilities of altered states of consciousness...

15.02.2012
Ayurveda is one of many traditional medical systems that emphasizes breathing through the nose as a way of harmonious development of the personality. Babies breathe this way from birth, but as they get older, they begin to breathe more through their mouths. In traditional nasal breathing medicine, parents teach their children to continue breathing through their nose...

13.12.2011
In her system of natural healing, Shatalova pays considerable attention to breathing. Breathing sets the tone for the emotional mood of a person, his mental activity, blood circulation, nutrition, thermoregulation - all the most important life processes of the human body.

18.11.2011
Breathing is inextricably linked with human life. While we live, we breathe. Most of the breathing process takes place unconsciously. As we breathe, so we live. Breathing is a way of natural energy exchange of a person with the outside world. Therefore, one can observe the inextricable connection between breathing and attention, the thought process, the flow of consciousness, the state of the physical body, the emotional state...

14.11.2011
The film tells about 5 secrets of breathing, which are very important for the human body, because they allow you to maintain health and longevity. Our life begins with inhalation and ends with exhalation. It is believed that each person is given a certain number of breaths. And it turns out that most people do not breathe correctly, because no one taught them to do this.

17.10.2011
Understanding the mechanism of breathing through the nostrils is the basis of the ancient science of swara yoga ("unification through breathing"). The founders and followers of this system of self-realization observed changes in the rhythm of breathing, changes in the body and consciousness. Their observations led to the knowledge whereby any person can synchronize their own internal rhythms with the rhythms of the Cosmos...

03.08.2011
Dr. Swami Sivananda pays great attention to proper breathing and specific breathing exercises in the treatment of overweight. Breathing can be seen as a kind of biological barometer that measures our physical and mental state...

11.06.2011
The effectiveness of this exercise, without exaggeration, is amazing. Example: The 70-year-old mother of the editor of this book was actually cured of emphysema only through the regular practice of this exercise. Vrajana Pranayama should be practiced during daily morning and evening walks in places free from dust and smoke, where the air is fresh and the surroundings are conducive to pleasant reflection...

Vati is the traditional tablet form of Ayurvedic medicines. In Ayurveda, medicinal formulations are used in the form of churn (powders), quats (granules), prashas (pastes) and wati (tablets). Vathi retain the power of herbs longer and are more often produced by Ayurvedic manufacturers for export. For their manufacture, both ground herbs and herbal pastes and extracts are used. The method of producing wati differs in different regions of India, so in Kerala, to mix cooked herbs with a liquid (this process is called "bhavana"), the latter is taken quite a bit, after which tablets are prepared from the resulting paste. In western India, a 1:1 ratio is used and the resulting composition is ground in mortars again to a dry mixture.

By the way, the illogical effect of Ayurvedic preparations can be seen in the example of the mentioned process of mixing herbs with liquids. Bhavana fits the definition of "processing that gives an object other properties." So the process of mixing ground ginger with ginger juice in a remedy called "Vishvabheshaya vati" can enhance the properties of the former by 7 times.

The "Breath of the Universe" preparation lowers vata and kapha, equalizes pitta, increases agni, reduces ama. Improves metabolic processes in all tissues (dhatu) and organs, especially in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. It is recommended to take in various diseases of vata dosha (vata vyadi). Affects problems associated with jumps in mood or psyche (imbalance of vata (wind)). Removes blocks in the respiratory, nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems. Improves sluggish digestion and metabolism.

Improper eating and lifestyle habits weaken the digestive system. As a result, food is not digested enough and ama (toxins) are formed in the body. Ama is heavy and sticky in quality, it blocks the channels, pollutes the doshas. Vata is a combination of ether and air. This dosha is responsible for movement, it is with its help that other doshas move. Vata dosha has five types: prana vayu (breathing), udana vayu (speech), samana vayu (digestion), vyana vayu (cell nutrition) and apana vayu (bodily functions below the navel: urination, defecation, menstruation, ejaculation and childbirth) . While vata permeates the entire body, its main sites are the colon, rectum, bladder, pelvis, lower limbs, bones, ears, and skin. As a rule, apana vayu moves from its location in the lower abdomen in a circular direction and downwards, but blocked by ama, it shifts and deviates from its normal path and moves upwards. Subsequently, it pushes prana vayu upwards, which moves pitta, kapha and ama to the airways and head. Ultimately, doshas that are out of balance and localized cause physical problems: headaches, acidity, flatulence, burning. There is also an imbalance on the mental level, there are feelings of anxiety and depression, a feeling of disharmony in the whole body.

"Breath of the Universe" regulates digestion by stimulating jathar agni (digestive fire) and dhatu agni (metabolic fire in the tissues) and promotes the production of essential stomach enzymes. The drug also penetrates deep through the accumulated ama, as a result of which it directs the apana vayu in a normal direction - down and restores the normal movement of prana vayu. In addition, the "Breath of the Universe" reduces excess vata and is especially good for indigestion due to nervous disorders, anxiety and depression, because as a result of improving digestion, it has a beneficial effect on the mind and emotions.

The herbs in this remedy remove gases from the intestines, reduce pain and bloating. They promote digestion and improve the absorption of trace elements. They help reduce ama that clogs the gastrointestinal tract and promote necessary and normal peristalsis.

The herbs in the "Breath of the Universe" preparation are rich in essential oils that stimulate the nerve endings of the gastrointestinal tract (samana and apana vayu - the forces of vata that control the biochemical processes in the stomach and intestines), ensuring digestion and preventing the accumulation of undigested food products.

By dissolving blockages in all channels, meals, they improve the processes in the nervous system and relieve spasms and pain. They improve the overall mood and prana in the body.

Impact on doshas

Vata-anuloman. The composition includes herbs that have a carminative effect, bring vata to its natural state, contributing to its harmonious movement in the body.

Kaphashamak. Balances (reduces) kapha (mucus) and removes toxins from the body.

Wataghna. The herbs that make up the formula moisturize, lubricate the tissues, reduce vata in the last stage of digestion due to their heavy qualities, relieve vata pathologies, including pain, numbness, weakness, dizziness.

Impact on agni

Dipan. Stimulates appetite, production of gastric juice and other enzymes that promote digestion.

Pachan. Affects the production of enzymes that promote digestion in the intestines.

Krimighna. It has an anthelmintic, antibacterial, antiamebic effect, neutralizes the harmful flora that produces ama, reduces the fire of digestion, disrupts the production of enzymes in the stomach and intestines.

Impact on meal

Vedana and sthapan. Relieves abdominal pain and colic.

Tikshna. It has the ability to penetrate deeply into tissues, bypassing the blocks created by ama, almost instantly, without waiting for the end of the digestion process.

Ayurveda covers all aspects of human health, including the respiratory system. Each element of Ayurveda (dosha) refers to a specific organ or organ system and affects it.

Kapha is the dosha of water in the body, which accumulates mainly in the lungs and in the human stomach. The mucus that forms in the stomach enters the lungs of a person and accumulates there, and from there it can flow to other parts of the body and cause disorders and diseases. Violations of Kapha dosha are most often manifested as acute respiratory infections or colds, inflammation of the lymph nodes, pneumonia or asthma, and other diseases of the respiratory system.

However, the lungs are the place where Vata dosha often manifests. It is through the lungs that vital energy enters the human body. If diseases of the respiratory system are accompanied by a breakdown, severe shortness of breath or dehydration, for example, tuberculosis, then this is primarily a Vata dosha disorder.

Pitta is a dosha that is often associated with infectious diseases of the respiratory system.

Whatever your constitution (the ratio of the three doshas in the body), poor digestion leads to the accumulation of mucus, and this is a sign of weakening Agni (fire) in the body, although it is not evidence of high Kapha. In Ayurvedic medicine, the main way to treat respiratory diseases is to increase the digestive fire.

Deterioration of digestion, prolonged exposure to cold weather, changes in weather or seasons, poor mental state, improper breathing practices and insufficient physical activity or overload lead to respiratory diseases. On the mental level, the causes of such diseases are fear, sadness or attachment.

Methods of treatment

Treatment involves an integrated approach, namely, the combination of pranayama (breathing exercises) and other yogic practices with the right diet, as well as the use of medicinal herbs.

Herbal treatment

Provides for the local application of herbal extracts, oils and decoctions, including "nasya" - the introduction of oils and decoctions through the nose, gargling with herbal decoctions, lubricating the chest, back and head with pastes or oils, smoking herbs.

One of the tonic recipes: two parts of elecampane and two parts of comfrey, one part of ginger, one part of cinnamon and the same amount of licorice. In this composition for Kapha, you need to add calamus or cloves, and for Vata, add ginseng or ashwagandha. For Pitta in the recipe, you need to change elecampane for burdock root.

Vomit therapy

Vamana is a therapy for cleansing the body through vomiting, the basis for the treatment of Kapha disorders in Ayurveda. This is a very powerful and effective type of therapy, but it also requires extreme caution. It is not recommended to use such treatment on your own, it is better to do it in special clinics where Panchakarma methods are used, and under the supervision of a doctor who practices Ayurveda. After the patient is fully trained in this technique, it can be applied independently. For people with Kapha predominance in the body, it is useful to do stomach and lung cleansing procedures on a regular basis. This will not only improve the body, but also prolong life. For those who are not suitable for such therapy, a similar result can be achieved through a special diet and expectorant and mucus-dispersing herbs, but the treatment process will be longer.

Pranayama

In the long-term treatment of diseases of the pulmonary system, it is imperative to use the yogic system of breathing practices - Pranayama. This breath control system is very effective in the treatment of diseases such as asthma and chronic allergies. If you learn how to properly control your breathing, you can increase your energy level, improve blood circulation and increase your stamina.

Basic principles:

You can not forcibly hold your breath;

Inhalation should be 2 times longer than exhalation;

It is necessary to perform pranayama only in the correct posture (asana), otherwise the exercise will be ineffective, as the lungs will be compressed and breathing will be difficult.

You can not practice pranayama on your own, without the help of an experienced mentor or doctor, as well as in acute asthma attacks.

Solar Pranayama is used for violation of Kapha. It is performed as inhalation through the right nostril and exhalation through the left, exhaling - hold the breath. If you have a Pitta constitution, or if there is inflammation in the lungs, then it is worth performing Lunar Pranayama - inhale through the left nostril, and exhale through the right.

If you have a state of Vata, then it is better to perform these two pranayamas alternately or inhale and exhale through both nostrils at the same time (So-Ham pranayama). If you have dryness, cough (dry) insomnia, Lunar Pranayama is recommended, while holding your breath while inhaling.

Performing So-Ham pranayama, you need to mentally repeat the mantra "So" on the inhale and "Ham" on the exhale. "So" increases the breath and improves the quality of vital energy - Prana. The mantra "Ham" deepens the exhalation and removes the excess of descending energy - Apana. Useful for any human constitution.