ASTHMA MENTAL PEACE A MUST YOGA HELPS

Mental Peace - A sine qua non -The process of digestion and metabolism are very closely connected with mental activities. Any form of mental strain - anxiety, worry, fear and emotional stress - affects both digestion and metabolism. This factor, in the present state of civilized society, is generally ignored. People are given to believe that the mind is entirely different from the body; this is not correct. Almost all patients of Asthma - even young patients - suffer from mental strain and emotional stress. The exact cause of stress and strain should be located and removed failing which the patient will live with Asthmatic attacks but for periodical suppression of the symptoms by anti-spasmodic. Several methods are described in yoga that help maintain mental tranquility. The best method is perhaps pranayama which is generally and erroneously translated as breathing exercises. In pranayama, the person inhales, retains and exhales breath at the ratio of 1:2:4, That is, the inhalation time should be 1, the time for retaining breath should be 2 and the time for exhalation should be 4. This is a commonly followed rule. There are however, many exceptions which one can learn from an expert yogi. Depending upon the strength of the patient, it can be done for one, two and four minutes or two, four and eight minutes. During this process the parts of which in yogic parlance are called puraka, kumbaka and recaka pranayama, the patients mind should concentrate upon a fixed point in the body preferably near his heart and he should try to avoid any diversion of the mind. If it is practised regularly after the bowels are cleared and on an empty stomach two or three times a day, it will give immense mental tranquility for the patient enabling him to overcome stress and strain and thereby successfully combat Asthmatic attacks. There are several other methods of doing pranayama but this simple method is a very good supplement for the medication and diets prescribed for Asthmatics.