YogMantra | Follow These Two Practices A Day and Keep Your Inertia & Anxiety Away – News18
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Doing Kapalabhati in the mornings converts lethargy to agility by moving us from the state of Tamas to Rajas. Trataka in the evening gets the overactive brain to calm down as the Rajasic state is overpowered by the Sattvic
Trataka is a yogic visual concentration practice where a person looks with an unwavering gaze at any point. (Pixabay)
Most of us are no longer able to follow Nature’s time signals that are governed by daylight and darkness. These signals, which tell our bodies and brains when to start and shut down, are even more dysfunctional in the case of young persons. Super slothful in the morning and hyperactive by night is their usual story, doing exactly the reverse of how it’s supposed to be. Blame excessive screen time and overstimulation, in general.
Two Yoga practices can help to a large extent to reverse this Circadian-rhythm-gone-wrong: Kapalabhati Pranayama in the mornings and Trataka once back home, just after dark. These are different from the regular “boring” Yoga; they take hardly any time, and can change life greatly. Gently nudge your teenager to adopt these by laying down this very simple 7am-7pm routine.
KAPALABHATI REINVIGORATES, SHATTERS LETHARGY
Kapalabhati makes the Kapala (skull area, mainly brain) shine.
The practice is a series of rapid successive exhalations followed by passive inhalations. Apart from the obvious benefit of cleansing the nasal passages and sinuses, the forceful expulsion of air removes stale air and carbon dioxide from the lungs. This achieves a higher oxygen-concentration level that revitalises brain cells.
Dr Nagarathna Raghuram, MD (Internal medicine) and Medical Director, Arogyadhama Integrative Medicine Health Centre, says the practice stimulates all-round activity. In her book Pranayama: The Art and Science, she writes: “The brain cells are continuously invigorated. Usually we humans use less than 5 percent of the brain; in Kapalabhati, memory cells and many other cells of the brain are brought into action. The abdomen area gets stimulated. In fact, the lethargy of cells in the entire body is eliminated as blood with higher oxygen saturation reaches them. This stimulates them to greater activity. The activation and reinvigoration of different systems leads the person to move from tamas to rajas (state of inertia and lethargy, to activity and dynamism).”
How to do Kapalabhati
• Sit comfortably on a chair or on a mat on the floor, with the spine erect and shoulders relaxed. Breathe normally.
• Contract the abdomen to generate short and forceful exhalations; passive inhalations are generated automatically without effort.
• Do 30 strokes in the first round.
• Increase the number of strokes to 40 and 45, 50 and 60 respectively in the following rounds. Do not exceed your capacity and do pause between rounds.
• Relax after the practice and observe its effect on the body.
TRATAKA INDUCES A CALM STATE, REMOVES ANXIETY
Trataka is a yogic visual concentration practice where a person looks with an unwavering gaze at any point. This can include shoulder-gazing, nasal-gazing, eyebrow-gazing and candle-gazing. All of these strengthen eye muscles and eye nerves, and help to achieve good eyesight.
In its final stage, Trataka is calming, removes anxiety and induces a meditative mental state. Practised over time, it improves attention and cognition. It is a good antidote to damage caused by prolonged exposure to screens.
A study, which used a special Trataka module for adolescents, found it had a significant effect in not just removing visual stress, but also inducing a state of calmness and relaxation.
How to do Trataka
• Wash your hands and eyes, and sit on a chair or on a mat on the floor. Remove any glasses, watches and belts.
• Stretch out the left hand in front, about 12 inches away from the face, holding the thumb upwards.
• Gazing at the nail of the thumb, move the left hand slowly horizontally towards the right shoulder. The head and neck must remain steady.
• Bring back the left hand to the starting position.
• Repeat with the right hand and left shoulder.
• Cup your eyes using the simple-palming technique* for 30 seconds.
• During palming, avoid touching or pressing the eyeballs.
Final stage — Jyoti Trataka (Candle gazing)
• After the above thumb-gazing, do three rounds of slow eye movements upwards, downwards, left and right — without moving the head and neck.
• Next, place a candle 4-5 feet away on a candle stand and light it.
• The first stage is ‘effortless gazing’. Move your gaze slowly upwards from the base of the candle stand to the flame. Try not to blink; allow tears to flow. After 10 seconds (increase to 30 seconds gradually), close the eyes and cup the eyes using press-and-release palming technique* five times. Feel the cool sensations around the eyes.
• The second stage is ‘focussing’. Focus at the black part of the flame. After 15 (or 30) seconds, cup the eyes using constant-pressure palming*. Deeply breathe in and out five times. Relax.
• In the third stage of ‘defocussing’, move your gaze to focus on the flame and then defocus. Expand your awareness and observe details such as the colour, shape and aura of the flame, including the light particles around.
• After 45 seconds, focus again. Then close the eyes and go on looking at the image between the eyebrows, until it disappears.
• Cup the palms with constant-pressure palming and perform Bhramari pranayama (Bee Breath). Repeat thrice.
• Sit in this state of silence for a while.
*There are three different palming techniques: a) Simple palming or cupping the eyes; b) press-and-release five times; c) constant-pressure palming with deep inhalation and exhalation.
Kapalabhati converts Tamas to Rajas in the mornings; inertia is shed and agility is gained. By ending the working day with Trataka, we allow the Rajas to make way for Sattva; the overactive brain is replaced with calmness.
Note: Always consult your Physician and Yoga therapy professional before starting any practice. Trataka is not advised for epileptics, those suffering from hallucinations and tension headaches. People with cardiac issues, hypertension, and spine issues may need to avoid Kapalabhati, or do a shallow version that involves minimal movement. Women can skip this during their menstrual period.
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@gmail.com.
