Breathing For Asthma With Prana Yoga Techniques

Natural Remedies

Yogic Breathing To Reduce Asthma Attacks

‘You know some very complicated things can go on within your body as a result of apparently simple exercises.’

This profound thought comes from the pen of Dr M. Doreal, who wrote an insightful book about healing with yoga techniques called ‘Sahaj Yoga’, published by Brotherhood of the White Temple, Inc., Sedalia, Colorado, 80135.

It is true that Yoga Breathing techniques can have some amazing effects on long-standing conditions of ill-health , such as asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.

Yogic breathing practices have been practiced by yogis for literally thousands of years.  These yogi adepts have long understood the healing value of yoga and yoga pranic breathing.  It is believed in yoga that a longer life can be earned through proper, deeper breathing.  People who habitually breathe quickly. and with shallow breaths. tend to live shorter lives than people who have developed the yoga style of slow, deep breathing.

Nowadays orthodox medical people are just beginning to accept these yoga practices into the mainstream of medical practice, but usually without the acknowledgement to yoga which it deserves.

Yogic breathing practices have been adapted and adopted by many orthodox practitioners and institutions of health.  Proper breathing is recognized by orthodox asthma foundations as being one very good healing tool for the prevention of an attack of asthma. But these breathing exercises come from the ancient yoga traditions.

Many people have been healed of asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression after bringing yoga and its wonderful breathing practices into their daily lives.

Yoga Breathing Exercises Which Help Asthma and High Blood Pressure:

First Exercise: Abdominal Breathing:  This is a technique which develops the capacity to breathe into the lower part of the stomach.  Asthma sufferers tend to have shallow breathing, and breathe into the top part of the chest.  People who suffer anxiety usually breath in a similar way.  With daily practice, a person can train themselves into breathing with full, deep breaths, using the whole of the lung capacity instead of just the top part of the lungs.

Abdominal Breathing can be done anywhere, at any time.  But the most effective way to practice it is lying down, whilst doing Yoga Nidra relaxation, if you have the time.

In all yoga breathing exercises, except for one practice which I will tell you about after this, the breathing is always done through the nose.

Abdominal Breathing Exercise is most important for asthma sufferers:  Lying down comfortably, feet a little apart, and hands off the sides of the body. Watch the tummy rising and falling as you breathe.  Inhale slowly and deeply through the nose, watching the tummy rising up.  Try to count a slow ‘four’.  Hold for one or two counts if you can, and then slowly exhale, again through the nose, watching the tummy falling back down towards the spine again.

Relax into the rhythm, and repeat many times.  Try to remember as you breathe in, to visualize the pranic energy coming to the front part of the body.  As you breathe out, visualize the energy or prana going to the back, to the spine.

Another neat healing trick is to use the ‘whispering breath’, called the Ujjayi breath in yoga.

With this, you breathe in and out through the nose as usual, but you make a ‘ha’ sound in the throat as you breathe out. Mouth remains closed.  This practice has an especially soothing effect on the nervous system, on the mind, and on the lungs.

Second Exercise:  Alternate Nostril Breathing

Nadi Shodan Pranayama Preparation:

The best way to begin this exercise is to practice five breaths in and out through one nostril, and then five breaths in and out through the other nostril.

Place the right hand forefinger and middle finger between the eyebrows.  Use the thumb to block off the right side nostril.  Breathe in and out through the left side for five breaths, and then change sides:  Use the fourth finger to block off the left nostril, breathe out through the right nostril, and continue for five more breaths.  Then do five more rounds on the other side.  Repeat.

Stop the practice if you feel dizzy or strange.  Do just a few breaths to start with if you feel uncomfortable.

After some time, when you have become familiar with the technique, you can practice the regular Nadi Shodhan technique, which is done one breath each side, and continue the practice for a longer time.

Third Exercise: The Cooling Breath

Sheetali Pranayama: 

This is the only breathing exercise in yoga where you breath in through the mouth. It is very, very cooling and soothing to the mind and nervous system.  It is also a very good stimulant to the digestion, as it encourages the production of saliva.

The Sheetali Pranayama is one exercise which, although very simple to do, can achieve astounding results.

Sit comfortably.  Now curl the tongue into a tube. Slowly breathe in through the curled tongue.  Hold the breath for a few counts if you can, and then breathe out through the nose.  Repeat.

For high blood pressure, Swami Satyananda recommends that this exercise can be done up to 60 times in one session.  But it is best to build up slowly from five or a little more at a time.  Again, stop the practice if you feel dizzy or light-headed.

Natural Remedies

Culpeper says of Sage that it ’causes the hair to become black’.

Garden sage has many therapeutic uses.

In the garden, its flowers provide medicine and nectar for the bees, as well as a herbal tonic to the neighbouring plants.

It is well-known as an aid to oral hygiene.  It has strong antiseptic qualities and is supposed to whiten tooth enamel.

Sage is still used today in some tooth-pastes.  It is reputedly one effective remedy for bleeding gums,  and improving gum health:  The crushed fresh leaves are massaged several times a day onto the gums and teeth.

The tea is gargled to relieve sore throats, colds and flu,  and ulcers in the mouth.

It can be effective to reduce fevers, and has been used in the past for thyphoid fever. (see ‘Herbal Remedies  and Homeopathy’ published by Geddes and Grosset.)

It is a valuable nerve medicine, and is a useful stomach remedy for improving a weak appetite.

Natural Herbal Hair Dye and Tonic:  Sage can help restore healthy hair and improve the colour.

Strong sage tea encourages hair growth and darkens the hair, if it is used on a regular basis. Many herbalists describe it in their writings:  see John Heinerman’s ‘Encyclopedia of Fruits Vegetables and Herbs’.

Rosemary is another wonderful herb which can help hair growth, but it does not have such a darkening effect on the hair, as sage does.

Recipe For Sage Hair Dye:  Here is a simple, natural hair dye and tonic which you can try.  It is perfectly safe to use, as it does not contain any harmful additives such as you might find in commercial dyes for darkening the hair.

Take two cups of fresh sage leaves and put into a stainless steel saucepan.

Add one cup of dry black tea leaves

Add half a cup of cider vinegar and eight cups of water.

Simmer very gently, with no lid, for one hour on a very low heat.  You should have around half the original quantity of liquid left at the end of an hour.  If you need to add a little more water, make sure you do so well before you finish simmering the brew.  If you add more water at the end of the simmering, then your mixture will not keep so well.

Take off the heat after an hour of simmering.  Set aside to cool.

Once your sage mixture has cooled properly, strain it off.

To the liquid remaining add the same amount of vodka.

Put into a bottle with a screw-top lid and store in a cool place.

Massage around a tablespoonful of the sage infusion into the hair each day.  Use more or less, depending on how much hair you need to cover.

Massage the sage tonic well into the roots of the hair as well, so that it feeds the scalp and hair follicles.  Massaging the scalp with the sage tonic will help the hair to grow again.

The oils in the sage leaves will put a natural shine to the hair.

Once the hair is sufficiently darkened, which may take several weeks, you can reduce the amount of applications each week.  Once or twice a week may be enough to maintain the darker colour.

Sage is really very good for the hair in so many ways.

Alternative Sage Tonic Without Alcohol:  You could make up your sage tea without the alcohol if you wish.  Only, remember that your mixture will not keep for longer than a week, and it must be kept in the fridge.  You could make up a lesser amount, enough to last a week, and then make up a fresh brew of tea for the following week.

My new book is available on Amazon:

 

Antibiotic Medicine Harmed By Herbicides Including RoundUp

Toxic Chemicals Weaken Antibiotic Medicine As Well As Homeopathic Medicine

It was not surprising to hear on Radio New Zealand news just before Easter, that scientists have found that the efficacy of antibiotics is dramatically reduced by herbicides such as the glyphosphate-containing RoundUp weedkiller.

RoundUp and other toxic herbicides and pesticides, I find, have a dramatic effect on digestion, because they interfere with the natural digestive flora and enzymes in the body.

Candida infections, and bladder and kidney inflammations can result after being exposed to toxic chemicals which kill off the beneficial bacteria within the body, and change its natural, healthy,  pH level.

Other chemicals such as those found in printing inks and clothing dyes, and arsenic-treated timber, can also have a damaging effect on the health for the same reason.

It is a logical conclusion to draw, then, that if the natural and beneficial organisms living in the body’s digestive system can be killed off by toxic chemicals such as weedkiller and pesticides, that the organisms present within antibiotic medicines are likely to be affected too.

Many commonly used drugs are also likely to behave differently on the body when the digestive system is not functioning properly, as is the case when the useful digestive flora is damaged because of exposure to herbicides such as glyphosphates and neonicotinoid poisons or other harmful chemicals.

The efficacy of herbal medicines and homeopathy is also affected when a person has been exposed to chemical poisons such as weedkillers and pesticides.  Homeopathic preparations themselves are very sensitive to such poisons, and can be weakened if left in an area which has been made toxic for some reason.  People who use toxic chemicals, or even antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products, on a regular basis will find that Homeopathic medicines are not as effective as they are said to be, because of the negating effect of stronger chemicals.

It is now well known that antibiotics are losing their strength as disease-combatting medicines, because bacteria are becoming resistant to them.

And now it has been proven that RoundUp and other herbicides and pesticides are also diminishing the effect of antibiotics in curing disease.

Plenty of reasons, then, for governments world-wide to curb the free and irresponsible use of herbicides and pesticides.  They are not necessary for healthy agriculture:  We have survived thousand of years without these modern chemicals which are having an adverse effect on our environment and good health.

And nor is it necessary to use antibiotics and modern drugs.  They do have a purpose, of course, but often a simple herbal or homeopathic remedy will do just as well, or better, without the unwanted side effects you can expect from many modern drugs.

There are many good reasons to consider natural methods of farming and orcharding, as well as the use of Homeopathic remedies, Vitamin C therapy, Vitamin A therapy, and herbal medicine as alternatives to using vaccination antibiotics and other potentially harmful medicines.

Natural Remedies and Homeopathic Alternatives to Antibiotics:

Of course you need to consult your doctor if you or your child are suffering some infection.  Consult a registered homeopath for advice on what to use as an alternative to vaccination or immunization.  It is important to use just the right remedy for an illness, or for prevention.  So do consult an expert.

Here are some suggestions for you to discuss with your doctor or naturopath or homeopath.

Homeopathic Urtica Urens is a reputable medicine for kidney and bladder infections, especially if it is combined with the age-old remedy of drinking plenty of cooled, boiled water throughout the day.

Homeopathic Belladonna is used as a preventative for Scarlet Fever, or to treat it.

Homeopathic Ledum can be used as a preventative for Tetanus, or to use after an injury on farms or where horses have been kept.

Homeopathic Arsen Alb is excellent as a flu prevention, or to minimize the effects of flu if flu is already present.  There is no risk involved with using Arsen Alb for flu prevention, whereas the flu vaccination can be a risky thing.

Vitamin C in megadoses is a proven remedy to reverse illness. Swine flu, cancers of many kinds, and many other conditions of ill-health respond to Vitamin C therapy.  2000mg of non-acidic  vitamin c taken every hour or two will be quick to reduce flu symptoms in an adult.  Reduce the dose for a child.

Natural Remedies

Culpeper says of Sage that it ’causes the hair to become black’.

Garden sage has many therapeutic uses.

In the garden, its flowers provide medicine and nectar for the bees, as well as a herbal tonic to the neighbouring plants.

It is well-known as an aid to oral hygiene.  It has strong antiseptic qualities and is supposed to whiten tooth enamel.

Sage is still used today in some tooth-pastes.  It is reputedly one effective remedy for bleeding gums,  and improving gum health:  The crushed fresh leaves are massaged several times a day onto the gums and teeth.

The tea is gargled to relieve sore throats, colds and flu,  and ulcers in the mouth.

It can be effective to reduce fevers, and has been used in the past for thyphoid fever. (see ‘Herbal Remedies  and Homeopathy’ published by Geddes and Grosset.)

It is a valuable nerve medicine, and is a useful stomach remedy for improving a weak appetite.

Natural Herbal Hair Dye and Tonic:  Sage can help restore healthy hair and improve the colour.

Strong sage tea encourages hair growth and darkens the hair, if it is used on a regular basis. Many herbalists describe it in their writings:  see John Heinerman’s ‘Encyclopedia of Fruits Vegetables and Herbs’.

Rosemary is another wonderful herb which can help hair growth, but it does not have such a darkening effect on the hair, as sage does.

Recipe For Sage Hair Dye:  Here is a simple, natural hair dye and tonic which you can try.  It is perfectly safe to use, as it does not contain any harmful additives such as you might find in commercial dyes for darkening the hair.

Take two cups of fresh sage leaves and put into a stainless steel saucepan.

Add one cup of dry black tea leaves

Add half a cup of cider vinegar and eight cups of water.

Simmer very gently, with no lid, for one hour on a very low heat.  You should have around half the original quantity of liquid left at the end of an hour.  If you need to add a little more water, make sure you do so well before you finish simmering the brew.  If you add more water at the end of the simmering, then your mixture will not keep so well.

Take off the heat after an hour of simmering.  Set aside to cool.

Once your sage mixture has cooled properly, strain it off.

To the liquid remaining add the same amount of vodka.

Put into a bottle with a screw-top lid and store in a cool place.

Massage around a tablespoonful of the sage infusion into the hair each day.  Use more or less, depending on how much hair you need to cover.

Massage the sage tonic well into the roots of the hair as well, so that it feeds the scalp and hair follicles.  Massaging the scalp with the sage tonic will help the hair to grow again.

The oils in the sage leaves will put a natural shine to the hair.

Once the hair is sufficiently darkened, which may take several weeks, you can reduce the amount of applications each week.  Once or twice a week may be enough to maintain the darker colour.

Sage is really very good for the hair in so many ways.

Alternative Sage Tonic Without Alcohol:  You could make up your sage tea without the alcohol if you wish.  Only, remember that your mixture will not keep for longer than a week, and it must be kept in the fridge.  You could make up a lesser amount, enough to last a week, and then make up a fresh brew of tea for the following week.

My new book is available on Amazon: