AN INTERVIEW ABOUT PRANAYAMA WITH CHANDRIKA SHAH AND ASHA JOSHI

Karen: Can pranayama be practised by anyone?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: Yes. Pranayama can be practised by mostly everyone.
But it's better to teach it to children after the age of 7 years since they will be able to effectively understand these controlled breathing techniques. Also, pranayama is not generally practised if you're very weak, pale and sick, have temperature or are undergoing chemotherapy.

Karen: What should one keep in mind before practising pranayama?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: Remember that pranayama must be practised under expert guidance. There are hundreds of different kinds of breathing techniques, and certain advanced ones can pose dangerous if practised in an improper way. Don't practice pranayama in polluted, crowded areas and when there are very powerful gusts of wind. Breathing has to be done in a rhythmic manner using the diaphragm.
God has given you two nostrils to balance the heat and cold in your body, and thus keep good health.

Karen: How can pranayama help one spiritually?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: Pranayama firstly helps in mind control and controlling the five senses. When this happens, one can consciously control food intake, anger, tension, etc. This enables one to concentrate on God (Atma) and attain a higher spiritual level.

Karen: Specifically what diseases can pranayama be used to cure?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: Pranayama is used to cure headaches, sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis, ulcers, acidity, diabetes, heart problems, pain in joints, spondylytis, deal with stress and tension, boost resistance, and many other ailments. It is useful especially when the balance of heat and cold in the body is disturbed.
In cancer, pranayama helps to increase resistance and provide peace of mind so these patients can have a peaceful death.

Karen: Could you suggest some good literature on pranayama?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: Books by Swami Shivanand Saraswati are very informative. He has written literature on yoga, pranayama, etc.

Karen: Why is pranayama so important in today's world?
Chandrika Shah and Asha Joshi: In today's world, stress and emotional tension are affecting all, and we don't breathe in the correct manner. You have to inhale and exhale like a balloon, i.e. expand the stomach while inhaling, and contract it while exhaling, just like the manner of a balloon when it is inflated and deflated. When you breathe in the correct manner, the oxygenated air goes to the lungs, blood is pumped to the heart, the blood is purified, and there is proper circulation in the whole body. Breathing should not be constricted.
Diligent students practising pranayama have not even taken an aspirin for years.