Yoga: What is Pranayama

By regulating your breathing, you can control your mental attitude.

the emotional state of an individual changes the patterns of breath, so if ones emotions are connected and reflected into ones breathing, what happens if someone controls the breathing?

as one of the only organs that is connected to the peripheral and somatic nervous system, we know that stress and emotions affect our breathing, but what happens if we turn it around. Well we are able to control our emotional state. Follow up on this one.

During my peak point in my fitness career, achieving a well balanced physique and working on my career as a fitness guru I developed cancer. A journey that would be prolonged by misdiagnosis, leading to spreading and a harsher treatment! It was within my treatment and negative state of mind that I found yoga. A disciplined way of life, way of thinking, way of breathing. A discovery that would save my life, changing the outcome and manifest itself within every aspect of my life.

2016 July 4th - July 30th I completed a 200hour Teacher Trainer Course in the birthplace of yoga (Rishikesh, located at the entry to Himalayas) I became a certificated yoga teacher and it was within this amazing challenge, journey and adventure that I would discover the true power of pranayama.
- As a bullet that precisely fits a tiny hole, yoga was attached to me and my personality.

So what is pranayama.
In its simplest translation: Prana means energy, yama controle og understandment.
It is a technique that is usually done in a seated position like the lotus or buddhasana. Having a complete strait spine, aligning the chakras and opening op the chest. Allowing air and energy to be absorbed and distributed with ease.

Pranayama are techniques done through breathing, it is mostly done through the nose, but the mouth can be used aswell. It often requires a mudra that alternates between closing the nostrils, resulting in different techniques for different purposes. One of the Pranayamas is the Nadi Shodhan.

An inhale through the right, and exhale through the left.
The technique involves different stages of holding between the inhales and exhales.

Inhale through the right (hold) Exhale through the left (hold) Inhale through the right (hold)

Eventually seconds are added into the inhales and the holds (5s inhale, 5s hold, 5s exhale, 5s hold)

With this technique one will achieve peace, warmth and relaxation. With prolonged seconds and time doing the pranayama, one will be able to funnel ones emotional state into relaxation and calmness! It is in this case that we through breathing, indirectly control our peripheral and somatic nervous system resulting in emotional control.

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In todays modern day life stress and depression have become everyday words. Millions of people are suffering within one of these two categories of unhappiness. It is often provoked by not listening and being true to ones nature (Becoming Human Again). Simply pushing away our true feelings of unhappiness and continuing the poise of mind, resulting in accumulated unhappiness in the very end. Aka Depression and Anxiety. It is within this state and these feelings that our breath changes, it becomes tight, fast and uncontrolled. It here by spirals our emotions into a deeper hole of WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH ME......

The cure for such a person is simply, but very hard... Breathing!
Trying to recovery our emotional state by controlling the different side of the table, resulting in recovery. It is within this controlled state that the self should understand and listen, change the circumstances and develop a lifestyle that is pleasant.
Happiness equals long and ease breaths
Disstress equals short and fast tense breaths.

Pranayama is a key ingredient within the yogic practice. It connects mind and body, and truthfully shows it through our breath! Not only is pranayama for relaxation, but different techniques can be used for different situations. Such as sleep, sport, aggressivty, expression and so on.

Pranayama is just as real as your breath, just as true as your emotion, and just as powerfull as your life.

Fitness: Is cardio needed to lose weight

To show off our physique one has to achieve a body fat percentage that makes it possible. But is Cardio needed or is a Calorie deficit enough?

Follow up on this one, as I go through the secrets behind doing cardio and not doing cardio. The ups and downs, this all done with a more holistic approach rather then numbers and calculators.

- In recent years there has been a shift in the perspective of what a beautiful body is. Going back in time the rounder-clock-shaped body of Marilyn Monroe was looked apon as being complete, beautiful and attractive. Time passed and we have seen trends within body ideals swing between rounded to skinny to normal to todays, certainly unique fitness and health-look that comes with sports, exercise and activity.

It in fact is funny that such a trend did blossom. If we go back in time once more, back to the slave era, such a body resembled that of a slave. Slaves where hard workers, they did labor out in the sun, they ate very little and where active throughout the day! As a result of all this strenuous labor, it created beautiful bodies, these well developed bodies were out standing, but back then it was a curse! NOT ANY MORE. Welcome to the era of exercise.

The exercised body did belong to a black person, period! But since the mentality of the human race has risen, and consciousness expanded, we are now sharing knowledge, exercise and most of all equality with each other.

- So how do you achieve that exercised look?

It has certainly been debated throughout the 2000's without a particular correct equation. Today the most accepted way to achieve weightloss, weightgain, musclemass and what not is through calculation of energy. Protiens, Carbohydrates, and Fats = Calories or Energy.
Protein contains 4Cal per 1.
Carbohydrates contains 4cal per 1.
Fats contains 8cal per 1.

By counting the total amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats one can find their daily caloric intake and from here decide in wich direction he/she wants to go. Weight loss or Weight gain? This done by simply reducing the total amount of calories taken in during a day! It is that simple.
It is usually done with a 500 - or + and here by direting the outcome in most cases 0.5kg loss per week.

But, there is another way to recude calories, and that is through energetic use. Such as during sports, activities or a simple walk... Well basically you burn calories just by breathing.

- Since this is my blog, I will stay true to my opinion and leave you to do research on different topics, ideas and alike if you disagree. But the very best way to achieve todays body ideal is through cardio, or lets just call it an (Active Life Style)

Active Life Style is properly the most effective and healthy way to achieving weight-loss. First and foremost it resembles (Becoming human again). The idea is to be in constant movement, to breathe fresh air, drink fresh water and be surrounded by nature. This not only burning move calories, but adding in different factors that affect our emotional status.
- as we all know, our emotions have a gigantic impact on the way our body functions. In a stressed mind state, one will experience a high rise in adrenaline, drop in dopamine, increase in cortisol, and hereby spiraling the body into a defensive state.... lowered mental function, lowered metabolic system and low energy! On the other hand, if one was to find a way to become joyfull alongside being active throughout the day, the body will feel at home, in peace and hereby at its optimal function. Opening a window for a higher metabolic system, emotional state and a great life!.

By an active life style, I am not refeering to 2hours of exercise in the gym, but rather an overall active way of living. Having a psychical job, standing, moving and being in different levels. One must also include some form of heavy lifting to keep stimulating muscle tissue and retaining a muscular body! The use of weightlifting not only stimulates musclemass, wich results in a higher metabolic rate due to bigger amount of muscle, but it also improves levels of testosterone, thyroid function and a different type of fat burning. - So not only will lifting weight make you look more built, but it will also give you another option of weightloss. This is called post-recovery-fat burning, it happens after heavy duty lifting sessions and lasts 4-5days after a session... WHAT!
Yeah
Beyound the calories burned while being in the gym, one will experience accelerated energetic use during the day. This happens because the body needs to repair it self, muscle fibers are broken and protein synthetics are increased! It is also to be mentioned that nutrient partitioning will increase. In other words your body simply works better at absorbing nutrients and here by reparing it self, leading to greater musclemass and also promoting weightloss.

 The idea of losing weight by simply not eating is bad... It gives you the opportunity to leave out exercise, movement and activities. Here by contributing to a more lazy, easy cut, way to lose weight not fat. Those that acquire such a routine are often left disappointed and will most likely see muscle mass and strength going away with each pound.

Reason is that it does not involve no movement at all, and the potential to stimulate muscle, organs and hormones are lost! All of this being a major contributor to a perfect cut, and here by reaching todays body ideal of looking fit n healthy.

When I reached my body ideal it was actually during one of my hardest periods in life. I was working as a kindergarten teacher and aside that working off-shifts moving furniture and carrying heavy stuff for an extra income. OHHEYTHERE, along side working 10hours aday standing and carrying I was ripping off 2-3hours of heavy duty lifting in the gym, with 30mins of stretching? Many may ask, how I was capable of performing to such a high degree, and the answer lies in what happened next: I started working in the fitness industry as a trainer, teamtrainer, crossfit trainer and motivator!

The point is, that through my activie life style I had developed a six pack. This done by a constant stimulation and stabilization of core, legs, and upperbody movement! - So my idea of achieving todays body ideal of being cut, muscular and fit comes from constant movement rather then performing for a short period of time.

Traveling India and Phillipines I met so many elderly with sick-six-packs. Due to their extreme low body fat procentage and activie life style they had achived something that everybody in the west is spending tremendous amount of time to achieve, without success. I was stunned..... And I had to figure out the reason.

The conclusion came quite fast, the richer you are, the further away from todays body ideal you are. The poorer you are the closer you are to todays body ideal! - Remember me mentioning the body of slave? Well, here you have it! By working hard, eating less, being active and not being able to afford junk that todays manmade-man consumes on an everyday basis, these people have achieved what we all want. I am generalizing to state a point....

So if you want to achieve a fit looking body, carrying a low body fat procentage an active life style is to be advocated. With constant movement, comes constant stimulation. Stimulation that contributes to a higher metabolism, muscle activation, and overall healthier and happier lifestyle.

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