There are a lot of different aspects of yoga. Just like there are a lot of different aspects of Nia. As I have said before you can do Nia without getting involved in all of the principles and aspects of it. You can treat it like a workout and not take it any further. The same goes for yoga. That is why I always compare the two. You can go to a yoga class and go through the poses without giving any of the other aspects a second thought. I believe that both Nia and yoga can be more beneficial, more satisfying when you do think about the other parts of it . . . but we all have different goals and different ideas. One of the “aspects” of yoga or limbs of yoga – is pranayama. There are different pranayamas. A common one – Ujjayi is typically done while doing the yoga poses, and it might be helpful in reducing or stopping snoring.
So, pranayama is the practice of controlling one’s prana (life force) through breath or the practice of controlling one’s breath. There are many forms of this type of practice and many ways in which to perform them. But as I said, a common one is ujjayi breathing. It is what many recommend be done while doing the asanas. Some call it the Victory Breath, the Warming Breath, the Ocean Breath, Snake-breathing, throat breathing, or even the Darth Vadar Breath. It is done through the nose, both the inhale and the exhale. Some of the names stem from the fact that when you do it you may sound like the ocean, a snake, or Darth Vadar.
This breath “exercise” is done by closing the glottis partially on the exhale. This post is not to get into the mechanic of how to do ujjayi breathing. But a quick way to give you an IDEA of how to do it, is to think Felix Unger. Remember him? Remember that annoying noise he used to make? Well, that is a lot more sound than you want, but that gives you an idea of what needs to be going on in your throat / nasal area.
I am excited by the prospect that this type of breathing could help stop snoring or even more importantly sleep apnea. The idea behind this thought process is that the muscles need toning. People snore because stuff in there gets to relaxed and it makes noise as the person breathes. So, it kind of makes sense that if it can be toned or trained then it could help stop the snoring or the life threatening sleep apnea.
Yoga Therapy.com says: “In fact, this snoring is the sound that occurs when air passes through stenosed nasopharynx, caused by vibration in the air flow of compliant structures of the pharynx (tongue, soft palate, etc.). The main reason that causes vibration of the said formations is impairment of muscle tone of the pharynx and soft palate, structural anomalies and functional abnormalities of the pharynx and soft palate.” Like I said the stuff in there makes noise.
Again, as I said, this makes sense to me . . . as in, why not try it, it can’t really hurt, but if it did help . . . Oh man, for some it would be a life saver. I think it is worth a try. Just another reason to practice pranayama.
Do you think a breathing practice is worth trying if it would stop snoring and/or sleep apnea? Do you know anyone that snores? Do you know anyone with sleep apnea?
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