Sure you can start with pranayama but wait for two-three weeks and listen to your body if you feel comfortable and stable while doing pranayama. As it obviously stresses abdominal tissues, so these should be completely healed and resumed to normal, prior practising pranayama. Do not over do any pranayama and ensure that it should not cause stress on the abdominal tissues.
You can start with sectional breathing that is practiced in four following steps:
A. Abdominal Breathing: You can practice the sectional breathing in vajarasana or sukhasana or even in any comfortable sitting posture (even on chair if you are not comfortable on flat surface). Try to erect your spine and adopt Chin Mudra with fingers of hands - tip of index finger touching the tip of thumb, all remaining three fingers straight. Position of the hands be on the knees such that palms face upwards. Elbow be straight. Inhale fully through nostrils in such a way that your abdomen bulges out and exhale fully through nostrils such that abdomen is drawn inwards. This should be in a rhythm and without any stress. You need to breathe in very slowly and while maintaining your awareness of the breath - how it is going inside and coming outside with the awareness of the temperature of the breath - incoming breath - cold and outgoing breath - warmer. Focus yourself on your breath and avoid your thoughts to some other event - past or future. Fully occupy yourself in pranayam with joy. You should practice 10-15 rounds.
B. Chest Breathing : Same posture, but change the mudra to Chinmay mudra, the difference now is that move all remaining fingers inside the fist. The position of hands is changed to the middle of the thighs. Inhale fully through nostrils in such a way that your chest expands outside and exhale fully through nostrils such that chest resumes to normal. This should be in a rhythm and without any stress.You need to breathe in very slowly and while maintaining your awareness of the breath - how it is going inside and coming outside with the awareness of the temperature of the breath - incoming breath - cold and outgoing breath - warmer. Focus yourself on your breath and avoid your thoughts to some other event - past or future. Fully occupy yourself in pranayam with joy. You should practice 10-15 rounds.
C. Shoulder Breathing: Same posture, but change the mudra to Adi udra, the difference now is that make fist of the hands in such a way that the thumb is inside. The position of hands is changed to the root of the thighs. Inhale fully through nostrils in such a way that your shoulder moves upwards and exhale fully through nostrils such that shoulder resumes to normal. This should be in a rhythm and without any stress.You need to breathe in very slowly and while maintaining your awareness of the breath - how it is going inside and coming outside with the awareness of the temperature of the breath - incoming breath - cold and outgoing breath - warmer. Focus yourself on your breath and avoid your thoughts to some other event - past or future. Fully occupy yourself in pranayam with joy. You should practice 10-15 rounds.
D. Full Yogic Breathing: This breathing is combination of all the above breathings. Place your hands resting near navel region in Brahma Mudra (join your both fists at navel region such that the back of fists of both hands meets each other). Inhale in such a way that abdomen bulges out, chest expands and shoulders move upwards (you need to fill your abdomen (lower lobes of lungs), chest, shoulders) and slowly breathe out such in reverse way resuming the shoulder to normal, chest to normal and abdomen is drawn inside. This is one round and you may do 5 rounds.
The purpose of this practice is to make the practitioner aware of the three different components of respiration (Abdominal, Thoracic and Clavicular) and incorporate them into Full Yogic Breathing.
This type of breathing works wonder bringing energy and vitality, removing tiredness.
2. Thereafter, you can practice with Naadi-Shuddhi Pranayama.
Next month, you can practice Kapalbhati pranayama with mild strokes very slowly. Later on, you can practice loosening exercises followed by yogasanas to have cumulative effects towards weight loss. Please feel free to write to us here for more information, if you are interested on the subject to know more.
