Fitness and Yoga

Exercises for Nerve Strength

Real fitness, as per Yoga, is not just physical strength and endurance, but is actually nerve strength and pranic (life-force/chi) capacity.  In other words, how strong your nervous system is, how much current (Kundalini) can it handle and how well it holds up under stress, is how yoga measures your level of fitness and conditioning.

So for the month of September, let us develop this key aspect of our being, so we can proclaim ourselves to be yoga fit.  To do this, you will find below an excellent hatha yoga pose known to help develop nerve strength and an excellent yoga breathing exercise to expand your pranic capacity and build your entire nervous system.

The yoga pose we will practice together is called Downward Facing Dog, while the breathing exercise is Anuloma Viloma pranayama.  I will specify the variations to use for both these techniques, in order to extract the maximum nerve fitness from them that we can.

These exercises will be the yoga techniques for the month of September and will be part of our yoga practice for the month series.  For those who are new to the blog, each month we practice together particular yoga exercises and meditations, in order to enhance our skills and learn from each other.  We share our experiences in the comments section below as well.  So join us this month and move closer to being truly fit and formidable.  Move closer to having nerves of steel .

These techniques come from the following 2 free online e-books here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga.  These are the Free Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book and the Free Online Yoga Breathing Exercises E-book.  Feel free to check them out for more great exercises and meditation to keep you healthy, happy and fit.

Below you will find all the exercises and meditations that we have practiced so far in this Yoga for the Month Series.  Following that are the nerve and fitness building techniques for June.

Yoga Exercises for Each Month

August:        Learn Yoga | Nauk Asana for the Month (Abs)

September:  Yoga Pose for Thighs – Frog Pose (Thighs/Butt)

October:      Important Hatha Yoga Posture for Healing – Forward Bend (Thighs/Buttocks)

November:   Yoga to Work on Your Aura (Aura and Magnetic Field)

December:   Kundalini Yoga Exercise for Emotional Health – Cat-Cow  (Back and Emotional Balance)

February:    Daily Yoga Cobra Pose for Healthy Back

March:         Yoga Moves to Detox Your Body

April:           Yoga Ab Workout Routine and Free Exercise Videos

May:            Yoga Exercise for Brain Fitness (Shoulder Stand)

June:           Archer Pose for Building Confidence and Self Esteem

Pranayama for Each Month

February:   Kapalbhati Yoga Video for Daily Practice

March:       4 Part Deep Breathing Exercise

April:         Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

May:          Supreme Yogic Breath for Brain Development and Mind Control

June:         Bhastrika Pranayama to Burn Fat and More

Meditation for Each Month

February:  So Hum Mantra Meditation for Joy and Peace

March:      Zen Meditation Technique

April:        Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

May:         Advanced Mind Meditation Videos

June:        Smiling Buddha Meditation for Happiness and Confidence

Yoga Exercise for Nerve Fitness:

One of the most popular and common yoga technique is Yoga Mountain Pose or Downward Facing Dog.  This exercise is excellent for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is it’s benefit to the nervous system.  This pose is part of all schools of yoga, including Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga.

For our purposes I want you to practice this pose using powerful Breath of Fire.  This will further increase the benefits of Downward Facing Dog for nerve fitness and Pranic Power.  In addition, if your arms or legs tire, take a break, continue the Breath of Fire if you can and then come into the pose once again. You may repeat that several time if necessary.

Here is the link to the full article for Downward Facing Dog –  Hatha Yoga Pose for Nerve Fitness.

Downward Facing Dog for Nerve Power

Yoga Pranayama for Pranic Fitness:

In conjunction with Downward Facing Dog, I suggest you incorporate Anuloma Viloma Pranayama into your practice as well.  This breathing exercise purifies, refines and strengthens your nervous system and increases your respiratory fitness.  It gives you more prana and great internal balance.

To maximize the pranic fitness you extract from this technique, I want you to try the 1:2 inhalation/exhalation ratio I have described in the article.  So for every count of inhalation, extend the exhalation to double the length.  So for 4 counts of inhalation, make the exhalation phase 8 counts.  This elongated exhalation will expand your nervous system even more rapidly.

Here is the link to the entire article on Anuloma Viloma Pranayama: Chakra Balancing Breathing Exercise.

Also, here is a video demonstrating this wonderful breathing technique:

So for this month, let’s work together to get our internal systems fit and strong.  Having a strong nervous system, means you can function with greater energy, vitality and composure.