On 16th March, 2021, Alexey Mochanov set a new world record for freediving [diving without breathing equipment and on a single breath] by diving 80m under the ice in Lake Baikal in Siberia. The video* on Molchanov’s Youtube channel and a fascinating New York Times article reveals the complexity of Mochanov’s accomplishment. The narrative in the NY Times article describes Mochanov’s preparation reminded me of the yogic practice of prāṇāyāma.
He focused on taking long, deep, rhythmic breaths until his heart rate slowed and he entered a meditative state. Then he sipped the air through pursed lips until his lungs were fully inflated, from his diaphragm to the tiny air pockets between and behind his shoulder blades. Finally, he ducked below the surface, and disappeared.
A quick review of the Wikipedia article on Freediving reveals that freediving has been an activity that has allowed humans to harvest pearls, sponges, build / breach underwater, defences, salvage / steal property from sunken ships, etc. in many parts of the world for many centuries. Today it has become a competitive sport. There is no question that the crux of freediving is the divers’ ability to hold and manage his / her breath since underwater, there is no question of breathing without a breathing apparatus.
For me the most intriguing aspect of the Wikipedia article is that yoga or prāṇāyāma do not find a mention at all and this is the trigger for my reflections on prāṇāyāma. The practice of inhalation, holding and exhalation of breath is a fundamental aspect of aṣṭāṅga-yoga and is known as prāṇāyāma. Our purāṇas & itihāsas are replete with stories of ascetics who “lived on air”, the implication being that through prāṇāyāma they could control all aspects of prāṇā, the vital physiological functions, and thereby regulate breathing, digestion, circulation, excretion and thought.
We should also know that respiratory diseases are endemic the world over due to smoking, poverty and of course, today, due to COVID. According to a WHO study:
The lung is the internal organ most vulnerable to infection and injury from the external environment because of its constant exposure to particles, chemicals and infectious organisms in ambient air. Globally, at least 2 billion people are exposed to the toxic smoke of biomass fuel, typically burned inefficiently in poorly ventilated indoor stoves or fireplaces. One billion people inhale polluted outdoor air, and 1 billion are exposed to tobacco smoke. Although respiratory impairment causes disability and death in all regions of the world and in all social classes, poverty, crowding, environmental exposures and generally poor living conditions increase vulnerability to this large group of disorders.
The most direct question to my yoga friends and scholars is what role can the practice of prāṇāyāma help at either end of the scale – the athletes / sportspersons who undertake competitively and those who face debilitating challenges with breathing. While the answers might be rooted in the study of theory, today’s world expects validation through research. Some avenues for exploration that open up are:
- Can we teach one class of kindergarten children prāṇāyāma for one academic year and track their health over one year and compare the same against a control group of kindergarten children who did not undertake the study and practice? Can we then monitor their health through follow up questionnaires with their parents over a period of 1-5 years and compare the same against a class of kindergarten children who did not undertake the study and practice?
- Can we work with a school sports team and see how their on-field experience compares against another team (that was roughly equivalent in skill and performance)?
- What if we do this with children / adults who play chess? Does it have an impact on their alertness and responsiveness vs those who don’t practice prāṇāyāma?
- If we see good results with a school sports team, can we test the same out with a state-level sports team?
- Are their gender differences in the impact of prāṇāyāma?
- Does the above, lead to the development of a set of practices where it is “easier” to learn and teach prāṇāyāma?
- In collaboration with the Applied Psych Organisation behaviour class, can we experiment with a group of corporate or Government employees? Is there an impact on performance and / or well-being? How do those who practice prāṇāyāma deal with stress?
- The health and quality of life of senior citizens is a crisis in some nations and in India, a cause for growing concerns? Can senior citizens be trained to do prāṇāyāma in a gentle manner and what is the impact on their lives tracked over a period of time?
At this moment, searching for Prāṇāyāma, on Jstor (the version subscribed to by the CVV library), provides 377 results, of which I reviewed 48; only 5 dealt directly with Yoga and health. This clearly indicates that this is an area for significant, systematic study. The question is – can we do it? We should always recognise that some else will take it, so it might as well be CVV and before anyone else does it systematically. After all, we proudly wear the mantle of blending IKS with CKS.
