Health through Breath: App aims to melt away stress
Many apps you download from the App Store might elevate your heart rate, such as playing a heated racing game in Riptide GP2 or creating a scary flick in Horror Movie Maker.
But what about an app designed to relieve tension?
That's the idea behind "Health through Breath – Pranayama," a temporarily free app for iOS and Android devices worth downloading -- especially before it goes back up to $3.99 in mid-August. (There's also the similar Pranayama Free/Lite app for iOS and Android, but without advanced and customizable levels.)
As the name of this app suggests, Pranayama – which is Sanskrit for "extension of the breath" or "extension of the life force" – offers a number of conscious breathing exercises, set to animation and soothing music, to help you achieve a relaxed, almost meditative state.
As a "Type A" personality, I was a bit skeptical of this app, though, admittedly, also intrigued by its premise.
Developer Saagara says there are a number of associated benefits to these exercises: practicing slow and controlled breathing for just 15 minutes a day can help combat high blood pressure, stress, depression, asthma and migraines, says the company. After trying it out for a few days, I can attest to being more calm and relaxed – at least during and immediately after the exercises.
Once you launch for the first time you can watch a YouTube video to see how it works; read extensive tips on inhaling and exhaling ("diaphragmatic breathing" 101); see the parts of the body involved; or simply dive right in with the first set of exercises, which is what I did.
Whether you choose Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Custom, you'll see a dial with a line inside that moves clockwise to show you when (and how long) you should be inhaling and exhaling. The more advanced the exercises, the fewer breaths per minute (BPM) you'll take, plus there's a retain phase in between inhaling and exhaling.
Follow the dial, words and/or audio cues to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, which will be multiple times through the length of the exercise (by default, it's 5 minutes). To the right of the dial is an image of a man sitting cross-legged, so you can see which muscles are at work as you inhale and exhale, and the flow of air, too.
A section of the app also explains the three "bandhas" for advanced users: Mula Bandha (contracting of the perineum muscles at the base of the torso, the same muscles you contract when stopping the flow of urine), Uddiyana Bandha (the contraction of the stomach) and Jalandhara Bandha (slowly lowering your chin to your chest, while holding your breath).
You can tweak the intensity and length of the exercises, select which music style you'd prefer from the five available (and desired volume), whether you want to hear chimes as cues, and so on.
You don't need to be a Yogi to feel the benefits of Health through Breath – Pranayama, capable of giving you a few moments of calm and tranquility, wherever life takes you. Be sure to download it from the App Store or Google Play before it goes back up to its full price.