Apan Vayu Mudra for heart attack

Let us understand the logic behind this Mudra and see how it works

Our body is made up of five elements – namely, Fire, Air, Space, Earth and Water. In logic parlance, they are Agni, Vayu, Akash, Prithvi and Jal. The five fingers of our hands represent these five elements. The thumb indicates fire, index finger denotes air, middle finger denotes space, the ring finger denotes earth, and the little finger denotes water. Yoga believes that as long as these five elements are balanced, they create harmony and health. Any imbalance in these five elements leads to disease. For example-increase of fire element in body will increase heat in body, increase in air element leads various pains in body, increase of space will lead to many ear problems, increase in cholesteorol, etc-while increase in water element creates as cites (i.e. fills our body parts with water and bloats them). Similarly, any decrease in these elements will lead to other kind of diseases. By using these five fingers in many possible ways, we can restore the balance between these five elements and can thus keep ourselves disease free.

When we do Apan Vayu Mudra, we have done four things. By folding the index finger, we have reduced air element which immediately relieves pain in the heart. By touching the finger tips of thumb, middle finger and ring fingers, we have increased fire element (heat), space and earth elements. By increasing heat in the body, the impurities in the blood are being removed, by increasing space element, we supply more oxygen to heart arteries, and by increasing earth element, we have increased the muscle power of the heart. That is, by a very simple manipulation of our fingers, we have simultaneously made a four-pronged mechanism to save from the rigours of a heart attack. The patient can easily be transported to a hospital, without causing any damage to heart. Doing Apan Vayu Mudra in case of heart attack is like a very effective emergency treatment. Apan Vayu Mudra is useful in a large number of other cases, as under:

Benefits of Apan vayu mudra :

• If done regularly for 45 minutes daily in three stretches of 15 minutes each in morning, afternoon and evening, it is capable of solving many problems of heart disease. When air element increases in the body, it causes constriction of heart arteries; they become hard and narrow. Doing this Mudra will relieve arteriosclerosis’ of the heart, and thus strengthens the heart muscles and remove blockages in arteries.
• It relieves angina immediately;
• It normalizes blood pressure and thus saves us from both high as well as low blood pressure, as it stimulates the circulatory system.
• In case of palpitations or weak pulse, this Mudra will normalize the pulse rate immediately.
• It also reduces nervousness, as it quietens / calms the nervous system.
• It helps in relieving acidity, gas formation, eructation, belching, and strengthens the digestive system. It solves all diseases of the intestines, colic, colitis, etc;
• It is highly effective in respiratory diseases like asthma. This Mudra, by cleansing the blood circulatory system, helps the lungs also in their functioning. People who suffer from difficult breathing while climbing stairs or walking fast should do this Mudra for about 10 minutes before climbing stairs; they will feel much better.
• Similarly, people suffering from osteoarthritis and pain in knees can do this Mudra for 10 minutes before climbing upstairs; they will feel relieved of pain.
• It is also highly effective in curing migraine. Migraine or headache is primarily due to weak digestion or excited nerves. As already mentioned, this Mudra quietens the nervous system and strengthens digestive system; thus, leaving no cause for migraine.
• By soothing the nervous system, it induces sleep and cures insomnia.
• The Mudra relieves toothache also; and cures hiccough.
• In Indian culture, a sudden blinking of left eye in males and right eye in females is considered inauspicious. Apan Vayu Mudra will stop unwanted blinking of eyes.
• According to Ayurveda, any imbalance in the three “doshas” – Vata, Pitta and Kafa causes diseases. Apan Vayu Mudra restores balance in these three ‘doshas’. Apan Vayu Mudra stimulates and strengthens the blood circulatory system – digestive system, respiratory system, excretory system and the nervous system.
• It removes all negative emotions from the mind, and all negative pressure of the body.
• It is helpful in arthritis also
• It is also helpful in polio cases. Apan Vayu Mudra is thus a very helpful mudra in our daily lives and also in emergencies like heart attack. It should be practiced for 45 minutes a day – in 3 phases of 15 minutes each. If practiced regularly over a long period of time, it is capable of curing all heart ailments.

SYMPTOMS OF HEART ATTACK

Before I conclude, I must tell you about the symptoms of heart attack, because, more often than not, we do not know what are the symptoms of a heart attack. The heart is in the centre of the chest, not in the left, as we usually believe. The most common symptom of a heart attack is discomfort in the centre. This is not normally a sharp pain, but a sense of pressure, fullness, squeezing or aching. It is caused by a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle, and may be mild, moderate or severe. The discomfort may or may not radiate through the whole chest. It may subside in a few minutes or a few hours. It can return hours, days or weeks later. Do Not Be Falsely Reassured by temporary stopping of pain.

Discomfort may extend into one or both arms, or may appear in arms alone and not in the chest. Chest pain will not be aggravated by raising your arms. If it is aggravated in this way, it is not heart attack.

Pain may radiate to neck and jaws on one or both sides and in front or back. Turning the head or bending the neck will not aggravate chest pain; if it aggravates, it is not heart attack- it may be cervical pain.

Pain or discomfort may not occur in chest; it may occur in upper abdomen below the diaphragm; it may be fullness or pressure and is often mistaken for indigestion or acidity. It usually spreads to ribs of the lower chest. Nausea and vomiting may also occur with this pain.

Pain may also occur in the back located, nor in lumbar region, or cervical region, but between the shoulder blades; often mistaken for pressure from over-exertion.

Thus, pain can occur only in the chest, or only between shoulder blades or only in the arms or in the upper abdomen or may occur simultaneously in all these areas or may occur in various combinations. Shortness of breath, suffocation or cold sweating may occur with heart pain or may not. Pain in the left side centering around nipple is generally not a sign of heart attack.

Whether it is heart attack or not (i.e. you are not sure what is happening), do Apan Vayu Mudra immediately; it will relieve pain and other symptoms immediately. As already mentioned, this Mudra will ameliorate not only heart pain but also gastric pain, acidity, heart burn, dyspoena (shortness of breathing with pain), headache, rapid palpitation of heart, etc, and it will not cause any side effects or other complications. Even a perfectly healthy person can do this Mudra, without any side effects.

Also remember, heart pain is usually worse by lying down. So, if you get chest pain or heart attack, do not lie down, just sit up. Very often, we just suffer a momentary stab-like pain in the chest for a few seconds only. This may also be an heart attack and we may suffer such minor heart attack, very often, without being aware of it. To avoid such condition, we must adopt a healthy life-style- take meals on time; take dinner always before 8 p.m., take home cooked food; avoid heavy dinner, go for a walk regularly or do yogasanas or pranayam as suggested by a Yoga teacher. Prevention is always better than cure. But, if you have any problem with your heart, do Apan Vayu Mudra daily till your heart functions normally.