Features

TEHRAN — Iranian artist Mohammad Hossein Aghamiri sometimes labours for six months on a single design, very carefully — he knows a single crooked line could ruin his entire artwork.

In the age of AI-assisted graphic design on computer screens, the centuries-old tradition of Persian illumination offers an antidote to rushing the creative process.

Aghamiri’s fine brush moves natural pigments onto the paper with deliberate precision as he creates intricate floral patterns, religious motifs and elegantly flowing calligraphy.

The exquisite artwork has for centuries embellished literary manuscripts, religious texts and royal edicts as well as many business contracts and marriage certificates.

Aghamiri, 51, is one of Iran’s dozen or so remaining masters of the ancient illumination art of Tazhib, which was inscribed last year on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage.

“It is a very unique job that requires a lot of patience and precision,” Aghamiri, a veteran of the craft with over 30 years’ experience, told AFP in his downtown Tehran studio.

“It’s not accessible to everyone.”

Tazhib’s non-figurative and geometric flourishes have traditionally adorned the margins of holy books and epic poems.

The artform dates back to the Sassanid era in pre-Islamic Iran but flourished after the seventh century advent of Islam, which banned human depictions.

Aghamiri says it often takes him months to finish one design and that a single misplaced stroke that disrupts its symmetrical harmony can force him to start over.

Global workshops online 

When AFP visited, he was working on a so-called shamsa design, a symbolic representation of the sun, about 50 centimetres across with intertwined abstract, geometric and floral patterns.

He said he started the piece over four months ago and aimed to finish it within six weeks, using natural pigments such as lapis lazuli, saffron, gouache and pure gold, from China.

“Gold has a very strong visual appeal,” said Aghamiri. “It’s expensive and it enhances the perceived value of the work.”

Aghamiri hails from a family of artists and artisans with a rich history in Iranian craft traditions including calligraphy, miniature painting and carpet design.

His work has been showcased in museums in Iran and in nearby Arab countries of the Gulf region where interest in Oriental and Islamic art continues to grow.

“Eighty per cent of my works are sold in the region, especially in the Emirates and Qatar” as well as in Turkey, he said.

In recent years, Aghamiri garnered interest abroad and even began teaching the ancient art online to students from across the world, notably the United States.

Soon, he also hopes to hold workshops in Britain for his craft, which he says is fundamentally different from European illumination art, which flourished in the Middle Ages.

European designs, he said, are more figurative and can depict human faces, animals and landscapes, and often illustrate biblical scenes.

UNESCO labelled the Persian art of illumination as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2023, at the request of Iran as well as Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

“Twenty years ago, I didn’t have much hope” for the future of Persian illumination, said Aghamiri. “But things have changed, and I see that this art is becoming more and more popular.”

LOS ANGELES — “Inside Out 2” kept its number one spot at North American box offices for the third weekend in a row, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday, stalked closely by the latest installment in the “Quiet Place” horror franchise.

The film pulled in $57.4 million over the weekend, for a total haul of $469 million since its June 14 theatrical release — continuing its sweep despite struggles in the overall market, noted analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

“In spite of record-breaking numbers from ‘Inside Out 2’ and an excellent performance by ‘Planet of the Apes’, the June domestic [box office] was down -20.8 per cent compared with the pre-pandemic average,” Gross said.

The coming-of-age film again takes place largely inside the mind of a girl named Riley, as she grapples with new feelings on starting high school.

Emotions such as Envy and Anxiety join the existing, talkative residents of her young head, including Joy and Sadness, all of them voiced by actors including Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith.

Close behind was Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One”, the third installment in the apocalyptic horror series, starring Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o, which garnered $53 million in its debut weekend.

Gross called it “an outstanding opening for the 3rd episode in a horror series”, though he noted critic and audience reviews were down from the previous chapter.

“Only 13 horror series have moved on to a fourth episode. That list is going to get longer now.”

Also debuting was “Horizon: An American Saga”, from Warner Bros., which took third in box offices with a much smaller $11 million.

The American Western epic is the first installment in the new series, directed by and starring Kevin Costner, with a sequel expected in August.

Meanwhile the rowdy Will Smith action comedy “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”, dropped from second to fourth place, with the feature pulling in $10.3 million.

Sony’s fourth installment of the series is a major step in Smith’s career rehabilitation after he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in 2022 — a sign that audiences are ready to welcome him back.

Fifth place went to “Kalki 2898 AD,” a Telugu-language science fiction film from India’s Prathyangira Cinemas, which earned $5.5 million.

The mythological tale, with a blockbuster Indian cast, is the first film in a larger cinematic universe planned by the creators.

DORTMUND, Germany — While Germany sometimes struggled on the pitch at Euro 2024, a previously unknown saxophonist in a retro shirt has had more success at delighting fans and uniting the country.

Andre Schnura has become the breakout star of the competition on social media, getting fans jumping across Germany’s host cities for the tournament.

His latest performance in front of his newly adoring public came in the Dortmund fanzone ahead of Germany’s first knockout game against Denmark on Saturday evening.

Little over two weeks ago, 30-something Schnura was a gigging saxophonist and music teacher of little or no renown.

After losing his main job at a music school where he had been giving lessons for the past six years, he decided to pick up his saxophone and follow the football around Germany.

Schnura’s interpretations of the greatest hits of the football songbook include “Freed from Desire”, “Samba de Janeiro” and “Major Tom”, a German 80s classic which has become an anthem for supporters.

Dressed in a retro Rudi Voeller kit and sunglasses, Schnura has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on social media and become an instantly recognisable character at the tournament.

“I am completely overwhelmed and infinitely grateful for what is happening right now,” Schnura wrote on Instagram after a week of high-energy performances.

Hopeful message

The “saxophone guy”, as Schnura even calls himself, has used his platform to carry a message, too.

“I want to use my five minutes of fame to remind you of something important. All eyes are still on me, but it won’t always stay that way,” Schnura said.

“We all have worries, fears and insecurities... But we all long for peace, security and love. Simply, we are all the same. I want to remind you to love and forgive one another,” he said.

The saxophonist’s message of hope has resonated with fans, many of whom have followed his performances live online.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say your vibe is doing great things for Germany and for the Euros,” one user responded.

Another said Schnura was “saving Germany with a saxophone”.

Germany may have qualified for its first quarter final in eight years, bringing some positivity back to the team, but the mood in the country is dour between a sluggish economy and an ill-tempered political debate.

The saxophone guy has not gone unnoticed by the German football association or the tournament organisers UEFA, who have both broadcast videos of Schnura.

The musician has caught the attention of the players in the changing room, too. Gap-toothed striker and German cult icon in his own right, Niclas Fuellkrug said Schnura was “very cool”.

“Super job, Andre! Thank you for your support!” said veteran teammate Thomas Mueller.

Schnura has turned down requests for interviews, saying his “music speaks for itself”.

A petition has been started online for Schnura to appear at the final in Berlin on July 14. The musician himself has announced a tour in the autumn with seven dates called “love is the answer”.

By Sonia Salfity, 
Desperate Dieter

Procrastination is a choice. When we delay making smarter choices we hold ourselves

hostage instead of living in the freedom that comes from immediate action.

We have the power to resist instead of negotiating with ourselves and making excuses. 

Eventually, we discover that we turn into prisoners as we believe the lies we tell ourselves and impede our progress.

Tackling challenges The right place to begin tackling our challenges is to face them head on.

We can start by simply changing the language we use. For example, instead of telling ourselves we’ll do something later, we can do it right then and there.

Whether it’s folding the laundry or cleaning out the pantry or doing those squats we meant to start a year ago! Let’s simplify our lives by taking ‘I’ll do it later’ out of our vocabulary.

If you don’t do some things immediately you’ll talk yourself out of it.

Trust me, I know! Been there, done that!

‘When we delay making smarter choices we hold ourselves hostage instead of living in the freedom that comes from immediate action’

When procrastination is our norm, tomorrow never comes.

That’s a truth you can take to the bank! Procrastination never pays.

It always steals our time and our peace of mind. We all know how overwhelming it feels when we delay time-sensitive matters.

It could be an action or having a hard conversation with someone.

The longer you delay the more overwhelming it becomes.

The snowball effect Imagine a tiny snowball that rolls down a hill and gets larger and larger destroying everything in its path.

This “snowball effect” is what happens when we keep putting off taking care of our health, for example.

Making smarter choices today will set us up for a healthier future for many years to come.

The opposite is also true.

Failing to take immediate action in the present will cost us a very high price in the future.

We either pay a little now, or we pay exponentially more down the road.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to gamble with my health. 

There is no amount of money that will help one get out of that debt because sickness and disease don’t discriminate between rich or poor, young or old, female or male.

Everyone pays a price for neglecting their well being.

I will be the first to confess that I neglected my health for many years when I was busy taking care of our children and now I’m paying the price.

Investing in ourselves Instead of putting on the oxygen mask on myself I depleted my reserves and ran on an empty tank.

Motherhood can do that and so can jobs and other responsibilities.

How do we expect to get better when we don’t take time to invest in our own lives?

‘Making smarter choices today will set us up for a healthier future’

That’s the best gift we can give ourselves and everyone around us as we’re better able to care for them when we care for ourselves first. 

It’s the difference between arriving with a full tank instead of a depleted one that runs on fumes.

If our cup is empty how can we possibly expect to pour anything out to our loved ones?

Friends, join me as we fight this monster they call procrastination. Let’s grab it by the bull horns and show it who the boss really is!

Let’s be the ones that call the shots and start taking control of the things we actually do have control over.

The funny thing is once we tackle this giant we discover that he wasn’t so big after all. 

He eventually shrinks to the size of a mouse when we dare set our minds to soldier onward and forward!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

GENEVA — A Swiss foundation must do more to trace the provenance of works in a vast art collection acquired in questionable circumstances during World War II, a team of experts said on Friday.

There has long been suspicion around the Nazi-era origins of one of Europe’s most prestigious private art collections, acquired by arms dealer Emil Buhrle, who made his fortune during the war.

The German-born industrialist became a naturalised Swiss citizen in 1937. By the time he died in 1956, he had amassed around 600 artworks, including masterpieces by Cezanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Rembrandt, Picasso and Van Gogh.

Some had previously been looted from their Jewish owners, or sold cheaply and in haste as their owners fled the Nazis.

The Buhrle Foundation, which owns the collection, has been working to clarify the provenance of the works for years.

Its efforts came into particular focus when Kunsthaus Zurich, one of Switzerland’s most prestigious art museums, agreed to permanently house the collection. Until then, it had been displayed at a private museum on the outskirts of Zurich.

The Kunsthaus has faced especially keen scrutiny since it opened a new building to house a large part of the collection in 2021.

‘Insufficient’

A team of experts mandated by the Zurich authorities and the museum to evaluate the foundation’s research on provenance on Friday concluded that it had been “insufficient”

“Provenance research must be continued,” said the team, led by renowned Swiss historian Raphael Gross, president of the German Historical Museum Foundation.

The Buhrle Foundation has confirmed that 13 paintings bought by the German-born industrialist.

Following a series of court cases after World War II ended, in the late 1940s Buhrle returned all 13 pieces to their rightful owners then repurchased nine of them, the foundation said.

But the foundation says its research over two decades concluded there were no signs of “problematic provenance” for any of the 203 works in the current collection.

Friday’s expert review examined the foundation’s sources, methodology, accuracy, standards and historical contextualisation.

Voicing particular concern that the foundation had categorised 90 works as unproblematic despite lacking full provenance research, the experts insisted they should all be re-examined.

The research should “concentrate on clarifying the previous J ownership and persecution-related confiscation of the works”, they added.

“Without the Nazi’s persecution, the Buhrle Collection would never have reached the level it did,” Gross reporters at a new conference, the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS reported.

‘Superficial’

The experts conducted an in-depth examination of the provenance investigation conducted on five emblematic works. They research there, they said, was so “superficial that decisive indicators [were] overlooked”.

One of the works, “Madame Cezanne with a Fan” by Paul Cezanne, had belonged to the US writer, poet and art collector Gertrude Stein, who was living in Nazi-occupied France.

The experts urged the Kunsthaus to set up an interdisciplinary panel to create a scheme for examining all art in its own collection and on long-term loan that could potentially be linked to Nazi-related confiscations.

The report also suggested the museum conduct a further debate, if possible a public one, about the Buhrle collection and the museum’s association with his name.

KOH TAO, Thailand — Record-high sea temperatures are bleaching coral reefs worldwide and putting a new focus on attempts to restore these key marine ecosystems.

Here is an overview of how coral restoration is being done around the world:

Restoration begins with obtaining coral, sometimes by breaking it off from a healthy reef. These pieces can be broken into smaller bits in a process called microfragmentation.

Each piece can become a new coral.

Another option involves collecting “fragments of opportunity” — coral pieces broken off by natural causes such as storms.

Conservationists can also propagate from egg bundles collected during reef spawning, though this is perhaps the most difficult approach.

Spawning is brief, generally happening just once a year, and is affected by many factors, including the lunar phase and water temperature.

Coral microfragments generally go into a “nursery” until they grow sturdy enough to be transplanted to an existing reef or an artificial structure.

Fragments of opportunity are treated similarly. If big enough, they can be transplanted directly to natural or artificial reefs.

Bundles of coral eggs and sperm collected during spawning will develop into larvae that can then be settled onto reefs or, more commonly, grown on artificial foundations before being transplanted to their final homes.

Other techniques are used to bolster coral restoration, including mineral accretion technology.

This involves sending a low-voltage electrical current through seawater to encourage minerals to dissolve and crystallise on artificial reef structures, speeding up coral growth.

The technique has had mixed results, with some studies reporting better growth and more resilient corals, but others finding no significant benefits.

Other interventions include substrate stabilisation, which shores up reef foundations, and algae removal.

Restoration projects heavily favour quick-growing branching corals.

The delicate branches of these corals are more susceptible to becoming fragments of opportunity, and are also easier to microfragment than massive or encrusting corals.

Their fast-growing nature gives restoration projects quicker results, though focusing on only one type of coral can reduce ecosystem diversity.

Does it work?

Coral restoration projects report survival rates of around 60-70 per cent, according to a study published in 2020.

But around half the projects in the study failed to properly measure whether they achieved the goals stated at the outset, including reef function.

Monitoring was also often brief, at a median of just one year, far less than the time needed for a reef to form, according to the authors.

Still, the projects can produce real benefits.

A 2024 study of artificial reefs in Indonesia found that within four years the structures had a coral carbonate budget — a measure of reef wellbeing — that was nearly equal to nearby healthy natural reef.

What are other considerations?

Some experts worry that coral restoration is too often presented as panacea for reviving reefs, and point out that transplants will only survive if the surrounding conditions are right.

That means first addressing climate change, which causes the warm temperatures that lead to coral bleaching.

“Well-designed and managed restoration projects have an important role to play, but there is only so much they can do if radical action on the climate is not taken almost immediately,” warned Lisa Bostrom-Einarsson, the marine ecologist who led the 2020 study.

And other stressors, from blast fishing to sedimentation, must also be tackled for reefs to have a future.

Reef restoration also rarely offers a one-for-one replacement of destroyed ecosystems.

The Indonesia reefs examined in the 2024 study are still largely made up of transplanted corals, with little sign yet that “natural recruits” are taking root and building reef diversity.

Building reefs through microfragmentation also limits genetic diversity and can put reefs at risk if disease takes hold.

Still, well-done restoration offers considerable benefits, including coastal protection and boosting marine life.

That also helps local communities dependent on fishing or tourism.

“Restoration will not save corals at the current rate we’re losing them,” said Gavin Miller, a marine scientist with the Global Reef organisation in Thailand.

“It’s more about these localised impacts and the scale and the awareness that you can raise from there.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Some of the world’s major music labels are suing music generation services Suno and Udio, accusing the startups of violating the copyrights of top artists to train their generative AI engines without permission.

Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Records, Capitol Records and others — who filed the copyright infringement suits on Monday in federal courts in Boston and New York — are seeking damages of up to $150,000 per song or shares of the companies’ profits.

“Unlicensed services like Suno and Udio that claim it’s ‘fair’ to copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all,” Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) chief executive Mitch Glazier said in a statement.

Examples cited in the lawsuits included prompts using Suno’s service to churn out songs mimicking copyrighted works of Chuck Berry, James Brown, Michael Buble, ABBA, and others.

Suno and Udio did not respond to requests for comment.

Breaching ownership rights of people’s artistic creations to train generative AI models has been a flashpoint as the technology races to become more capable and, ultimately, more profitable.

The two lawsuits, one against each company, center on generative AI services that allow people to make songs using basic prompts.

Suno and Udio have been evasive about how they train their AI models, saying that is a guarded secret, according to the complaints.

Music publishers are collaborating with “responsible developers” to build AI tools that respect the works of artists, according to the head of the RIAA, which announced the lawsuits.

“Real music comes from real life and real people,” Black Music Action Coalition Chief Executive Willie “Prophet” Stiggers said in the release.

“It is vital that artists and songwriters are in charge of their own work, story, and message.”

In April, hundreds of artists and songwriters including Billie Eilish, Smokey Robinson and the estate of Frank Sinatra signed an open letter urging protections against what they called an “assault on human creativity” posed by artificial intelligence.

“We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem,” read the letter, submitted by the non-profit Artist Rights Alliance.

PARIS — Invaders in the Petit Palais: Some 60 of the world’s most renowned street artists have been invited into the rarefied confines of a Paris institution, even if some admit it raises questions about whether they belong.

The Beaux-Arts palace on the banks of the Seine houses an illustrious selection of 19th-century painting and sculpture.

But the “We Are Here” exhibition sees the street artists infiltrate it with graffiti, murals and graphics dotted among the portraits — even adding cartoon wings to statues.

Some merge almost too well — a freshly made portrait by Tunisian artist DaBro looks perfectly at home in a cluster of solemn 19th-century street scenes until you realise it features break-dancers.

Others are more jarring, such as the pixelated alien by the French artist Invader sitting above a Monet sunset.

It is, say some of the artists, a logical step.

“Street art always has the spirit of invasion.

We always want to take over spaces that are not open to us,” said Inti, a Chilean artist who provided a huge mural.

But the exhibition has also made him question himself, he told AFP: “To enter into a closed space like this is to enter into an institution — it’s a bit counter to what we try to do outside.”

He was concerned, too, that street art has become too commercialised, undermining its rebellious spirit.

A painting by US artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who started out in street art before moving into galleries, sold for $110 million in 2017; a shredded artwork by Britain’s guerilla street artist Banksy went for $25 million in 2021.

Hush, a street artist from the north of England, agrees that art movements die when they become too accepted by the establishment.

But its ethos still challenges the elitist atmosphere of galleries, he said.

“As a working-class guy, you don’t always feel accepted in art museums. With street art, everyone feels allowed to come in,” he told AFP.

“And you can still be disruptive, you can still have fun. The good thing with being from this scene is you don’t feel like you have to say yes. It means we’re still in control.”

‘Buried underground’ 

One of the first items to strike visitors is a giant aerosol can emerging out of the ground with cartoon wings, courtesy of London-based artist D*Face.

“It represents the fact that we’ve been buried underground and often overlooked and now we’re coming up to be seen,” he said.

The timing is right, he added, with France plunged into political turmoil this week by a far-right landslide in European elections.

“Urban art is really the first global art movement. You go anywhere in the world and there is a street art community,” said D*Face.

“It’s all about inclusivity, whereas politics right now is trying to divide us.”

Also present is Shepard Fairey, aka Obey, renowned for his “Hope” posters for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

His “Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood” shows French figurehead Marianne with a blood-red tear running down her cheek, made in response to terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.

“The thing I love about street art is that it brings people together, it’s got a generous spirit,” he said.

“Anything that makes people think about their common humanity rather than selfish protectionism is very valuable for this moment.”

But can street art maintain that political relevance if it becomes too accepted by the elite?

“We’ve been saying street art is dead since its inception and it has kept evolving,” said Hush.

“But it has come full circle. Street art was against the people who could say yes or no.” And now they say yes to us.

PARIS — Sports kit and Greek goddesses from Christian Dior vied for attention with living sculptures from Iris Van Herpen as haute couture went high concept at Paris Fashion Week on Monday.

Paying homage to the Olympics a month before the Games in Paris, Dior presented some glamorous if improbable sportswear, including gold-feather swimsuits and a red bathrobe decorated with mosaics of mirrors.

Dior’s show was held in the gardens of the Rodin Museum around works by African-American artist Faith Ringgold who died in April.

Its monumental embroideries on the theme of sport are being exhibited throughout the week.

Haute couture week features ultra-expensive, one-off bespoke clothing and comes straight after the conclusion of the menswear shows in Paris.

Schiaparelli kicked off the week with a “back to basics” approach that dispensed with some of the gimmicks like fake animal heads or the baby robot that drew a lot of attention in recent shows.

“I didn’t want a robot baby. I didn’t want anyone to talk about anything but the clothes. No tricks, no anatomy,” creative director Daniel Roseberry told reporters after the show.

“I kept coming back to this idea that no one knows how to say Schiaparelli, but everyone knows what it means,” he added.

Van Herpen’s sculptures

Also putting on a show on Monday was Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen, fresh from a blockbuster retrospective of her work in Paris this year.

She presented a unique artistic performance for her latest show: no catwalk, just five models stuck to huge canvases performing slow dances.

Once over, these “aerial sculptures” were carefully dismounted to the delight of the fashionistas.

And India’s Rahul Mishra gave a typically flamboyant display, with glittering outfits packed with rhinestones, sequins and glass — though without the usual wild colours.

“I was working on the idea of aura and you always think of colour, but the more I thought, the more I was lost. Aura is infinity, space, mystery — so black became the mood, like seeking in the darkness in space,” he told AFP.

Thirty couture shows are due before Thursday. Valentino and Fendi are absent this season, but Balenciaga and Thom Browne have joined the calendar.

Couture shows only happen in France, which strictly regulates what meets the definition.

The creations are mainly destined for red carpets, major jet-set events and royal weddings, attracting a crowd of the uber-elite who come to scout out party outfits, including Kylie Jenner and Doja Cat at Schiaparelli, and Jennifer Lopez and Korean muse Jisoo at Dior.

By Shama Kaur,
Kundalini Yoga Teacher & Wellness Mentor

World Asthma Day, observed each year on the first Tuesday of May, is a global effort to spread awareness about asthma, a common respiratory condition affecting people worldwide. The day aims to inform communities about asthma management, preventionand treatment.

By highlighting the importance of understanding asthma triggers and seeking proper care, World Asthma Day encourages everyone to take steps to manage their condition effectively.

Bringing harmony to your breathing

In yoga, asthma is often viewed as a disturbance in the flow of prana (life force energy) and the balance of the air element within the body.

According to yogic philosophy, the lungs are associated with the air element and are considered the primary organ for the exchange of prana.

When the flow of prana becomes disrupted or blocked, it can manifest as respiratory issues, such as asthma.

Emotionally, asthma may be related to feelings of grief, sadness, or unresolved emotional tension.

These emotions can contribute to constriction and imbalance in the chest area where the lungs are located.

Practicing yoga and breathwork techniques can help release these emotional blockages and restore harmony to the respiratory system.

In terms of chakras, asthma is often associated with imbalances in the heart chakra (Anahata) and throat chakra (Vishuddha). The heart chakra governs emotions related to love, compassion and self-acceptance.

The throat chakra is associated with communication, self-expression and creativity. Imbalances in these chakras may contribute to difficulty expressing oneself, suppressed emotions and tension in the chest and throat, which can exacerbate asthma symptoms.

Alleviating asthma 

Pranayama is breath control and it is a fundamental part of Kundalini Yoga. According to the 3HO Foundation, the average rate of breathing for most people is 16 times per minute. When the rate of breathing increases, or if it becomes rapid and irregular, the mind also becomes disturbed and erratic.

Yoga practitioners believe that your rate of breathing and your state of mind are inseparable. When you learn how to focus your breath, you have more control over your mind, which influences mental well-being by reducing stress and calming negative responses.

Beyond mental wellness, researchers have found that mindful breathing also supports physical wellness. In controlling your breath, you can help strengthen the immune system and support the body’s response to disease. This is particularly important when it comes to respiratory health.

Yoga — A Remedy to Respiratory Illness by Dr Sripriya Krishnan states: “that many people with serious respiratory ailments have found a solution in yoga.”

He goes on to state that if the lungs are permanently damaged, as in chronic bronchitis, yoga teaches how to improve the mechanical efficiency of our breathing and make the most of our lung capacity.

Pranayama at home

With heightened awareness of respiratory wellness, many people are exploring the breathing exercises of pranayama at home. Here are two simple Kundalini Yoga breathing techniques you can practice anywhere to improve your respiratory health:

Technique 1: Long deep breathing

Long deep breathing uses the full capacity of the lungs by utilising the three parts of the lungs: abdominal or lower, chest or middle, clavicular or upper. Begin the inhale with an abdominal breath. Then add the chest breath and finish with a clavicular breath. All three are done in a smooth motion.

Start the exhale by relaxing the clavicle, then slowly emptying the chest. Finally, pull in the abdomen to force out any remaining air. Breathe through the nose, and focus on gradually slowing your breath. Continue for 26 breaths, or 3- 31 minutes.

Technique 2: Alternate nostril breathing

Sit in a comfortable position either on the floor or in a chair and maintain a straight spine. Using the thumb and index fingers of the right hand, make a “U” and use the thumb to close off the right nostril and the index finger to close off the left nostril.

Close the left nostril, inhale deeply through the right nostril. At the end of the inhale, close the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.

Now inhale through the left nostril fully and deeply, then close the left nostril and exhale through the right one.

Again, inhale through the right nostril and continue alternate nostril breathing. The breath must be complete and full on both the inhalation and exhalation cycles, keeping the shoulders without tension and the body relaxed.

Continue for 3 - 5 minutes. To conclude, inhale deeply, hold the breath a few seconds, lower the hand and exhale.

Controlled breathing through pranayama can help improve respiratory health, which is even more important during the coronavirus pandemic.

To learn more visit kundaliniresearchinstitute.org and 3ho.org.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine