Pranayama, yogic breathing techniques, are considered a form of meditation. In classical yoga, the breath is associated with prana; thus, pranayama is a means to control the inner force, the prana shakti or life energy. Pranayama is more than regular breathing and if practiced in structured and methodical manner can reduce the body's physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. It has more recently...
Sleep Paralysis (SP) is a state that occurs during the hypnagogic or hypnopompic period in which one finds themselves unable to move despite being conscious. During an episode of SP, the individual experiences muscle atonia, as they would during normal sleep, but they remain conscious. SP is also largely associated with three types of hallucinations - the 'intruder', the 'incubus', and an out...
We present a case of recurrent fearful isolated sleep paralysis in a 52-year-old male of Indo-Caribbean ethnicity with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Recurrent sleep paralysis is a widely under-reported yet worrisome symptom of various sleep disorders. Although a benign condition in most cases, sleep paralysis in a minority of patients causes great distress. Some patients exhibit bedroom...
Background: Kapalbhati is a fast pace respiratory exercise or pranayam, which is supposed to be practiced by yogis to clean their brain. Pranayamas are well known to improve heart rate variability (HRV) ultimately leading to better autonomic functions. Other studies have observed the immediate effect of kapalbhati on various neurological (brain and spine) and autonomic functions, but their...