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Good afternoon. I would like to introduce our dear friend, Martin Kramar, from Slovakia, from the city of Martin. He is a long-time disciple of our dear Gurudev. He studied in the USA for 11 years and then moved to Dubai for his professional career. He is a psychologist specializing in different breathing techniques, yoga, and stress research. He currently works as a professor at the Canadian University in Dubai. Today, he will share his research findings with us. Thank you very much, Roman, for the introduction and the warm welcome. Thank you to Avatar Purī G and all the organizers for inviting me. I feel truly at home. I will begin with a story for the young generation. In the early 90s, when I first met Swamiji in 1995, I went to him with self-confidence. I told him I wanted to go abroad to work and study, specifically to Dubai. When he asked when, I said, "Now." You know how he is—he didn't like that idea. He said, "No, you will go to America." I never wanted to go to America. It was surprising, but I eventually applied to university there. I initially wanted to study sports management but ended up studying psychology for 11 years. After returning to Slovakia for two years of work, I finally received an offer to work in Dubai at the German Neuroscience Center. My wish came true after 16 years, and I have now been in Dubai for 15 years. Time flies. This is a message for the young generation who see their future connected with yoga. Today's presentation will be about stress and the benefits of yoga exercises, Prāṇāyāma, Kumbhaka, and Kriyās. It is now possible to scientifically prove the benefits of this Vedic culture in the West. I will use some medical terminology, which is useful for yoga teachers to explain concepts to clients. I will discuss stress through the lens of heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. I specialize in this, not because I am stress-free, but because I am a learner, as we all are. I will explain how stress is seen through the autonomic nervous system, then move to the benefits of Kāṭuprāṇāma, Kriyās, and Prāṇāyāma. Finally, I will mention connections between yoga and contemporary psychology. We all have stress, a response to our external and internal environment. The external environment—situations, people, decision-making, energies—is not in our hands. What is in our hands is our inner environment: our way of thinking, breathing, evaluating things, willpower, concentration, and monitoring the mind. This is something we must do alone. We will discuss stress from perspectives of doubt, insecurity, and attachment. There is also protective stress, or arousal, which excites us. I conduct many measurements. HRV is a simple measurement through heartbeats; in five minutes, you can see a lot. In my eyes, HRV is like a DNA imprint. An Ayurvedic doctor touches your pulse and knows your doṣas—Pitta, Kapha, Vāta. HRV similarly covers the autonomic nervous system, specifically its two branches: the parasympathetic (Iḍā) and sympathetic (Piṅgalā). We seek balance between these energies, and breathing is key to creating it. When we inhale, the heart rate increases (the time between pulses shrinks). When we exhale, it decreases (the time extends). This exhale phase is very important. What is variability? Many watches show an average heart rate, like 60, which can be good for athletes, but we need to see how it changes with inhalation and exhalation. In yoga, you stretch your HRV, extending your vitality. We look for the highest point on inhalation and the lowest on exhalation within your capacity. This variability is the goal of exercises like Prāṇāyāma and Kriyās. The autonomic nervous system: when stressed (sympathetic), heart rate escalates, saliva decreases. The parasympathetic calms the heart rate, increases time between pulses, and promotes salivation and good digestion. Medically, we have two systems covering stress: the Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system, a quick response releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine; and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which releases cortisol. Cortisol is problematic, linked to depression and heavy stress, while epinephrine is more related to arousal. Our brain has two hemispheres. The right is more connected to intuition, the parasympathetic (Iḍā). Left nostril breathing can be intuitive, heart-oriented, artistic. Such people are sensitive, which can lead to suffering. The left hemisphere is logical, analytical, outcome-oriented, and focused on the external environment. For decision-making, we need both hemispheres active. I will show examples of HRV graphs. A straight line with a low variability (e.g., SDNN 12.4, where anything below 30 is bad) can indicate poor prognosis, as seen in a patient after heart surgery. Good variability requires at least a 20-beat difference between inhalation and exhalation. A parasympathetic-dominant pattern shows spiky, close-together beats. This indicates good stamina and sensitivity but can also lead to being laid-back, procrastinating, indifferent, slow, introverted, or socially phobic. High sensitivity can make it hard to switch off reading others' minds. A stressed (sympathetic) pattern shows clustered beats, like "popcorn," indicating imbalance. This person can be explosive, goal-oriented, left-hemispheric, logical, insensitive, stubborn, and good for business. A case study: a 35-year-old woman with high anxiety. Her HRV started well (average 60 bpm) but suddenly escalated to 120 bpm before returning to parasympathetic. This was a panic attack. She was not moving; she was thinking. When asked, she revealed she was thinking about her ex-husband. This 60-beat increase floods the system with negative hormones like cortisol. The cells do not distinguish between seeing a threat physically or imagining it. Her cells, holding memories, reacted to the imagined threat by releasing adrenaline, as if to a virus. If repeated, this self-jeopardizing mechanism causes ongoing panic attacks. What should she do? Yoga in daily life is the first step. But she needs to change her stance toward her ex-husband. This applies to all attachments—ex-partners, money, etc. The one-word solution, found in all religions, is "forgive." How? By wishing the ex-husband well, making peace with the situation, evaluating it differently, accepting reality, and moving forward. This is therapy that takes time. She needs to offer unconditional love—wishing him all the best. Then, the cells will no longer recognize the image as a threat, and the response will fade. In Western culture, forgiveness is often seen as weakness, but it helps you by releasing pain. Palpitations, panic attacks, and fears cause pain. We are alone in how we evaluate situations. Positive thinking is not naivety; it is knowing what you want. In another five-minute measurement, five different clusters appear, representing five different topics from past or future thinking. Unresolved past problems replay like a movie. We cannot change the past, but we can change our stance toward it. Cells hold memories that can bring back past emotions. Only we can fix this using techniques like yoga and Prāṇāyāma. Our goal is to develop a coherent, steady variability with consistent heartbeats. This coherence releases positive hormones. We must train to achieve this through meditation and special breathing. Check if you can maintain a steady breathing pattern for 5-10 minutes during meditation. Connecting with unconditional love is also vital. Radiate beautiful feelings toward anyone—friends, partners, colleagues—without expectations. Expectations create stress, anxiety, and desire. HRV is a useful tool to monitor your practice. The most powerful energy I have measured comes from Kriyās. They can extend variability by 50 or more pulses. When you inhale, heart rate rises. When you hold the breath after inhalation (Antara Kumbhaka) and apply Mūla Bandha, the heart rate continues to rise. When you exhale, it falls. Holding after exhalation (Bāhya Kumbhaka) lowers it further. No other exercise achieves such variability. In my measurement, my lowest heart rate was 41 and highest was 95—a 54-beat difference. With regular practice, you can achieve a 45-pulse difference. This means creating a "bulletproof vest." After Kriyās, during relaxation, the system rejuvenates powerfully. In daily life, you have a higher threshold; stress may not reach the peaks that cause discomfort. It is like stretching in yoga—you push to a limit, and everything within that range is enjoyable. Modern science does not yet apply these techniques for stretching the nervous system, but it is our goal to implement them therapeutically. Kriyā is the most powerful for energy. Kāṭuprāṇāma is also beautiful. In Dubai, many Muslims perform similar exercises in prayer—going up, down, putting the head to the floor five times a day. This is a reset. Fasting can also be helpful. In Kāṭuprāṇāma, you work on balancing heart rate and blood pressure for energy accumulation. Afterward, the heart rate returns to baseline quickly. In the morning, instead of running (which raises heart rate for hours, using energy), slow walking, Prāṇāyāma, and Kapālabhāti are better. Running in the evening can burn accumulated cortisol and adrenaline. Running is better than nothing, but the worst is waking up and doing nothing, carrying dream emotions with you half the day. Morning exercises—Prāṇāyāma, Kāṭuprāṇāma—prepare you for the day's energy expenditures: thinking, decision-making, problems, conversations. Precious time is in the morning. Everyone should create their own Sādhana. Science now proves it works. Regarding Prāṇāyāma research, it is complicated because the Svara (nostril dominance) changes every hour and a half. I cannot say Iḍā activates only parasympathetic and Piṅgalā only sympathetic. Svara Yoga is useful: check which nostril is active; after Prāṇāyāma, both should be active. For example, before sleep, the right nostril (Piṅgalā) should be active. This works 100% for me. I check before watching movies or sleeping. Lying on your right side helps balance (Piṅgalā is sun; outside is moon). With patients, I consider active nostrils. Measuring Prāṇāyāma is not easy. I attempted fMRI research; it is difficult to execute Prāṇāyāma in a tube. But I proved activity in the olfactory and cortical regions during three-part breathing, and both hemispheres activated during Anuloma Viloma. More research is needed to integrate these into therapeutic systems. Prāṇāyāma activates the prefrontal cortex (frontal lobe), related to decision-making, judgment, and the third eye. Monitoring thoughts grants mental flexibility. Time is ending. Perhaps I can share more in the future. Western medical science is now proving what Eastern cultures have long known. East and West are connecting. It is our mission to propagate these exercises. As yoga teachers, inspire others, but now you need science behind you. I will end here. Thank you for being a great audience. I hope this enriches your knowledge and self-confidence to continue yoga exercises and the system of Yoga in Daily Life. Thank you very much.