Pranayama.
Pranayama
Pra – first
Na – unit
Ya – to bring forth
Ma – to nurture
Pranayama is the art of breathing. It is the bridge between body, mind and spirit, serving us as a vehicle to Self-realization, and a state of equanimity and contentment. Prana is life force energy; Yama or Ayama refers to expansion, extension, regulation and control. Prana is that which connects the body with the mind; what happens in the body is reflect- ed in the mind. If we control our prana, our mind is controlled, therefore, through regulating the breath, we are able to control our mind and our prana is directed.
“Brahma is the target. Atman is the arrow and Prana is the bow.” — Upanishads
The purpose of pranayama is to control and regulate the breathing mechanism, which is usually an involuntary process. Breathing goes on even in our sleep, as it is controlled by the central nervous system. With regular practice of pranayama, this process can be brought into our conscious control to some extent. In the yoga text Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the breath is compared to a wild animal. Just as elephants, lions and tigers can be controlled with steady and prolonged training, the yogi also brings the breath under his control with constant practice.
Pranayama techniques are designed to help us expand prana, our vital life force, and evenly channel it through the nadis, purifying them and increasing their capacity to contain this energy. The practice of suspend- ing the breath, kumbhaka, helps us to draw the mind to one point, con- trolling the waves of thought and restricting the loss of prana. If we break the word down further, we may get a glimpse of this life principle, under- lying every breath.
The Italian language offers a wonderful translation for us to see this life principle directly. Inhale, “Inspiro” – I live; and exhale, “Expiro” – I die. Within every breath there is an opportunity for us to be re-born. We inspire and come to life with each inhalation, expanding to new possibilities and potentials, and each exhalation offers us a chance to release and surrender into the all-pervading Light of Consciousness, letting go of attachment, fear, and ego-identity. We can simply choose to be present for each and every miraculous respiration and see its profound effects in our lives.
Tantric sages tell us that our in-breath and out-breath actually mirror the divine creative gesture. With the inhalation, we draw into our center, our own being. With the exhalation, we expand outward into the world.
Prana, like electricity, is hard to describe. The air contains prana, but is not itself prana. Prana is not the breath itself, but the power that makes you breathe. Prana is in water and food also. It is not the food itself, but the power that digests the food. It is in everything. The prana within us is able to extract the prana that is in the air we breathe, and use it. It is not the oxygen that makes us live, rather our prana uses the oxygen.
The grossest manifestation of prana in the body is the movement of the lungs. Pranayama practices teach us to control the movement of the lungs, controlling our prana. When the subtle prana is controlled, all gross manifestations of prana in the physical body will slowly come under control. When we concentrate and consciously regulate the breathing, we are able to generate and store a greater amount of prana and energy. If one has abundant pranic energy, they radiate vitality and strength.
According to Swami Rama in Path of Fire and Light (1986):
Pranayama is also the key between the cleansing and energy work like asana and further energy-expanding practices such as meditation. It is at the center of the Eight Limbed path offered by Patanjali’s Ashtanga Raja yoga system. In this system, pranayama is practiced to make the breath long, deep, subtle and meditative. Like other limbs, it leads the practitioner towards the state of Samadhi. Asana allows us to create space for prana to flow. With pranayama, we can then fill these spaces with prana. Meditation can then naturally use this stable prana for the expansion of consciousness.
In this practice, we take our natural breathing and expand it into a long slow inhalation, then a full exhalation, followed by a natural pause that Pa- tanjali calls ‘stamba’. This natural pause occurs both before and after each inhale and exhale. It is a moment where the world seems to stand still, and is an invitation for us to dive into deep tranquility if we allow aware- ness of this natural pause between breaths. In this stillness, we can rest in a state of connection and transcendence. Over time, this pause becomes longer and longer, and the stillness becomes embedded in our aware- ness, eventually becoming our natural state.
In modern yoga practice, pranayama has expanded from Patanjali’s original explanation into intentional inhalation (puraka), exhalation (rechaka) and retention (kumbhaka). The subtle regulation of the three parts re- quires practice and dedication. Without pranayama, it is difficult to work on the mind directly. Through pranayama, we regulate breath and body chemistry and emotions indirectly, thereby bringing us to the door of meditation. Many meditation techniques such as chanting or kirtan are also breath-regulating practices and act in much the same way.
“Control of the breath leads to health,
an increase in strength and energy, good complexion, increased
vitality, the growth of knowledge, and the
extension of the life span.”
Pranayama is not merely control of the breath, but is in fact, a direct perception of the life principle, meant to reveal the activity of the Self. Sutra 4.2 tells us that Pranayama helps to remove the veil of ignorance that covers the inner light or reality. There we discover a new clarity of perception and understanding, where one eventually realizes that there is no ‘self’ that is separate from everything else.
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