PRANAYAMA OR YOGIC BREATHING: Introduction

Reminder of Vocabulary:

Prana: Life Force, Vital Energy, Life Energy

Vital Energy is found in all living things. We absorb Prana through the food we eat, the water we drink, the sunlight, etc…

Prana is in the air, but is not the oxygen; it is IN food, water, air yet is not vitamin, heat or light rays. Food, water, air are just the media through which the vital force is carried.

Prana is also known as universal energy. It is the prana which is manifesting itself as gravitation, electricity, as the actions of the body, and as the nerve currents and thought force.

Raja Yoga: the science of mental control, the yogic path of meditation: Hatha Yoga is a subdivision of Raja Yoga

The sage Patanjali, who compiled the Yoga Sutras, reference text of Raja Yoga defines yoga as:

“Chitta Vritti Nirodha” meaning “Yoga is the suspension of the modifications of the mind”.

Controlling the mind is not possible without controlling the prana, as the two are intimately connected.

Hatha Yoga gives attention first to the physical body, which it sees as the vehicle of the soul's existence and activity. Purity of mind is not possible without purity of the body, in which it dwells and by which it is affected. By the practice of asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises) the mind becomes one pointed and one can progress in concentration and meditation.

The highest and most subtle manifestation of prana is thought.

The grossest manifestation of prana in the human body is in the motion of the lungs: if the motion of the lungs is stopped, all other energy and movements in the body will stop automatically.

In order to control the subtle prana i.e the thoughts, the yogi begins by controlling the breath.

The nature of the mind is to be unsteady; it is affected every waking moments by things it sees, hears and experiences through the senses. In order to get control over the mind, hatha yoga prescribes various pranayama or breathing techniques.

Yogic breathing (pranayama) attempts to control the manifestation of prana in the physical body. As you progress, you will learn to control the prana by mental means. This process of controlling the prana through mental concentration is called Raja Yoga.

Real breath control means controlling the way we exhale, not the way we inhale.

Energy is best renewed by the orderly release of breath, not by strenuously pumping the lungs full of air.

Exhaling helps the body accommodate itself to change (Example of the cold shower).

Careful breath control, with emphasis on exhaling aids relaxation. We breathe in because we can't help it, but we fail to breathe out completely. The result is that we sight a lot, a sign of our need to exhale.

The more air we exhale, the more we can breathe in. The increase of vital capacity (amount of air we take in) is the object of all breath discipline. Consciousness of breathing is a helpful habit to cultivate.

Of the many benefits of proper breathing, one of the greatest is increased body awareness. Conscious breathing brings with it consciousness of posture (you realise you cannot sit hunched up and breathe well)

Remember to try and practice some “breath awareness” exercises:

• concentrating on clock ticking and observing breath

• observe the breath as you go up the stairs or a hill and try and emphasize on exhalation

• When a sudden change occurs in your physical environment (i.e. hot/cold), try to observe what is happening with your breath…

contains extracts of The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga by Swami Vishnu Devananda

---