PRANAYAMA brief overview

SADHAKA SHANTI YOGA

PRANAYAMA – breathing exercises

Pranayama is yogic breathing. Patanjali* defines Yoga as “Chitta Vritti Nirodha” (Raja Yoga Sutras 1.2) 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 connected and we can easily see this connection when observing someone engaged in deep thinking or meditation. Alternatively, when the mind is affected by negative emotions, the breathing will become irregular and unsteady.

Hatha Yoga gives attention first to the physical body “vehicle of the soul’s existence and activity”. By the practice of asana and pranayama the mind can become calm and controlled so we can progress quickly to concentration and meditation (8 limbs of Yoga).

Vital energy (Prana) is found in all living things, we can absorb Prana through the food we eat the water we drink and the sunlight we stand under, knowledge and control of Prana is known as Pranayama. In order to control the subtle** body (the thoughts) the Yogi begins by controlling the breath. The nature of the mind is to be unsteady; it is affected every waking moment by things it sees, hears and experiences through the senses.

Real breath control means controlling the way we exhale, not the way we inhale. Exhaling helps the body accommodate itself to change. We breath in as we can’t help it but we fail to exhale properly and completely, resulting in the need to sigh, a sign of our need to exhale. Naturally we breath around 18 times a minute, 1080 times an hour, 25290 times a day. With any strenuous exertion, we can alter the breath to allow us to complete the task with out gasping for breath. As we walk up stairs or a steep hill, try breathing in for two and out for two, expelling a greater amount of carbon dioxide allows us to take in a greater supply of oxygen. If you are out of breath, try breathing faster, pant like a dog for a few seconds, then take a couple of full easy breaths. Repeat and notice this will quieter your breath more rapidly than a forced effort to breath naturally.

Pulling the shoulder blades together gives us a feeling of lightness in the abdominal region and helps you breathe deeply. Of the many benefits of proper breathing, one of the greatest is increased bodily awareness. Conscious breathing creates consciousness of posture, you realise you cannot sit hunched and still breath well. Another effective way to practice controlled breathing is counting. Sit comfortably in an upright position, inhale and steadily count to 4, hold for a moment, exhale and count to 8. You can increase these figures to 5 and 10 etc until you see notable progress.

*Patanjali was a sage (the father of modern yoga) who wrote the Yoga Sutras which is the guidebook of classical or Raja (Royal) Yoga written at least 1,700 years ago, and encompasses 195 sutras or aphorisms (general truth or principle) or thread (formula). Patanjali did not invent Yoga, Yoga was already there in many forms, he assimilated it into a system.

** According the Yoga scriptures there are 3 types of body:

PHYSICAL - actual body and the brain

SUBTLE – known as astral, the mind

CAUSAL – or soul determining karma, actions, experiences

SPIRIT/SELF/ATMA is different from the Soul