Pranayama

Pranayama is the fourth stage of Patangli Astanga Yoga. Pranayama derived from two Sanskrit words “Prana” (Life Force) and “Aayam” (Control).

Pranayama is the ability to control life’s forces through mastering the motion of breathe. Pranayama is specially retention of breathe inside or outside this is called Kumbhak. All other breathing practices not focusing on Kumbhaka are not considered Pranayama. Instead these are exercise for health and purity to the body.

Breathing exercise, or Pranayama are an important part of the practice of Yoga. They should always be done after the physical exercise why? Because the physical exercise have activated the muscle and warmed the blood, and now the blood should be purified by the breathing exercises. Purifying the breathe and body and activating the prana also work against negative ideas and desires.

After having conquered Asana, the next step is Pranayama and that is practiced by controlling the motion of inhalation and exhalation of breathing and suddenly halting and holding the air in or out of lungs.

Duration, place and frequency of above referred Pranayama   increases and become subtle with long practice. Here it refers to the time, the organs of body where the energy is focused and the frequency of each cycle of a particular Pranayama exercise.

The fourth kind of Pranayama (in which, it is objective, focused on a particular object or subject, within body or outward), takes the practitioner beyond the three.

“Each man has to begin from where he stands, must learn how to control things that are nearest to him. This body is nearest to us, nearer than anything in the world, and this mind is nearest to body. The Prana which is working this mind and body is the nearest to all the forces in the universe.”

All the exercises in this regard are aimed towards that Ayama (regulating)….. ……..holding a control over this energy means controlling every thing of inner nature. In a broader sense, Pranayama is energy consciousness…….

Thought is the finest and highest action of Prana. Purification of body & thoughts at the root level and instilling of steadiness of mind is the out come of Pranayama. After all a man is what he does and what he does is what he thinks. Purification of body and mind is implied in Pranayama…..

If any thing that can be termed as revolutionary in the entire history of human civilization, that can happen in a human life like touching of first human footstep on moon’s surface, it is “Pranayama”.

Do these Pranayama as sequence given below…..

1. Bhastrika Pranayama
2. KapalBhati Pranayama
3. Bahya Pranayama
4. Anuloma Viloma Pranayama
5. SuryaBhedi Pranayama
6. Ujjayi Pranayama
7. Shitali and Shitkari Pranayama
8. Bhramari Pranayama