PRANA & PRANAYAMA

Vital energy or Prana is found in all living things. We absorb prana through the food we eat, the water we drink, sunlight etc. Knowledge and control of prana (vital energy) is called Pranayama.

Word Pranayama is made up of two parts :

Prana means vital energy or life-force

Yama means controlling or restraining

The nature of our mind is like a monkey. As we all say the monkey-mind. It gets affected every waking moment by things it sees, hears, and experiences through the five senses.

In order to control the mind, the yogi begins by controlling the breath. Hatha Yoga prescribes various pranayama or breathing techniques to achieve control over the mind.

Our breath is intimately connected with the mind. This connection is proved by our daily experience of life. When our mind is steady & calm, our breath becomes slow & smooth. On the other hand, when our mind is agitated, the breath becomes erratic, and hay-wired.

Yogic breathing or pranayama attempts to control the manifestations of prana in the physical body. The most subtle manifestation of prana is thought while the grossest manifestation of prana in the human body is in the motion of lungs. Pranayama begins by controlling the motion of the lungs. When the prana is controlled, all the other forces of the body will slowly come under control. All diseases can be destroyed at the root by controlling and regulating the prana. This is the secret knowledge of healing.

Breathe to Live

Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity. They breathe shallowly. Their shoulders are hunched,and they hold painful tension in the upper part of the back & neck. Many people become tired very easily and don’t know why. It is because of lack of oxygen. What most of us need today is a breathing program that can help us at our desks, cars, computers or wherever we may be sitting. Try this quick exercise to release tension from the body -

Sit up with your spine as straight as possible. Place the shoulder blades as close as you can without straining yourself and exhale gently & fully. Pause, then inhale with a deep, slow, gentle breath until the lungs are comfortably filled. Breathe out slowly through the nose with a long sigh. Maintaining your posture, do this a couple of times. This eases the nerve tension by increasing the supply of life-giving oxygen. Try this and see for yourself how easy and miraculous our breath can be.

In ordinary breathing, we extract very little prana. But when we concentrate and consciously regulate the breathing, we are able to store a greater amount of prana. Thoughtful management of breath can be a practical daily tool in promoting health and wellness. The yogi trained in the techniques of pranayama and breath control is able to tune into the infinite source of energy present inside us. The mind becomes one-pointed and one can progress quickly in concentration and meditation.