The Power of Pranayama

The power of Pranayama

Whenever the word YOGA hits our ear , a picture of an accomplished yogi comes to mind doing different and more advanced Asanas (postures).

A person who is new to this science of yoga may feel very excited and motivated to achieve this pose (advanced asana),he may join the yoga centers or find a teacher to guide him. And luckily one day he finds himself in that pose which made him do the practice.

But now the question he may ask to him ,What next?

He may either advance his asana practice beyond his natural range of motion (sometimes leading to injuries) or he may take the other way by contemplating on his practice.

What does this actually mean to him ?

If he takes the latter path he will find himself in the space of expansion because now he is actually trying to move away from the physical body.

This is a beautiful journey with lots of explorations.

Because since he has established his Asana he can now sit in his comfortable pose ,the physical body has settled down and then he will start witnessing the functioning of the other bodies (pranamaya body,manomaya body,vijnanamaya body and anandamaya body).

Little by little he shall see the deep pattern of his personality as a whole.

In this process of looking inside a lot of things may come to the surface the good ones (which empowers him) and the bad ones (which makes him feel bad for himself).

Now this is where the true meaning of yoga comes that is to be in equanimity.

Everyone has a good and a bad side ,even in asanas also we have the same ,so if we try our best to improve the bad side of an ASANA (physical body) why not try our best to work on the bad side of himself (mental body and spiritual body) ?

The message of yoga here is to not look for a solution but to look for the cause , since looking for the solution can be a short term goal but looking for the cause is the long term goal.

Of course it may be overwhelming but the journey is worth it.

Here the role of breathe comes into the story,

The breathe is a mode of anchoring ,just like earth is anchored to the sun by gravity.

Earth cannot leave the sun , and the sun also cannot leave the earth.

They are made to complement each other.

The same happens with the relation of mind and body ,here breath facilitates the link between them.

Pranayama (breathe regulation) is that practice which made an ordinary person a little extra -ordinary , because he has the power now to see the clarity :

TATAH KSIYATE PRAKASAVARANAM (PYS-2:52)

(Through that pranayama the veil of karmasheya (2.12) that covers the inner illumination or light is thinned, diminishes and vanishes)

It is necessary to make an evident distinction between Breathing and Pranayama,where breathing deals with just inhale and exhale of vital air while Pranyama deals with expansion and extension of vital force. In other words breathe begins and ends (gross) but prana comes and goes (subtle)

So if we again consider the yogi (who did advance practices) ,it was not ONLY the result of the intense stretching and strenghtening for long hours of musculoskeletal movements , but also the inclusion of conscious breathing which made his pose more effortless :

sthira-sukham-āsanam (PYS - 2:46)

Practicing yoga with strength and in a relaxed manner gives rise to harmony with the physical body (asana).

The relaxation (sukham) comes when there is a subtlety in the breath.

Many of us may also argue the pranayama comes later in Yoga Sutra’s Ashtanga Yoga ,and the above sutra is only for the asana,but we have to understand here that the journey of yoga is not a straight line ,it is a big circle.

As the circle doesn’t have any beginning or end ,the limbs of yoga (ashtanga yoga) also don't have any beginning or end ,one limb feeds the other.

The breath will be the tool to find the cause of crisis ,sufferings etc.

Merely doing a simple practice of breath awareness shall provide the space of stillness and calmness within the body and mind.this calmness and stillness shall again be the tool to look within and find the cause ,just like searching for pearls on the calm ocean floor.

Short Pranayama Practice (recommended for  new practitioners) 

-Sit in any comfortable position (either on the floor or chair) keeping your spine erect and easy.

-Stay in this position for few breathes 

-Notice that there is no a sudden stop in breath,inhale is leading to exhale and exhale is leading to inhale comfortably

-Now slowly start observing the movement in the chest with each inhale and movement in the lower abdomen with each exhale.

-Each inhale is for the energising and each exhale is for the grounding / relaxation

-slowly start extending your exhale a little longer than inhale (without being breathless)

-maintain this for 12 breath (or less)

-place the palms over the eyes ,give warmness to the eyes and relax

-Vikram