The fourth of the eight steps of Ashtanga Yoga is Pranayama. Most believe this to be the control of the breath but it is more than that. If we look at the word Pranayama we can see its reall meaning. Pra means before and na means that which exists. Prana therefore means that which came before existence. Or, ana (anna) means atom therefore Prana means that which came before matter. If we add Yama to the equation we will see that Pranayama is the control of that which came before existence.
So what exactly is this 'thing' called Prana? It is understood in many ways...it is: the vital lifeforce, universal energy, the vital energy and in scientific terms it would be the neutrino. These are just a few of the many terms that Prana is known by. Swami Gitananda refered to Prana as the 'Cosmic Catalyst' because he said that it is that which "makes things happen, without itself being affected by the happenings." The Biblical desription of the Creation says that 'The breath moved over the waters'.
In India they say that when a man dies, he loses his Prana. It is Prana that gives life and in turn, takes it away. When a baby breathes its first breath, 'Cosmic Prana flows into the little creature, setting up great vortexes of energy in certain parts of the nervous system, creating psychic centres called Chakras'. A chakra is literally a wheel of energy. All of these Chakras are activated by Prana and are connected by the Shushumna Nadi associated with the centre of the spinal cord.
Man can get Prana from breath, the sun, the earth, the sea, food, water, plants, air and so on. Prana is absorbed throught the exposed nerve endings in our body. Primarily through the nerve ends at the tip of the nose, but also through nerve ends at the backof the throat and in the lungs. This is why we shoud chew food properly, sip water and breathe deeply. It is only effective if we do these things properly. Once Prana enters the body through the nerve ends it is carried to 'storehouses' in the body, but primarily the Solar Plexus, our energy centre.
Pranayama is the conscious control of Prana or 'the control of the vital energy of the Universe as it flows through the human medium'. There are many different kinds of Pranayamas, it is a science in its own right. There are 130 Pranayamas in Rishiculture Yoga and each is designed to have a different effect. They clean nerves, cleanse the body, refine the nervous system, purify the emotions, calm the mind, cleanse the brain, heat or cool the body, clean out our cellular memories and so on. Proper practise of Pranayama has a calming and positive effect on the personality of the person making higher spiritual qualities easier to develop.
However, we can block Prana in our lives. Where the mind goes, Prana goes, so if we are distracted and negative then we can lose Prana and direct it into those negative thoughts causing them to manifest. Whereas if we are concentrated and positive then our strength will be greater and the positive thoughts are more likely to manifest. Any negative forms of thoughts or feelings block the flow of Prana. Positivity makes it flow. A clean, vegetarian, lifestyle free from all bad habits is a must for any success to be gotton from Pranayama.
Breathing is generally unconscious. This is what is known as Autonomic breathing, it is a function of the oldest part of our brain some 375,000,000 years old. We learnt to breathe when we came out of the water, it is a deep-rooted primordeal function and is very unconscious. By controlling and being conscious of our breath we take control of this Autonomic breathing function by bringing the process from the old brain into the newer conscious human part of the brain. After all, Yoga is evolution of the body and brain.
Check out your breathing with the...
Pranayama Handout
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