Pranayamas

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Athasne dridhe yogi vashi hitmitashanaha|
Gurupdishtamarge pranayamansambhyaset||

HYP - 2:1

Meaning: Thus being established in asana and having control (of the body), taking a balanced diet; pranayama should be practiced according to the instructions of the guru.

According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, pranayama is considered to be a higher level of yoga practice. In fact pranayama asana is an advanced practice that is far more than mere pranayama breathing inhalation and exhalation. So are you keen to know about pranayama techniques? Then read on our pranayama online articles which tell you more on pranayama techniques and pranayama asana.

As per the theory of pranayama the subtler a yoga practice is, the deeper its effects are. Therefore pranayama breathing techniques should be practiced systematically under proper guidance, and should never be attempted without detoxifying ones body. Purification of the body starts with pranayama breathing techniques which lead to cleansing of the nadis (energy channels). Pranayama works on the pranic level, hence, it should only be done after gaining control of the body through mastering the asanas and regulating ones diet. Pranayama techniques teach you how to do so.

However before you learn pranayama asana it is a must to know what pranayama is all about. The term prana is a combination of two Sanskrit roots, pra and na. Literally, prana means constancy - a force which is in constant motion. Pranayama is the process by which the internal pranic store is increased.

Pranayama can be better explained through the Sanskrit dictionary. The word pranayama comprises of two words prana and ayama, meaning, extension or expansion of the dimensions of vital energy.

According to Swami Satyandanda Saraswati (BSY), "techniques of pranayama provide the method, whereby the life force can be activated and regulated in order to go beyond ones normal boundaries or limitations, and attain a higher state of vibratory energy and awareness".

Thus, pranayama is not merely the practice of breath control, but a technique through which prana (life force) is increased, stimulated and redirected to the higher channels of the body. By doing pranayama asanas you achieve all these goals.

Aspects of Pranayama: Know about Pranayama Techniques

There are four important aspects of pranayama practices:

• Pooraka (inhalation)
• Rechaka (exhalation)
• Antar kumbhaka (internal breath retention)
• Bahir kumbhaka (external breath retention)

For an advanced spiritual sadhaka (practitioner) there is one more aspect of pranayama which occurs during higher states of meditation, called kevala kumbhaka (spontaneous breath retention).

The ultimate goal of pranayama, as discussed earlier, is not pranayama breathing or inhalation and exhalation or control of breath. The goal is to extend the length of the breath, and this can only be achieved by lengthening the duration of the momentary pause between inhalation and exhalation.