Yoga Practice 103 - Breathe

Patanjali's fourth Yoga Sutra is "Pranayama" losely translated as lengthening or extending the life force, vital energy or breath. In the context of Yoga, it is the technique of breath control. It is said that we all have a measured number of breaths in our lifetime. In the cycle of life we begin with an inhalation and end with an exhalation. Our breathing during our lifetime should be "dirgham and sooksham" - long and subtle, stress makes our breath fast and shallow.

Pranayama is intended to help yoga practitioners to prepare them in their meditation process and from a Yogic point of view, is to bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain. "When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still." - Hatha Yoga Pradipika

There are the four stages of Pranayama:

* Arambha - the commencement stage wherein the person's interest in Pranayama is awakened
* Ghata - the stage where the three sariras merge to envelope the soul. The three sariras are gross, subtle, and causal.
* Parichay- the stage where the yogi experiences the knowledge of Pranayama
* Nispatti- the stage where the yogi goes beyond his physical body, and unites with the supreme

Consciousness is the vehicle of Prana. The important thing to remember while practicing asanas is to focus on the breath and be present. To establish a rhythm. With every action we should be able to observe the breath coming in and flowing out. In an asana if you can't breathe fully, you are probably pushing too hard. I personally have found that my breathing becomes constrained in yoga postures which are challenging for me but when with awareness I direct my breath into the tightness of the pose, I begin to relax and breathe normally again which in turn allows me to go deeper into the very pose that was previously challenging.

Bandhas (Jalandhar Bandha, Uddiyan Bandha, Mul bandha) or energy locks which are attained by putting pressure on certain muscles help to draw the energy upwards from our core Root Chakra (psychic energy centers) which is the seat of Sakti (feminine energy) to the Crown Chakra, region of Siva or pure consciousness. According to Tantric principles, all that exists in the universe must also exist in the individual body. The purpose is to search for the whole truth within, so that one may realize one's inner Self, unfolding the basic reality of the universe. The point of connection between the microcosm and macrocosm is yoga. The discipline of psychosomatic regulation and breath-control is the most important technique from the Tantras perspective in the arousal of the Kundalini energy which when channeled upwards along the Brahma-nadi fuses with the absolute.

I hope you are beginning to see that the practice of yoga is not just about yoga postures. In fact, asanas (sustained postures), bandhas (energy locks), mudras (gestures), mantras (seed-sound syllables), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (holding attention), dhyana (meditation), and pranayama (breath control) are all yogic disciplines that combine to help the aspirant attain a state of samadhi (union of Siva and Sakti) - liberation, Self-actualization!!!