Pranayama
What is Prana?
According to Ancient Yogic philosophy, prana is the universal life force/energy found in all living beings. Prana flows through thousands of subtle (non-visible) energy channels in the body called ‘nadis’.
Our prana comes from many sources like food, sleep and meditation. However, the most direct and immediate source of prana comes from our breathing – when our breathing stops, we die. Therefore, the way that we breathe has a powerful effect on the way that we live.
What is Pranayama?
‘Prana’ refers to the universal life force/energy in all living beings. The word ‘ayama’ means to regulate or lengthen.
When put together, the words ‘prana’ and ‘ayama’ or ‘Pranayama’ are used to describe the process of enhancing our life force energy. There is a second meaning to this word which is “the lengthening of energy and vital life force through the use of Yogic breathing exercises.”
Pranayamas or Yogic breathing exercises rely on controlling the length, rate and quality of our breathing in order to bring about balance and health to the mind and body.
Anyone who has ever meditated knows that by simply focusing on the breath we can increase our self-awareness and sense of calm.
Pranayama goes a step further by requiring students to practice specific breathing techniques which bring about focus, emotional well being, strong immunity and a calm central nervous system.
Pranayama and Emotions
At a conference in Germany, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, explained the connection between breath and emotions:
- “Our breath is linked to our emotions. For every emotion, there is a particular rhythm to the breath. You can directly harness your emotions with the help of your breathing.”
- “If we understand the rhythm of our breath, we are able to have a say over our mind, we can win over any negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, greed, and we are able to smile more from our heart.”
In summary, we can transform our emotional states through the use of Pranayama. Given how difficult it is to control our emotions at times, by using specific yogic breathing techniques we can enhance our wellbeing and inner peace.
Is Your Breath Deep Or Shallow?
Take a moment now to become aware of your breath - is it deep or shallow, smooth or choppy?
Most of us breathe from the chest – this kind of breathing sends a signal to the brain that we are stressed. Breathing from the diaphragm on the other hand boosts respiration, ensures a rich supply of oxygen to the brain and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
We can actually learn a lot about proper breathing by observing new born babies. Have you ever seen their stomach gently rising and falling as they breathe? This is the way we breath when we’re born. This is our natural way of breathing.
3 Pranayamas You Can Try Today
While I strongly recommend learning pranayama under the guidance of a certified Yoga teacher, you can try some exercises with me today. You can practice these Pranayamas at any time you want. However, it is preferable that you practice on an empty stomach.
Ujjayi
In Ujjayi the lungs expand and the chest thrusts outwards making the practitioner seem like a mighty conqueror. The prefix ‘ud’ means upwards, expanding, pre-eminence and power. The word ‘jaya’ means conquest/ victory. Put together, the words ‘ud’ and ‘jaya’ spell out Ujjayi which means powerful or victorious breath. This is the primary breathing technique used in Asana (postural) yoga practice.
Kumbhaka
A form of breath retention; Kumbhaka pranayama can either be a pause between the in and out breath (Antara Kumbhaka) or a pause between the out and in breath (Rechaka/Bahya Kumbhaka). This form of pranayama has been shown to re-vitilise the central nervous system.
Nadi Shodhana
Nadi Shodhan or alternate nostril breathing calms and centers the mind by bringing into harmony the left and right hemispheres of the brain which correlate with the logical (left hemisphere) side and emotional/ creative (right hemisphere) side of our personality. Nadis are channels that carry prana or energy through out our subtle and physical bodies. Shodhana means to purify or cleanse. Nadi Shodhana therefore means the “cleansing of energy channels”.