Pran and Pranayam

SR No.: 009371
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Niranjananand Saraswati Swami
Publisher: Yoga Publication Trust
Publication Year: 2009
Total Pages: 369
Language: Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 11 MB

Page 11

retention (kumbhaka) and exhalation (rechaka). By permuting and directing these three stages, the different practices of pranayama are obtained. Technically speaking, pranayama is actually only retention. Maharshi Patanjali's Yoga Sutras state (2:49):
तस्मिन्सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥ Pranayama is the pause in the movement of inhalation and exhalation when that is secured.
Inhalation and exhalation are methods of inducing retention. Retention is the key because it allows a longer period for the assimilation of prana, just as it allows more time for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the cells. As the breath is also intimately connected with various functions and organs of the body as well as the mind, by controlling the breath we also influence all these dimensions.
At the pranic level, in their initial stages the practices of pranayama clear up the nadis, energy pathways in the body.
The scriptures say there are over 72,000 nadis or pathways of prana in the pranic body and six main chakras. However, in the average individual, many of these pathways are blocked and the chakras release energy only partially. In other words, we do not utilize our full potential in terms of energy, mind and consciousness. The negative conditions we experience, whether physical or mental, are the cause as well as the consequence of the blockages. The state of our nadis and chakras are defined by our samskaras, conditionings carried in seed form, as well as purushartha, self-effort and anugraha, grace. With the practice of pranayama, these pathways of energy are gradually freed so that prana moves through them smoothly.
At higher levels of practice, the direction of the pranic flows is influenced and a greater quantum of energy is released from the chakras. As these processes are activated, many new experiences unfold. Expert guidance is essential to steer the practitioner through these stages.