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its effects are benign. In India, children at the age of eight are initiated into the practices of Gayatri mantra, pranayama and surya namaskara in a ritual called upanayana samskara. Regular practice of Gayatri mantra helps to harmonize and awaken pranamaya kosha, so that advanced practices of pranayama and other pranic techniques such as prana vidya are more effective.
Omkara pranayama The Upanishads say that Om (or Aum) is the primordial sound. Everything has come from Om and, at the time of dissolution, everything will revert back to Om. The Mandukyopanishad (v. 1) states:
ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव।
यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥ The word Om is the universe. Everything that exists in the past, present and future is Om, and that which exists beyond the threefold division of time is Om.
While the mantra Om is used in different ways in different practices, the scriptures provide specific guidelines on using it for the purpose of pranayama. The Yoga Chudamani Upanishad (v. 101-102) describes Omkara or Pranava pranayama thus:
रेचकः पूरकश्चैव कुम्भकः प्रणवात्मकः। प्राणायामो भवेदेवं मात्राद्वारशसंयुतः॥ मात्राद्वादशसंयुक्तौ निशाकरदिवाकरौ। दोषजालमबध्नन्तौ ज्ञातव्यौ योगिभिः सदा ॥
The inhalation, retention and exhalation are the Pranava itself. Pranayama should be practised like this for a number of twelve rounds. Twelve rounds through the ida and pingala nadis unfastens the net of impurities. The yogis should know this always.
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