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Every practice should be treated with respect and caution. There should be no violent respirations, no extended kumbhaka beyond a comfortable measure, no forcing of the breath, body or mind. The practitioner should not attempt to perform an advanced pranayama which is beyond his present capabilities. In this way comfortable progress will be assured and one will be able to achieve full benefit from the wonderful science of pranayama. The Yoga Chudamani Upanishad states (v. 118):
यथा सिंहो गजो व्याघ्रो भवेद्वश्यः शनैः शनैः।
तथै सेवितो वायुरन्यथा हन्ति साधकम् ॥ Just as the lion, elephant and tiger are brought under control slowly and steadily, similarly the prana should be controlled, otherwise it becomes destructive to the practitioner.
Patience and perseverance are necessary in spiritual life, and this is especially true for pranayama. The practitioner should not be frustrated if he cannot attain a certain ratio or number of rounds; it may take months or even years to perfect one pranayama alone. The regular practitioner is progressing all the time, although the progress cannot be seen objectively. So there is a tendency to think that nothing is happening; however, one should be assured that the practice is developing on both the gross and subtle levels.
Preliminaries: In order to qualify for pranayama, one must first master yoga asanas. In order to reap the full benefit of asanas, one must undergo the process of shatkarmas. The physical body is a combination and permutation of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Shatkarmas purify these elements, so they do not interfere with the activities of prana. The effect of asanas and pranayamas increases substantially when the body is relieved of toxins. The body becomes sensitive and responds to the changes that an asana or pranayama demands from it.
The inner body of a pranayama practitioner needs to be pure. Adverse effects may be experienced if one practises
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