What Is Pranayama?



Pranayama is the practice of inhaling and exhaling Yoga is the "science of breath," or the management of the vital force (Prana) in the air we breathe. 

That is precisely what the Sanskrit phrase "Pranayama" means: "Prim a" is the Divine Mother Energy, the Universal Creative Power, and "Yama" is control or control science. The word "Prana" may be deconstructed into two pieces. 


The word "pra" implies "to exist independently" or "to have existed beforehand." The name "Ana" is short for "Anna," which is a cell. "Anu" refers to an atom or a molecule. Atoms, molecules, and cells, together known as "Ana," are the building blocks of all life. 


As a result, prana refers to "something which existed before any atomic or cellular life." "A manifestation of the Divine" is the word used to describe such a life. 

This Divine Energy underpins the "Manifest Creation" of Life, maintaining and maintaining, evolving and adjusting as needed to keep the functions of life in balance. 

The majority of the Prana we utilize comes from the air we breathe, while some comes from food and water, and some comes through basic skin absorption. 

Prana should not be confused with other elements obtained by breathing, such as oxygen, nitrogen, or hydrogen, or nutrients obtained via food and drink. Prana isn't any of these things. 


The catalytic activity of Prana, on the other hand, is responsible for the diverse combinations of gases in the atmosphere and the arrangement of nutrients in food. 

The Prana is absorbed by the body's exposed nerve endings, primarily through particular nerve ends within the nostrils from the air that flows over them, and similar nerve ends in the mouth and back of the throat from food and drink. 


Breathing should be slow and calm to allow enough Prana to be absorbed for the neurological system's needs. 

Food should be chewed fully to release the Prana it contains, and water should be drunk gently and left in the mouth and gullet for a few seconds for the same purpose. 


Dirgha Pranayama, or deep slow regulated breathing, must be learned from the beginning. 

Most of us take short breaths, not getting enough Prana or oxygen to maintain normal health in the nervous system and bloodstream. Most chronic diseases are caused by breathing problems, which may be avoided or reduced by learning effective breathing techniques. 


Pranayama is the yoga term for appropriate breathing. The Yogi genuinely learns to breathe consciously, and the breath is deeper and longer even when the neurological system takes over autonomic or automatic breathing. 

Improper breathing and issues associated with dyspnoea, the medical name for difficult or labored breathing, are not new. However, it has grown more obvious as a result of the widespread prevalence of severe breathing diseases. Gorakhnath, an ancient Yogi, traveled extensively throughout India. His appeal to the public at the time was as follows: "Indian men and women! You've set yourself up for excellent health by taking short breaths." 

According to this Yoga rishi, individuals in his day were only breathing into one-eighth of their lungs. 

This well-known guru taught Asanas and Pranayama to thousands of individuals, curing them of their ailments. Gorakhnath would be dismayed to learn that modern man only uses a tenth of his breath capacity. 

Special nerve receptors buried deep in the lungs are unaffected when we take brief breaths. These inspiratory receptors and expiratory receptors are only activated when we take deep breaths in and out. 

That activity is a reflexo-genic feed-back from the lungs to a specific breathing center in the brain, the respiratory center. This respiratory center controls not only our capacity to inhale and exhale, but also our capacity to hold our breath. 

Pranayama Yoga is a deliberate skill of gaining mastery over this center. It's worth noting that the terms we choose to describe our breathing are linked to our relationship with the Universe in which we exist. 


The German term for "to breathe" is "Atman," which is the same as the Sanskrit term for "Self," "Soul." 

"Brahman" or "God" is the Sanskrit term for breath. The word "inspiration" comes from the Greek word "in-spiro," which means "to inhale." to be in the spirit world or in the presence of God In the same way, "ex-spiro" means "out of spirit" or "death." 

When a guy passes away, we say he has expired. He's "lost his Prana" in the literal sense. The phrase "to die" is "Aprana" in all Indian languages, which refers to the loss of life power. 

The nerve terminals of the lungs also absorb or digest a large quantity of Prana. As a result, ancient Yogis coined the term "Hawaii Khanna," which literally translates to "eating air." 


These Yogis also discovered that the Prana contained in food and drink was of immense significance, and this realization eventually led to the birth of the "Breatharian," or someone who survives solely on breath, without food or drink.

 Although everything we get from food is already in the air we breathe, it may be conceivable, if not ideal, to survive just on breath. 

There are men and women alive today who do not consume food or, in certain circumstances, water and nevertheless have a healthy lifestyle. 


Breatharians are eleven folks I personally know in India. Such is the pinnacle of Prana control by mystics of many religious disciplines, particularly Yoga. 


  • Sit on your heels. Under the buttocks, the heels should be snug. 
  • In this first posture, do not allow the feet or heels to separate. 
  • Because of the vertical rise of the spine, this posture is also known as Uttitha Vajra Asana, or High Thunderbolt Posture. 
  • Hands should be along the turned back, palms facing the head, down shoulders onto upper and buttocks thighs, and would the deep be in breathing a straight proposed line if a measuring rod were set. 
  • Sukfla the Pranayama should be done for three to six minutes for the time being. 
  • The Vajra Asana has a relaxed version in which the heels splay outwards and the practitioner sits on the instep of the foot. 
  • The sitting-on-the-heels asana is a "sit-at-ease" stance, whereas the paravritti Vajra Asana is a "sit-at-tension" stance.


You may also want to read more about Yoga here.

You may also want to read more about Yoga Asanas and Exercises here.