Pranayama: Life force energy

In the most basic terms, pranayama is a breathing technique. There are various techniques of pranyama like: Kapalbhathi, brahmi, nadi shodan, etc. Patanjali didn’t name a specific asana to practice pranayama. However, there are 4 main asanas suggested:

1.              Sukhasana - Seated cross-legged pose

2.              Padmasan - Lotus pose

3.              Ardha Padmasan - Half Lotus pose

4.              Vajirasan - Kneeling

In a way, the entire practice of the asanas is a preparation for pranayama. It expands the prana. It can also be defined as sitting in an asana, stopping the movement of breath. A grasp of the asanas is highly advised before diving deep into pranayama techniques.

Pranayama is the expansion of prana. Sitting in the situation of asan, stopping the movement of breath. Inhaling and exhaling is natural. So if you want to do something with the breath, then you need to learn to hold the breath. Learning to hold your breath has three steps: Inhaling, holding and exhaling.

There are 4 kinds of pranayama:

            1. Antar Khumbak - Internal holding

Take deep breath and hold as long as comfortable and exhale. You can repeat the process as much as you like.

            2. Baahya khumbak - External holding

Exhale and hold the breath as long as comfortable and in hale again. Repeat as necessary

            3. Stambhan Khumbak- Holding the breath instant

Simply stop your breath at any given moment for as long as you comfortably can.

            4. Kewal khumbak (Shonya) - Only holding.

This is the actual pranayama. This is the real one and cannot be learned. How to do it? It cannot be done, it just happens. It’s like forgetting to eat sometimes.

When incorporating into yoga yoga practice, it is ideal to do the pranayama practice before the asanas and before the final rest. Pranayama techniques are useful to bring awareness to your breath and increase the your focus before doing the asanas.