Pranayama Yoga practice has been an integral part of yoga since its inception. It has been known and practiced, hand-in-hand within all systems of yoga. Breath is life and this is the first and then the last thing we do in this life. We all know breath is vital for survival and Pranayama is conscious breathing practice. Pranayama practices teach us how to use the full capacity of our respiratory system which in turn helps our body and mind perform better.
The word means itself is made of ‘Prana’ (i.e. life force) and ‘Yuma’ (i.e. to lengthen, extend or control). The breath is often taken for granted with many people not thinking about it and consequently it becomes random. But, if we learn what the breath does, it may be of great benefit for our well-being and allow us to take back control of our lives. Pranayama utilizes breathing to influence the flow which purifies and induces physical and mental stability. Prana is a ‘magical’ presence and is always identified as a major ingredient included in, and relevant to, all aspects of Yoga practices.
Benefits of Pranayama:
The benefits of Pranayama breath practices are 3-fold: physical, mental and emotional. We learn how to integrate the 3 as one as we implement the practices which in turn become healthy habits. It is well-known and accepted that many positive physiological effects are brought about by correct breathing as proven by the science of breathing. Many Schools of Oriental philosophy came about with an understanding of this science. Yogis traditionally practice Pranayama and the science of breathing to control their body, increase their mental capacity and to develop the spiritual aspects of their nature. Eventually, they are able to send an increased flow of ‘prana’ (vital force) to a specific organ or part of the body to reinvigorate and strengthen it. This is a known physiological effect brought about by correct breathing and is widely-accepted in the West as well. The air we breathe is made up of oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. Yoga knows ‘Prana‘ to be a major component of air. In the West, most are ignorant of this knowledge and they do not recognise that with controlled breathing practices some dis-eases can be treated and fears, worries and negative emotions may be reduced. Pranayama leads to mental power, happiness, self-control, clear-thinking and spiritual development combined with physical health benefits.
Breath is the key link between the body and the mind so the practice of pranayama assists in achieving this goal. It can be used to recover from sickness or maintain health. For the mind it is a base level of mental balance that allows for effective meditation by emphasizing the body, breath and mind respectively. This is very important in the practice of yoga.
Pranayama is the means to remove mental disturbances and make the mind focus for meditation. Removal of mental disturbance is achieved by making our breath long, steady, smooth and subtle. This is achieved through consciously changing the pattern of our breathing.
Contributing factors are posture, using the respiration system correctly and maintaining mental focus. When we deliberately use the connection that the breath has with the mind and the body we consciously change our breathing pattern to reduce body imbalances and mental disturbances.