Pranayama, not just breath control

Pranayama, not just breath control

By yoga teacher and life coach Phil Aston

What is Pranayama
Many people think of Pranayama as just breathing control, but it is very much more.

Ayama means dimension, not control.

So pranayama is practiced in order to expand the dimensions of prana within the body.

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Pranayama is essentially a process by which prana is controlled by regulating the breathing voluntary. It involves a temporary pause or interval in the movement of the breath.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika refers to Pranayama as a technique through which the quantity of prana (vital life force) in the body is activated to a higher frequency.

Patanjali deals with pranayama in five sutras (2:49-53) in 2:49 he states:-

‘Having established a firm, steady posture, one then regulates the life-force (prana) by natural voluntary suspension of the breath after inhalation and exhalation – this is pranayama’

The Bhagavad Gita refers to pranayama throughout its texts its first mention is at chapter 4 v 29

‘Some offer their out-flowing breath into the breath that flows in; and the in-flowing breath into the breath that flows out: they aim at pranayama, breath harmony, and the flow of their breath is in peace

What is the purpose of Pranayama?

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika states that Pranayama is practiced in order to understand and control the pranic process in the body. Breathing is a direct means of absorbing prana and the manner in which we breath sets off pranic vibrations, which influence our entire being.

By becoming aware of the nature of the breath and by restraining it, the whole system becomes controlled. When you retain the breath you are stopping nervous impulses in different parts of the body and harmonising the brain wave patterns. In pranayama, it is the duration of the breath retention, which has to be increased. The longer the breath is held, the greater the gap between nervous impulses and their responses in the brain. When retention is held for a prolonged period, mental agitation is curtailed.

Through pranayama the mind can be brought under control. In many spiritual traditions, including Sufism, Buddhism and Yoga, it is known that by concentrating on the breath, you can still the mind, develop one-pointedness and gain entry into the deeper realms of the mind and consciousness.

‘Where the mind goes, the prana follows’ Thirumoolar (South Indian saint)

Patanjali covers the aims and benefits of pranayama in 2:52 where he states:

‘As its result, the veil over the inner light is destroyed’

We destroy the veil that covers the Inner Light. Prakasha, the light within, is covered by a veil of mental darkness and through pranayama the mind becomes fit for concentration (2:53)

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (verse 6 chapter 2) it states that during pranayama practice the mind should be steady and aware and not moving from thought to thought. Then the whole system is receptive.

The purpose of pranayama is to remove blockages and to lift you out of the tamasic (inert) and rajastic (dynamism) states. When the mind is sattwic (in steadiness and one pointed) inner awareness grows and prana accumulates.

What precautions and prohibitions should you be aware of in the variety of Pranayama techniques listed in the main texts?

It is not advised to practice asanas immediately after Pranayama and to relax after strenuous asana practice before Pranayama. Pranayama should not be practiced in haste.

Pranayama should not be practiced when the lungs are congested

Pranayama should not be practiced immediately after meals and at least four hours should be allowed after eating.

During Pranayama the breath must not be forced or strained.

People with high blood pressure, lung, heart, eye or ear problems should NOT hold after an IN breath and no vigorous breathing exercises, cleansing or bellows breaths.

People with low blood pressure should NOT hold after an OUT breath.

Below is a table outlining the precautions and prohibitions for a variety of Pranayama techniques.

Pranayama Technique	Precautions	Prohibitions
Kapalabhatii Bhastrika	Do not over force the practice – may cause dizziness. Always conclude the practice with some slow breaths. As soon as the sound diminishes, stop and start afresh/reduce the number of blasts/cycles or stop for the day. Stop the practice if irritation is felt	Pregnancy – may cause prolapse of abdominal organs or uterus while the breasts may sag, High Blood Pressure, Lung, Heart, eye and ear problems Do not practice if the sound of the out breath is incorrect – do not force. Weak constitution/lung capacity may damage blood vessels or brain. High or low blood pressure – nose bleeds or throbbing or aching ears – stop immediately. Vertigo or hernia
Visamvritti		Pregnancy
Antara Kumbhaka	Not before going to sleep or when the brain is highly sensitised.	Pregnancy
Bahya Kumbhaka		Pregnancy
Nadi Sodhana	Do not tilt the head or body. Support right arm with the left.	Cold or nasal passages blocked
Surya Bhedana	Do not practice for over 30 mins	Heart disease, high blood pressure, epilepsy. Do not perform Surya Bhedana and Chandra Bhedana on the same day
Chandra Bhedana		Do not perform on the same day as Surya Bhedana. Introverted people, seriously mentally disturbed. Sluggish digestion, excess mucus. Can be dangerous to activate ida through chandra bhedana unless the guru has specifically advised it
Ujjayi	Low blood pressure must be corrected before starting	High blood pressure, hypertension and cardiac disorders (if holding in) Depression, melancholia and low blood pressure (if holding out)

It is safe to practice pranayama during menstrual period but avoid uddiyana bandha (abdominal contraction)

The use of ratios in Pranayama.

The use of ratio in the different phases of the breath to each other is very significant in the practice of pranayama. It is possible in Pranayama to fix the ratio between the inhalation, the retention afterward, the exhalation, and the retention after that. The use of ratios can be divided into two categories.

The inhalation, the exhalation, and the breath retention are all the same length. This is called samavrtti pranayama (sama means the same and vritti means to move) This practice is good for people who use a mantra in their breathing exercises; they can make the inhalation, the exhalation, and the retention of each breath last for the same number of mantra repetitions.
The different phases of the breath are of different lengths. This is called vismavrtti pranayama. In this practice the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation.

It is important in any pranayama practice that the individual works with a breath ratio that is right for them. This may vary from day to day. If the ratio is too easy the practice maybe become mechanical. If it is too hard or complicated there may well be resistance, which can cause problems.

The choice of a suitable breath ratio must take into account two factors, what is possible and what our goals are. What is presently possible depends on how well we can inhale, hold the breath, exhale, and again hold the breath. We can do this by observing our breath through our asana practice. We can get a good idea of the limits of our breath as we watch the body through the demands of certain postures.

For example in an inhalation and exhalation of the same length, a forward bend is comfortable and free, a back bend both inhalation and exhalation will be shorter and in an inverted pose the exhalation is fine but the inhalation is shorter.

Asana tell us a lot about the body; if we set a breath ratio in which the inhalation and exhalation are the same length and observe the breath over a certain period in various postures, we will learn a lot about the breath.

From here we can design a pranayama practice in which the exhalation is longer than the inhalation. For example if we choose to breath in a 1:2 ratio (making the exhalation twice as long as the inhalation) we then encourage the complete emptying of the lungs, which in turn encourages a more voluminous inhale. To strengthen the inhale we must work with the exhale

Bibliography

Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

(Bihar School of Yoga 1997) amazon.co.uk books

Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

(Bihar School of Yoga 1998) amazon.co.uk books

The Yoga Book by Stephen Sturgess

(Element Books 1997) amazon.co.uk books

Yoga for Body Breath, and Mind by A.G. Mohan

(Rudra Press 1993) amazon.co.uk books

Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Muktibodhananda Saraswati

(Bihar School of Yoga 1998) amazon.co.uk books

The Bhagavad Gita translated by Juan Mascaro

(Penguin Classics 1962) amazon.co.uk books

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda

(Intergral Yoga Publications1997) amazon.co.uk books

Heart of Yoga By Desikachar

amazon.co.uk books