“Prana means breath”
“Ayama means regulation of breath or control”
Our whole life is entirely dependent on breathing. if we stop breathing then life itself ceases in the body. life and breath or intimately connected. we can survey for a few days without drinking water, a few months without taking food, but how long can the average person survey without drawing air into the lung?
Breathing and life span
In addition to influencing the quality of life the length or quantity of life is also dictated by the rhythm of the respiration.
Hatha yoga pradipika, the ancient text on yoga says, life is the period between one breath and the next; a person who only half breathes only half lives. He who breathed correctly, acquires control of the whole being.
In yoga it is said that each person has a fixed number of breadth allocated to him. If one breathes slowly then one will live longer, for the number of breadth is allocated for the lifetime. Fast breathing rate is associated with tension, fear, worries etc… which tends leads to bad health and unhappiness and of course a shorter life. A person who breeds slowly is relaxed calm happy which is conductive to longgivity.
Pranayama is the science of breath it is the process of elongation, extension, expansion, length and breadth of each breath. Pranayama also involves the retention of breath which is deliberate and rhythmic controlling of the breath. This control of the breath together with the extended inhalation and exhalation is the art of Pranayama. Just as some other view ‘God as the creator sustainer and destroyer’ prana and Pranayam act as a generating life force, the exhalation of breath throwing out the toxins that can destroy life, while the inhalation and retention distributes energy through out the body. it’s a organising the energy. Just as Brahma is seen as the creator the inhalation becomes the creator of life, the retention of breath after an inhalation is the protector of life known as Vishnu, the release of breath during the exhalation if the process of throwing out of the destructive life force known as Shiva who is destroyer. The whole universal tatva is composed in this Pranayam.
Breathing and mind
It is said that mind and breath or ones constant compassion. where there is breath there the mind is focused and where there is an active mind so it is breath focused. The practice of Pranayama seeks to whiten and quieten the Mind, bringing it under control through the deep and rhythmic flow of inhalation and exhalation.
The sound of the breath
The pranayamic breath has a sound of its own: ‘Sohum’. The sound of inhalation is ‘So’ and that of the exhalation is ‘Hum’. SOHUM has been interrupted as “I am that” or “I am Shiva” or “I am everywhere” or ” I am energy”. During Pranayam our full concentration is drawn to the action of breath as it is this attentive awareness of breath that leads to the art of Dyana or meditation. The art of inhaling not only focuses the Mind on the breath, but also brings one into contact with their essence of soul. With the retention of the breath during the inhalation the soul becomes wedded to the body. This is the divine union of the soul with our nature, or body. During the process of exhalation, the soul re-enters into an unfathomable space. The mind dissolves and the divine marriage of prakriti and purusha (body and soul).
A person who breathes quickly tends to inhale a small volume of air and exhale the same volume of air, this tends to allow gems to accumulate in the lower area of the lungs. conveyorously a person who breath slow tends to also breath deeply and there by fill the lungs to a greater depth. This helps to remove stagnant air from the lower reaches of the lungs and two destroy the breeding ground of gems and the gems themselves. There are other reasons that relate longevity to slow and deep breathing. for example deep breathing imparts a good massage to the abdominal organs via the diaphragm.
Shallow breathing also leads to insufficient oxygen in the body. This causes functional disturbance and illness concerned with the circulatory, digestive, and nervous system since the efficiency of the system is entirely dependent on healthy, well nourished nerves and organs, which depend completely on Oxygen for survival.
Those people who are very active by nature, will probably already breathe correctly. Those who are inactive, very lazy,
watching television or listening to the radio at night if these people need to be educated to breathe properly.
Breathing capacities
A person who is reasonably relaxed and sitting inhale and exhale approximately half a litre of air this is called tidal volume in physiology at a time. Now if that same person expanded his chest and abdomen to the maximum that is possible and thereby drawn more air into the lungs. It would be possible for him to be drawn in approximately and extra two litters. This is over and above the normal half litre that can be inhaled this extra volume of air that can be inhaled is known as the inspiratory reserve volume in physiology. If after normal expiration the chest and the abdomen or contracted as much as it comes for travelling possibly then it is possible to experience an extra one and half litre of air from the lungs, over the above the half litres that is exhaled during normal respiration. This is referred to as expiratory reserve volume. There is also some air that will remind in the lungs even after the deepest exhalation. This is due to the fact that the lungs can never be fully deflated; the lung can never be squeezed sufficiently by the chest and the diaphragm to remove all the air. This is known as the residual volume. It is generally in the order of one and half litres.
Why slow breathing?
Slow breathing rate keeps the heart stronger and better arranged and contributes to a longer life by breathing also increases the absorption of energy by Pranmayakosha, enhancing dynamism vitality and general well being.
Time is required to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the blood and for carbon dioxide in the blood to be transferred into the lungs for expulsion into the air. If one breathes rapidly, then the optimum Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange is not reached in the lungs. If the respiration is slow then the optimum transfer can be achieved. This is why depth and speed of breathing are so important in relation to each other. The deep breathing allows maximum intake for each respiration and slow breathing allows optimum exchange for Oxygen and carbon dioxide.
There are four different aspects of breathing, These are:
Pooraka (inhalation)
Rechaka (exhalation)
Antar kumbhaka (in holding)
Bahir kumbhaka (out holding)
There is another mood of Pranayama which is called kevala kumbhaka or spontaneous breath retention.
This is the advanced stage of Pranayama which occurs during the high state of meditation. During the state, the fluctuation of prana ceases. The most important part of Pranayama is actually kumbak or breath retension. This increases the development of control over the function of respiration. Initially we are practicing the deep breathing it helps to strengthen the lungs and balance the nerves and pranic system in preparation for the practice of kumbhaka. These initial practices influence the flow of prana in the nadis, purifying, regulating and activating them, thereby including physical and mental stability.
The Pranic body
According to yogic philosophy, the human framework comprised 5 bodies:
Annamaya kosha the food or material body.
Manonmayakosha the mental body.
Pranmayakosha the pranic body or the vital energy body.
Vijnanamayakosha the psychic or higher mental body.
Anandamayakosha the transcendental body.
The five bodies function together to form an integral whole, the practice of Pranayama works mainly in the Pranayama kosha. It is made up of 5 major pranas which are collectively known as the pancha pranas: Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana, Vyana. Along with these five major pranas there are 5 minor pranas known as upa- pranas: Naga, koorma, krikara, devadatta and dhananjaya.
Prana:
It governing the thoracic area between the larynx and the top of the diaphragm.
Apana:
It governs the abdomen below the navel region and provides energy for the large intestine kidney anas and genitals.
Samana:
It is located between the heart and the navel It activates and controls the digestive system the liver intestine pancreas and the stomach and the year secretions.
Udana:
Governs the neck and head activating all the sensory recaptors such as the eyes tunk nose and years and also activates the limb and all the year associated muscles legments nerves and joints it is responsibility for posture of the body awareness.
Vyana:
It spreads the whole body regulating and controlling all movement and coordinating all other pranas. Along with these five minor pranas is responsible for bleaching, hiccups, opening the eyes and stimulate blinking, generation of hunger, thirsty sneezing and coughing, induces sleep and yawning, lingers after death and upon its departure decay and decomposition of the body being to happen.
