Prana means breath and Ayama means control. By Pranayama is meant the control of Prana and the vital forces of the body. Pranayama begins with the regulation of breath and ends in establishing full and perfect control over the life-currents or inner vital forces. In other words, Pranayama is the perfect control of the life-currents through regulation of breath. Breath like electricity is gross Prana. By establishing control over the gross Prana, you can easily gain control over the subtle Prana inside. The process by which such control is established is called Pranayama. Pranayama is the fourth limb of Ashtanga Yoga.
Prana is the oldest for, it starts functioning from the very moment the child is conceived. On the contrary, the organs of the body such as hearing, and so forth, begin to function only when their special abodes viz., the ears, etc., are formed. Prana is called the oldest and the best in the Upanishads because it gained the victory in the fight between mind and the five organs. In the end mind and the five organs unanimously declared: “O Master! O Prana! the supporter of this universe and the supporter of our very lives, the first-born! Adorations unto thee! Thou art really great. Do not depart from this body. We shall serve thee. We duly acknowledge thy superiority.” Prana functions even while the mind is absent during deep sleep.
Prana is the link between the physical and the astral bodies. When the slender thread-like Prana is cut off, the astral body separates from the physical body. Death is the result. The Prana that was working in the physical body is withdrawn into the astral body.
The sum total of the Rajasic portion of the five subtle elements forms the Pranas which are five in number,16and separately forms the hands and the other four organs of action. The five organs of action are contained in the Pranamaya Kosha (vital air sheath).
Prana digests the food, turns it into chyle and blood and sends it into the brain and mind. The mind is then able to think and do reflection (meditation) on the Self.Prana is the universal principle of energy or force. It is vital force. Prana is all-pervading. It may be either in a static or dynamic state. It is found in all forms, from the lowest to the highest, from the ant to the elephant, from the unicellular amoeba to a man, from the elementary form of plant life to the developed form of animal life. It is Prana that shines in your eyes. It is through the power of Prana that the ear hears, the eye sees, the skin feels, the tongue tastes, the nose smells, the brain and the intellect perform their respective functions. The smile on the face of a young lady, the melody in music, the power in the emphatic utterances of an orator, the charm in the words of one’s own beloved wife—all these and many more have their origin in Prana. Fire burns through Prana. Wind blows through Prana. Rivers flow through Prana. The steamer and the aeroplane, the train and the motor-car move about only through the power of Prana. Radio-waves travel through Prana.
16 The five Pranas are: 1. Prana, 2. Apana, 3 Samana, 4. Vyana and 5. Udana.Prana is electron. Prana is proton. Prana is force. Prana is magnetism. Prana is electricity. It is Prana that pumps blood from the heart into the arteries. It is Prana again that does digestion, excretion and secretion.
Prana is expended by thinking, willing, acting, moving, talking, writing and so on. A strong and healthy man has an abundance of Prana or nerve-force or vitality. The Prana is supplied by food, water, air, solar energy, etc. The supply of Prana is received by the nervous system. The Prana is absorbed in breathing. The excess of Prana is stored up in the brain and nerve-centres. When the seminal energy is sublimated, it supplies abundance of Prana to the system.
A Yogi stores up enough and more of Prana by regular practice of Pranayama just as the storage battery stores up electricity. That Yogi who has in his store an amazingly large supply of Prana radiates strength and vitality all around. He is a big power-house. Those who come in contact with him imbibe Prana from him, and get strength, vigour, vitality and exhilaration of spirits. Just as oil flows from one vessel to another, Prana also actually flows steadily from a developed Yogi towards weak persons. This can be seen actually by the Yogi who has developed his inner Yogic vision.
If you can control Prana, you can control all the force of the universe, physical and mental. A Yogi can also control the Omnipresent Manifesting Power from which all energies like magnetism, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, nerve-currents, vital forces or thought-vibrations and, in fact, the total forces of the universe take their origin.
If you can control the breath or Prana, the mind is also easily controlled. He who has controlled his mind has also controlled his breath. If the one is suspended, the other also gets suspended. If the mind and the Prana are both controlled, you get liberation from the round of births and deaths and attain Immortality.
There is intimate connection between mind, Prana and semen. If you can control your seminal energy, you can also control your mind and Prana.Owing to the vibration of Prana the ten senses (the five organs of action and the five organs of knowledge) do their respective functions. If the Prana is controlled, all the senses come under your control. Go through the parables in the Kaushitaki and the Chhandogya Upanishads. You will find that the senses recognised in the end the superiority of Prana. You can live without food and drink for days together but you cannot live without air even for a few minutes. What to speak of Prana then!
As long as you speak, you cannot breathe; then you offer the breath in the speech. As long as you breathe, so long you cannot speak; then you offer the speech in the breath. These are the two never-ending immortal oblations. When you want to hear a faint sound, the breath gets suspended for a while. The porter carrying heavy bags of rice or wheat at the wharf instinctively fills his lungs with air and practices unconscious retention of breath (Pranayama) till the bag is lifted on to his back. This retention of breath augments his strength and vitality. It immediately provides him with an abundance of energy. It induces great concentration of mind. When you cross a small rivulet by jumping over, when you practice long jump and high jump and various other exercises at the parallel bar and trapezium, you practice retention of breath instinctively.
If the breath is unsteady, the mind also is unsteady. If the breath is steady and calm, the mind is also steady and calm. A Yogi gets longevity of life by the practice of Pranayama. Therefore the practice of Pranayama is indispensable requisite. Just as it takes a long time, patience and perseverance to tame a lion, an elephant or a tiger, so also you will have to tame this Prana gradually. Then it will come under your perfect control.
Just as a goldsmith removes the impurities of gold by heating it in the blazing furnace and blowing the blow-pipe vigorously so also the student of Yoga should remove the various impurities of his body and mind by blowing his lungs, i.e., by the practice of Pranayama. The fundamental aim of Pranayama is to unite the Prana and the Apana and to take the united Pranapana slowly upwards towards the crown of the head. The fruit of Pranayama is the awakening of the sleeping Kundalini-Shakti.
The room in which you practice Pranayama must not be damp and ill-ventilated. It must be dry and airy. The practice can be carried on by the side of a river or a lake, at the top or foot of a hill or a secluded part of a pleasant and beautiful garden, or at any place where the unconcentrated mind gets concentrated easily due to the exceptionally good spiritual vibrations. Whatever place you may finally select, take particular care to see that it is free from chill and strong draught, mosquitoes, bugs, ants and all other flies or crawling insects. If you wish to practice Pranayama in your own house, have a separate room under lock and key. Do not allow anybody into the room, no, not even your dearest and nearest friends and relatives. Let it be free from all other disturbing elements. There seated on your favourite Asana with the mind firmly fixed on Truth, perform Pranayama daily. Then the Chitta or the mind-stuff gets absorbed in the Sushumna.17 The Prana becomes steady; it does not fluctuate. In India the banks of the Ganga, the Jumna and the Kaveri are extremely favourable for the practice of Pranayama, Rishikesh (Himalayas), Brindavan, Varanasi, Uttarakashi and Ayodhya are all very nice places for the purpose.
The practice of Pranayama should be commenced in spring and autumn because success is assured. In the beginning you can have two sittings, morning and evening and as you advance in your practices, you can have four: morning, midday, evening and midnight. Your diet should be light and moderate. In the early stages, food of milk and ghee is ordained; also food consisting of wheat, green pulse and red rice is said to favour the progress. Assuming your favourite Asana, practice regulation of breath first for the purification of the nerves (Nadis). Sri Sankaracharya, the greatest exponent of the Advaita philosophy, that India has ever produced says in his famous commentary to the Svetasvatara Upanishad: “The mind whose dross has been cleared away by Pranayama, becomes fixed in Brahman; therefore Pranayama is prescribed. First the nerves are to be purified, then comes the power to practice Pranayama. Closing the right nostril with the thumb, through the let’s nostril, fill in air according to capacity; then without any interval, throw the air out through the right nostril, closing the left one. Again inhaling through the right nostril, eject through the left, according to capacity; practicing this three or five times at intervals of four hours of the day, before dawn, during midday, in the evening, and at midnight, in fifteen days or a month purity of the nerves is attained; then begins Pranayama.” For complete success in Pranayama, regular persistent and systematic practice is essential.
17 Sushumna is the most important of the Nadis (nerve-currents). Situated at the back of the anus it extends to the crown of the head (Brahmarandhra) and is invisible and subtle. It runs along the centre of the spinal column with the Ida and Pingala Nadis running to its left and right. If you sit for meditation when the Prana moves in the Sushumna, you will have deep meditation. The Kundalini-Sakti lying dormant at the Muladhara Chakra, when roused by the practice of Pranayama, passes through the Sushumna Nadi to the crown of the head. This is the goal of life. This is perfection.
Patanjali Maharshi defines Pranayama as follows: “Regulation of breath or the control of Prana is the stoppage of inhalation and exhalation, which follows after securing that steadiness of posture or seat.” But you need not wait for practicing Pranayama till you get full mastery over the posture. You can practice Asana and Pranayama side by side. In course of time you will acquire perfection in both. Pranayama can be practiced while sitting in the chair also by sitting erect.
Each Pranayama consists of three distinct processes viz., Puraka (inhalation of breath), Kumbhaka (retention of breath) and Rechaka (exhalation of breath). Kumbhaka gives longevity of life. If you can retain the breath for 10 seconds, know for certain that so many seconds have been added to the span of your life. By taking the breath to the crown of the head and keeping it there under his full and firm control, the Yogi defies and conquers death and drinks the Nectar of Immortality.
Pranayama is of three kinds according to the strength and capacity of the practitioner. The best one is that wherein Puraka is for 20 seconds,18 Kumbhaka for 80 seconds and Rechaka for 40 seconds. The middling one is that wherein Puraka is for 16 seconds, Kumbhaka for 64 seconds and Rechaka for 32 seconds. The lowest one is that wherein Puraka is for 12 seconds, Kumbhaka for 48 seconds and Rechaka for 24 seconds. You should inhale and exhale very, very slowly, without producing any sound all the while. The ratio between Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka is 1:4:2.
If there are impurities in the nerve-currents (Nadis), the Prana will not enter the middle Nadi, the Sushumna. In ordinary people the Sushumna is closed up at the lower end, because of the various impurities of the body, mind and the nerves. When the nerves are purified, the Yogi can perform Pranayama with success. By the practice of Pranayama you can become a veritable god. Certain symptoms manifest when the Nadis are purified. Your body will become light and slender. There will be a peculiar lustre in your eyes and a remarkable glow in your countenance. Your voice will become sweet and melodious. The breath can be retained for a long time. You can hear the Anahata sounds emanating from your heart-lotus quite audibly. The digestive fire is augmented, you enjoy perfect health, and you are cheerful and happy.
The practice of concentration and Pranayama are interdependent. If you practicePranayama, you will have concentration. Natural Pranayama follows the practice of concentration. A Hatha Yogi practices Pranayama and then controls the mind. He rises from a lower to a higher level; whereas a Raja Yogi practices concentration and thus controls Prana. He comes down from a higher level. They both meet on a common platform in the end. There are different practices for different temperaments. For some the practice of Pranayama is easier to start with, for others the practice of concentration.
18 Matra is the Sanskrit word for second. 1 Matra is equal to 1 second.There is neither rhythm nor harmony in the breathing of worldly-minded persons. A Yogi practices regulation of breath to establish harmony. When the breath is regulated, when there is harmony, the breath will be moving within the nostrils. The fruit of regulation of breath is Kumbhaka. The breath stops by itself when Kevala Kumbhaka (absolute and pure retention of breath) follows. The mind becomes quite steady. Then Samadhi (superconscious state) supervenes. Regulation of breath and Kumbhaka are of tremendous help in the practice of concentration and meditation.
Dear child! Take sole refuge in Pranayama. Be interested in the practice of Kumbhaka alone, if the mind is solely turned towards Pranayama. The Bhagavad-Gita says: “Pranayama-parayanah—solely absorbed in the control of breathing.” Take due precautions at every step. The practice of Kumbhaka produces tremendous heat in the body and thereby the Kundalini is roused and sent upwards along the Sushumna to the crown of the head.
Before I begin to deal with the various Pranayama exercises, I propose to give some preliminary instructions, which would enable you to practice them without any difficulty and attain quick success in Yoga. The following are the most important:—
(1) All the instructions given in the last lesson hold good here also. You will have to use your common-sense and discretion throughout the practice of Yoga.(2) The rule of celibacy will ensure quicker and better results. Those who cannot observe this rule very strictly for one reason or another, should be very, very moderate in copulation.
(3) Be regular and systematic in your practices.
(4) A small cup of milk or fruit-juice can be taken with much advantage before the commencement of the practice, and another cup of milk and some light tiffin half an hour after the practice.
(5) Do not miss your practice even a single day except when you are seriously ailing from some disease.(6) To start with, do mild Pranayama with Puraka and Rechaka only for a month. A rigid Pranayama-practitioner should abstain from all solid food. You can practice Pranayama while walking also. This will suit some busy persons who have not much time to spare.
(7) Practise the various exercises prescribed below one by one, step by step. Never be in a hurry. Never go beyond your capacity. Do not take up the higher exercise before completely mastering the previous one. This is the master-key to achieve success in Pranayama. (8) There should be a feeling of joy and exhilaration after the Pranayama is over.
(9) Do not twist the facial muscles while doing Kumbhaka.(10) Do not take bath for at least half an hour after the Pranayama exercises are over.
(11) Avoid as much as you can too much talking, eating, sleeping, mixing with friends and all exertion.
(12) Do not expect fruit after doing Pranayama for 2 or 3 minutes only for a few days. At least you must practice for 15 minutes daily in the beginning for some months.
(13) Success in Pranayama can be gauged by the duration of Kumbhaka. By slow and steady practice you will be able to retain the breath for at least 5 minutes. Real concentration of mind ensues when the breath is suspended.
(14) If you want rapid progress in Pranayama, you must have four sittings daily, at 4 a.m., at midday, at 4 p.m., and at midnight. You must do 4x80=320 Kumbhakas altogether.(15) As there is always some drowsiness and laziness when you get up from bed, do a few Kumbhakas just to drive off the drowsiness and to make yourself fit for meditation.
In the first stage of Pranayama you will have perspiration of the body. You will experience a tremor of the body in the second stage. In the third stage levitation manifests. In the final stage the Prana goes to the Brahmarandhra (the Hole of Brahma) at the top of the head. Sometimes the practitioner may jump like a frog. When you perspire, do not use a towel to wipe off the perspiration. Rub it well on the body itself with your hands. This will give firmness and lightness to the constitution.
(a) Sit on your favourite Asana before your Beloved Deity in your meditation room. Close the right nostril with the right thumb and slowly inhale through the left nostril as long as you can do with ease and comfort. Then exhale through the same nostril.19 Do this half a dozen times. This will constitute one round. Do one round daily to begin with and gradually increase the number of rounds to 12.
19 Feel that all the divine qualities such as love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, joy and knowledge enter your system along with the inspired air, and that all the devilish qualities such as lust, greed, anger and Avidya are thrown out along with the expired air. Also repeat mentally OM or SOHAM or any other Sacred Word given by your Guru during Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka. This is the traditional method of doing Pranayama. This is the best method.
(b) Inhale through the right nostril by closing the left nostril with the little and ring fingers of the right hand just in the same manner as you did before. Then exhale through the same nostril. Do this half a dozen times. This will constitute one round. Do one round daily to begin with and gradually increase the number of rounds to 12.
IIClose the right nostril with the right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Then close the left nostril with the little and ring fingers of the right hand and exhale through the right nostril after removing the thumb. Inhaling again through the right nostril and closing it with the thumb, exhale through the left nostril. Do in this manner half a dozen times. This will constitute one round. Do one round in the morning and one in the evening to begin with and gradually increase the number of rounds to 12 according to your capacity.
IIIInhale through both the nostrils as much as you can and exhale through both the nostrils in the same manner. Repeat this twelve times. This will constitute one round. Start with one round and increase the number of rounds gradually to six.
IVDraw the air in through both the nostrils as much as you can, retain it as long as you can, and then exhale as much as you can. Repeat this process twelve times. This will constitute one round. Start with one round and increase the number of rounds to six gradually.
VClose the right nostril with the right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Then close the left nostril with the ring and little fingers of the right hand, retain the breath as long as you can comfortably do, and exhale through the right nostril by removing the thumb. Now half the process is over. Drawing again the air through the right nostril, and retaining it as before. exhale it through the left nostril by removing the ring and little fingers. These six processes constitute one Pranayama. Do 20 such Pranayamas in the morning and 20 in the evening to start with and gradually increase the number to 80.
If you wish to have time-unit, inhale till you count 1 OM; retain the breath till you count 4 OMs and exhale till you count 2 OMs. Observe the ratio 1:4:2. You may either use the left hand fingers for counting or mentally remember the numbers. In the second week increase the ratio to 2:8:4; in the third to 3:12:6, and so on and so forth until you reach the maximum of 20:80:40. While increasing the ratio, if you find it hard to retain the breath, have the same practice for two or three weeks more until the capacity and strength to increase the ratio further are gained. Let there be no suffocation during the practice.
VIClose the right ear with the right thumb, and the left ear with the left thumb. Press the right eye with the right index finger and the left eye with the let’s index finger. Place the middle finger of the right hand on the right nostril, and the middle finger of the other hand on the left. Let the ring fingers of the two hands press upon the upper lip, and the two tiny fingers upon the lower lip. Now inhale through both the nostrils as much as you can do with comfort; immediately close both the nostrils and swallow the breath. Retain the breath inside as long as you can do with comfort and exhale it slowly. This is Shanmukhi Mudra. “The Yogi, by having thus firmly confined the air, sees his soul in the shape of light. When one sees, without obstruction this light even for a moment, becoming free from sin, he reaches the highest end. The Yogi, free from sin, and practising this continually, forgets his physical, subtle and causal bodies, and becomes one with that Soul. He who practices this in secrecy, is absorbed in the Brahman, though he had been engaged in sinful works. This should be kept secret; it at once produces conviction; it gives Nirvana to mankind. This is my most beloved Yoga.” (Siva Samhita: Ch. V-22, 23, 24, 25, 26).
VIIThe breathing of worldly people is irregular. In exhalation the breath goes out 16 digits, and in inhalation only 12 digits, thus losing 4 clear digits of breath in every act of inspiration and expiration. Now just imagine how much Prana is wasted every day by you at this rate! If you can inhale 16 digits of Prana as in exhalation, everything is all right. There is absolutely no loss then. You will have rhythmical breathing. The Kundalini will be roused. Moreover, by practicing this exercise and making it part and parcel of your daily life, you will enjoy perfect rest, a rest that you have never known or enjoyed even in your deep sleep.
The one striking feature of rhythmical breathing is that the time-unit is the same both in inhalation and exhalation. This is done in the following manner: Inhale till you mentally count 6 OMs and exhale till you count mentally 6 OMs. This is breathing in and out in a measured and harmonious manner. This kind of breathing will harmonise the whole system.
There is another variety in rhythmical breathing. You inhale through both the nostrils till you mentally count 4 OMs, retain the breath till you count 8 OMs and exhale through both the nostrils till you count 4 OMs. Then retain the breath outside (external Kumbhaka) till you count 8 OMs. These four processes constitute one Pranayama.
Do this as many times as your strength and capacity would allow. Gradually increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation till you count 16 OMs. There is no hurry. Enjoy every breath you inhale and exhale. Enjoy also the retention of breath. Pay good attention to the rhythm throughout. Feel the rhythm throughout your system. By slow and gradual practice with zeal and enthusiasm, you will attain perfection. Weep not! Grieve not! You are nearing the goal now, my child!
VIIIKapala means a skull and Bhati means to shine. Because this exercise makes your skull shine, it is called Kapalabhati. It is a wonderful exercise to cleanse the skull nicely. This exercise also does not come under the category of Pranayama, but as it is a breathing exercise, it deserves a place of honour.
Sitting on your usual meditative-pose, do Puraka and Rechaka so vigorously that you perspire profusely. There is no Kumbhaka in this exercise. But Rechaka plays a prominent part. Puraka is mild, slow and long and is best done by releasing the abdominal muscles, while Rechaka is forceful and quick and is done by contracting the abdominal muscle with a backward push. The important point to remember while doing this exercise is to keep the body, head and neck erect, and not to bend even a bit. In the beginning you can have one round only consisting of 10 expulsions in the morning. That will suffice. In the second week you can do the same in the evening also. In the third week have two rounds in the morning and two in the evening. In this manner you can cautiously and slowly increase 10 expulsions to each round till you get 120 expulsions per round.
The benefits of this exercise are even more alluring. The respiratory system and the nasal passages are thoroughly cleansed, the spasm in the bronchial tubes is removed, asthma is cured, the apices of the lungs are nicely oxygenized, consumption is cured and the impurities of the blood are eliminated. The circulatory and the respiratory systems are toned up beautifully, and the practitioner enjoys blooming health and vigour.
IXSitting on your favourite meditative pose again and closing the eyes, inhale through the right nostril, retain the breath by forming Jalandhara Bandha till perspiration flows from the tips of the nails and the hairs of the body stand on end, and then exhale through the left nostril slowly. Of course in this exercise you cannot reach the point of perspiration at the very outset; but gradually increasing the period of Kumbhaka you will by all means attain it. By the constant practice of this Kumbhaka, cephalalgia is relieved, coryza is cured, and the worms in the frontal sinuses are expelled.
XThe practice of this Kumbhaka enhances the personal beauty of the practitioner. Assuming again your favourite pose, inhale through both the nostrils in a smooth, methodical and uniform manner till the inspired breath fills the space between the throat and the stomach with a noise. Retain the breath as long as you can comfortably do and then exhale slowly through the left nostril. The striking feature of this exercise is that a mild, uniform, continuous and peculiar sound is heard due to the partial closure of the glottis.
This Kumbhaka is also practiced while standing or walking. Then instead of exhaling through the left nostril only, you can exhale through both the nostrils. In any case, start with three rounds and add one round every week gradually.
The practitioner of this Kumbhaka gets rid of pulmonary, cardiac and dropsical diseases. All diseases dependent upon deficient inhalation of oxygen are cured.XI
Folding the tongue in such a manner that the tip of the tongue touches the upper palate, draw the air through the mouth producing a sound of c. c. c., retain the breath as long as you can without the feeling of suffocation and then exhale through both the nostrils. These three processes constitute one round. Start with three rounds and add one round every week.
This Kumbhaka increases the beauty and vigour of the body, removes hunger and thirst, indolence and sleep and makes the whole body cool. Many diseases of the blood are cured.XII
Contract the lips and throw out the tongue. Fold the tongue like a tube and draw in the air through it making a hissing sound. Fill the lungs and stomach slowly with the air drawn in, and retain the same as long as you can do with comfort. Then exhale through both the nostrils. Practise this 10 to 20 times daily, morning and evening.
The practitioner acquires great tenacity of life and the power to repair the effects of injury. He is freed from all fevers, splenitis and several other organic diseases. Like crabs, lobsters, serpents and frogs, he becomes proof against all kinds of inflammations. He acquires the power to cast off his skin and endure the privation of air, food and drink. Poisons of all sorts in the blood are thrown out and the blood is purified. Scorpion-stings and serpent-bites cannot injure him in any way. Whenever you feel thirsty, do this Pranayama a few times. At once your thirst will be quenched.
XIIIBhastrika means bellows. Quick succession of powerful expulsions of breath is the chief characteristic of this Pranayama. Just as the village smith blows out his bellows quickly and rapidly, so also the practitioner of this exercise blows out the bellows of his lungs in quick and rapid succession.
Sit on Padmasana or Siddhasana with the body, neck and head erect. Close the mouth. Inhale and exhale quickly 6 to 10 times in rapid succession like the bellows of the village-smith. While practic