PRANAYAMA (Controlling breath)

Pranayama is not, as many think, something about breath; breath indeed has very little to do with it, if anything.  Breathing is only one of the many exercises through which we get to the real pranayama.

Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy (prana) within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution.

Pranayama, or breathing technique, is very important in yoga.  It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose.  In the Yoga Sutra, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively.  The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification.  It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body.  This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become calmer.  As the yogi follows the proper rhythmic patterns of slow deep breathing, ‘the patterns strengthen the respiratory system, soothe the nervous system and reduce craving.  As desires and cravings diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration.’

Pranayama means the control of Prana, the life force energy.  According to the philosophers of India, the whole universe is composed of two materials, one of which they call Akasha.  It is the omnipresent, all penetrating existence.  Everything that has form, everything that is the result of combination, is evolved out of this Akasha.  Everything in the universe evolves from Akasha.  By what power is this Akasha manufactured into this universe?  By the power of Prana.  Just as the Akasha is the infinite, omnipresent material of this universe, so is this Prana the infinite, omnipresent manifesting power of this universe.

At the end of a cycle the energies now displayed in the universe quiet down and become potential.  At the beginning of the next cycle they start up, strike upon the Akasha, and out of the Akasha evolve these various forms, and as the Akasha changes, this Prana changes also into all these manifestations of energy.  The knowledge and control of this Prana is called Pranayama.

Pranayama includes all that is true of spiritualism even.  Similarly, you will find that wherever any sect or body of people is trying to search out anything occult and mystical, or hidden, what they are doing is really this yoga, this attempt to control the prana.  You will find that wherever there is any extraordinary display of power, it is the manifestation of this prana.  Even the physical science can be included in pranayama.  What moves the steam engine?  Prana, acting through the team.  What are all these phenomena of electricity and so forth but Prana?  What is physical science?  The science of Pranayama, by external means.  Prana, manifesting itself as mental power, can only be controlled by mental means.  That part of Pranayama which attempts to control the physical manifestations of the Prana by physical means is called physical science, and that part of the Prana as mental force, by mental means, is called Raja Yoga.

Different types of Pranayama:

Chandra Anulom-Vilom pranayama

Surya Anulom-vilom pranayama

Nadi Sodhana:Anulom-Vilom pranayama

Kapalbhati pranayama

Bhastrika pranayama

Brahmari pranayama

Vibhagiya svasana pranayama

Ujjayi pranayama

Sitali pranayama

Sitkari pranayama

Sadanta pranayama

 1 – Kriya

It is almost impossible to close the discussion on Pranayama without talking about, ‘Kriya’.   Kriya is a Sanskrit word, meaning, ‘action, deed, effort’; technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result. 

Kriyas are commonly referred to as, ‘Cleansing techniques’.

Another meaning of Kriya is an outward physical manifestation of awakened kundalini, such as a spontaneous body movement related to Kundalini energy flow.

The Six Cleansing Kriyas: Though these ancient techniques may seem bizarre, they are a powerful way to detoxify and purify your body from the inside out.

As an integral part of hatha yoga practice; shat-kriyas, or six cleansing purifications for the body are performed.   Thumbing through traditional hatha yoga books, most people get embarrassed at the thought of yogis voluntarily pushing string down their nasal passages, swallowing cloth, or inducing vomiting.

The shat-kriyas (literally, the six practices or rites) help us learn to become more intimate with our own body's internal processes.  This intimacy goes beyond only muscle, bone, and joint to our breathing, blood chemistry, vital forces, internal organs, and subtle energies.  Learning to care for and cleanse our respiratory and digestive systems is an important chapter in the, ‘yoga owner's manual’ for the body and can be a particularly useful aid in overcoming the sickness we feel about our own body's functions.  When we learn to assist our body with its eliminatory processes, we can begin to facilitate the energy of wellness and self-healing.

The six traditional kriyas are Trataka, which is gazing at a candle flame or small object; Neti, which is water or string cleansing of the nasal passages; Dhauti, or the cleansing of the stomach, teeth, throat, and rectum; Nauli, which is the churning or pumping of the stomach; Vasti and Variasar (Laghu Sankhapraksalana), or bowel cleansing similar to an enema; and Kapalabhati, a breathing technique to cleanse and strengthen the lungs.

Trataka is a practice of gazing at a candle flame.  It increases concentration, tones and ‘cleanses’ the eyes and emotions, while calming and relaxing one's whole being.  Place a candle in front of you, just below eye level.  A darkened room is best but not required.  Sit with your spine erect and gaze steadily at the flame without blinking for about a minute.  Then close your eyes, relax and visualize the flame for an equal amount of time.  Repeat the procedure.  Gradually increase the gazing period, over time, until the eyes begin to water before closing them.  Practice for several minutes.  If a candle is not available, use a small object or even a black dot.

Neti is cleansing of the nasal passages and is done one of two ways: sutra, or string neti and jala, or water neti.  Our nasal passages warm and cleanse the air, which prevents dust, pollen, and bacteria from entering our lungs, and they help to balance and absorb prana or life force.  Water neti is quite easy to learn and works to tone, clear, and clean the nasal passages, building immunity to colds and allergens.  Dissolve a level teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water.  Tip the head back and, using a rubber syringe or traditional neti pot, gently fill one nostril with water.  Then ‘cough’ the water into the mouth and gently blow the air out both nostrils at once to remove the remaining water.  Repeat on the other side.  String neti is a more difficult procedure and should be learned from a teacher.

Dhouti – Vamana and Dandi are two dhouti where large quantity of water is consumed and thrown up.

Vamana, also known as Kunjala or gaja karani means ‘purification of the elephant,’ because elephants draw water with their trunks and then spray it back out.  This technique -- drinking and throwing up water - is done occasionally on an empty stomach to remove excess acid or undigested foods.  It's also a helpful way to get over one's aversion to vomiting, so it can be used when necessary to eliminate a bad meal.  When this act is done with a full stomach, it is called ‘the purification of the tiger,’ because tigers vomit shortly after meals to eliminate the food not easily digested.  Yogis use the act to eliminate a toxic meal, which is preferable to processing it through one's system and risking illness, food poisoning, or even death. 

In Dandi dhouti a rubber tube (1cm in diameter, a meter long) is swallowed up to stomach.  Large quantity of lukewarm salt water is first drunk and then removed through the rubber tube.

Nauli is the churning or shaking of the belly.  It stimulates peristalsis of the intestines, tones the liver, and aids digestion and elimination.  Nauli helps keep the body's sewage system moving and provides quite an energy boost.  Practice nauli on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning.  Stand with feet hip-width apart.  Bend slightly forward and press your hands against the upper part of the quadriceps (thigh muscles) of each leg.  Exhale, emptying the lungs completely.  Keeping the lungs empty, pull the stomach inward as far as possible.  Then push the stomach out again.  Continue doing these movements in succession, pumping or shaking the abdomen in and out 10 to 20 times without breathing.  Inhale at the end.  Rest a few moments and repeat two or three more times.

The churning action of nauli is much more difficult, and you may need a teacher to demonstrate it in order to get the hang of it.  Basically, you will proceed the same as above, but this time hold the abdomen all the way in while trying to push the two central vertical columns out.  Normally, the vertical muscles of the belly work in tandem.  It takes some experimentation and practice to learn to isolate the central columns and push them outward while pulling the side columns inward.  After this is mastered it is easy to learn to churn these muscles in a circular motion -- in, out, and around the abdominal cavity -- by shifting the weight slightly from one hand to the other.  Nauli churning is unparalleled for toning the abdominal organs and the eliminative systems.

Vasti & Variasar are for bowel cleansing.

Vasti is colon cleansing.  Similar to an enema (procedure to inject liquid or gas into rectum), vasti is used to clean and evacuate the lower bowels. 

- Assume the posture Utkatasana by resting your body on the forepart of your feet, the heels pressing against the posteriors. 

- Take a small bamboo-tube about 6 fingers long and insert 4 fingers of its length into the anus after lubricating the tube with Vaseline or soap or castor oil. 

- Then contract the anus outside.  Draw the water into the bowels slowly.  Shake well the water within the bowels and then expel the water outside.  It is known as Jala-Vasti.  Another Vasti is Stula Vasti; where water is not used; and done in Pascimottanasana.

Variasar (Laghu Sankhapraksalana) is purification of the conch.  Just as water can be poured in one end of a conch shell and then, by twisting and rolling it around, made to pass out the other end, so can one learn to pass water through the entire alimentary canal.  The yogi drinks several glasses of water and performs a short sequence of asanas that slowly move the water along through the digestive system until it is evacuated through the anus.  After a few repetitions one is able to pass clear water through, indicating that for the first time in our lives, we are not ‘full of it.’ This kriya should not be performed without instruction from a competent teacher and never more than one to three times a year.

Drink a glass or two of lukewarm salt water.  Then perform the following asanas- (1) Tadasana stretch (interlock fingers, raise arms, stand on ballmount, stretch entire body upward); (2) Swing Tadasana (interlock fingers, raise arms, swing one side to other); (3) Waist twisting (stand with feet wide apart, twist waist up straightening one elbow, bending other); (4) Cobra twisting (From Cobra posture turn head and look at opposite foot); (5) Crow Twisting (from Kagasana posture twist further from the waist).

Kapalabhati means to make the head or skull radiant.  It is a breathing practice that cleans and tones the lungs and charges you with pranic energy.  Sit in a comfortable posture with your spine straight and relaxed.  Begin by taking a few diaphragmatic breaths.  Move the diaphragm out when inhaling and contract it inward when exhaling.  Then exhale with a forcible burst of air, followed by a normal but quick inhalation.  The exhalation should be a quick, sharp burst without straining, wheezing, or tension in the throat.  Inhalations should not be forced or strained.  Keep a good rhythm going and keep your face relaxed.  Do 25 to 50 pumping, take one to three normal breaths, and then hold the breath in for 30 to 90 seconds without straining.  This is one complete round.  Do three to six rounds.