Prana: A vehicle to higher states

I've recently made a more concerted effort to apply discipline and regularity in various aspects of my life that I felt I had been neglecting. Getting back to practising asanas, eating more nutritionally dense foods, and practising pranayama daily. 

It is incredible to notice the way the muscles of the diaphragm and lungs become stronger and more capable over time with regular practice. I am learning to deal with my breath in a very gentle and controlled way, the same kind of balance you might use walking a tightrope. Strength is certainly a key factor but relaxation and patience even more so.

Pranayama is considered to be one of the most important aspects of yoga practice as it is prana which functions to stimulate thought and externalized awareness. Essentially, without controlling prana, many of the deeper states achievable through meditation are very difficult if not impossible to attain. 

Prana is the essence of breath and the carrier of consciousness. It fuels thought and all the various movements of the body. Controlling and learning to regulate the flow of prana helps us maximize its absorption as well as tuning it to the cosmic rhythms of time. Prana for a yogi is verily non-different from his deity (manifestation of Godhead), and thus by tuning into and relating to prana, we engage in a form of spiritual worship. Yogis often refer to their deity as Prana-Nath(the lord of prana, or lord of life) and it is through interacting with prana that we get closer to experiencing our divine potential to realize the highest goal of life, pure unalloyed love.

Most manuals on pranayama recommend Nadi shodan (alternate-nostril breathing) with a ratio of 1 unit for inhaling, 4 for the internal retention, and 2 for exhalation(at an advanced stage you would also attempt to achieve 4 unit measures per external retention). 

I recommend starting with 4 seconds as a unit standard and increasing until 16 seconds is a comfortable and safe unit standard. The most important thing to understand is the need to go very slowly and never overexert. There are many contraindications when practising pranayama so please do your reading or talk to an experienced yoga teacher before you really dive deeply into longer ratios.

Also, to begin, it is crucial you learn diaphragmatic breathing as it is the basis of all Breathing exercises, without it you will find pranayama very difficult and strenuous.

I deeply encourage all the yogis and spiritual seekers to learn more about the power of breath and share that knowledge with others. 

In love we share...

Until next time

#Jainitai