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The next sheath or kosha is called Pranamaya Kosha. Prana
in Sanskrit means “vital energy” and is that force which gives life to the
breath and the body. It carries oxygen and life to every living cell of our
body. Through prana, the Self or atman is able to manifest in the outer physical
form. Prana serves as the link between the mind (which is the next kosha)
and the body. It is found in all forms of life from the highest, being human,
to the lowest or most elementary forms of being. No living organism can
exist without prana
This is an old Vedic story that illustrates the importance
of prana. The five main faculties of our nature - the mind, breath (prana),
speech, ears and eyes - were arguing with each other as to which one of
them was the best and the most important. To resolve this disagreement,
they decided that each would leave the body and see who was missed the most.
First speech left the body but the body was able to continue life without
speaking. Next the eyes left but the body continued to live even though
it was blind. After the eyes, it was the ears turn to leave. But again,
the body continued to live even though it was deaf. The next to leave was
the mind. Everyone thought that surely the body would die without a mind
but to everyone’s surprise, the body continued even though it was unconscious.
Finally it was prana’s turn to leave. As prana slowly began to withdraw,
the body started to die and all the other faculties began to lose their
energy. Quickly, all the remaining senses rushed to prana and requested it
to stay, lauding its supremacy. Prana won the argument because it provides
life to all our faculties. Without prana they cannot function. Without honoring
prana first there is nothing else the body can do.
Today, there are so many ideas and thoughts on pranayama coming
from different branches of yoga. The following are from Krishnamacharya,
the father of modern day yoga, and Donna Farhi. Krishnamacharya says that
pranayama simply means to “lengthen the breath” or “control the breath.”
And, in its most basic form it is being aware of the breath. The next step
is to begin to regulate the breath through pranayama practices that can lead
to the suspension of the breath. Although this is achieved by very few people,
Krishnamacharya in the 1930’s would demonstrate how he could stop his heartbeat.
When asked how he learned, he would say that he learned how by practicing
pranayama and meditation.
One of Krishnamacharya’s favorite quotes was “To cure the
ills of the body, use the body. To cure the wandering of the mind, practice
pranayama.” A cute story is quoted in A.J. Mohan’s book on his life with
Krishnamacharya. He writes, On New Year’s Day 1976, I was attending a class
on pranayama with Krishnamacharya. He was explaining this commentary on the
Yoga Sutras by the famous sage Vyasa: ‘There is no greater austerity than
pranayama to remove impurities.’ Around that time, vacuum cleaners were being
introduced in India. Krishnamacharya had seen a vacuum cleaner but was unfamiliar
with its English name. He said, ‘Nowadays you use something – an appliance
– to blow air to clean – phoos phoos. Like that, pranayama pushes out the
impurities in the body and mind.’ (Krishnamacharya, His Life and Teachings,
page 58,)
Donna Farhi in her book, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit, says,
“The breath arises out of stillness, expands, condenses, and returns to
this ground of stillness. Oscillation is an intrinsic part of life and all
movements.” She lists the ‘Seven Principles of Movement’ with breathing
being Principle Number 1 and says that from the moment of conception, the
body begins to breathe. Every single cell expands, condenses, and rests in
this breathing pattern. As the body grows and develops, this rhythm will
expand into ‘full body breathing’ beginning the moment the baby is born.
This breathing pattern of inhaling, pause, and exhaling, pause, will be incorporated
into all bodily processes as small as the chemical reaction of our cells
to our entire psychological and emotional states.
The fundamental nature of the breath is the constant ebb and
flow of the inhale and the exhale. Because all other physical and psychological
reactions begin with the breath, if there is any restriction or distortion
in the breathing process, those will be reflected in the other patterns
of movement in the body. Basic body movements all begin with the inhale
which causes the abdomen to swell. This causes the pelvis to rock forward
and the lumbar spine to arch creating a slight lordosis. As you exhale,
the abdomen gently contracts, causing the pelvis to rock back that flattens
and elongates the spine. When you inhale, the ribs also expand up and out
causing the shoulder blades to move away from the spine as the arm bones
expand outward. On the exhale, the ribs move down and back as the arm and
shoulder blades moves back to their starting position.
Breathing is both an unconscious movement and a conscious
one. Unconsciously, it allows us to move through our lives without having
to think about breathing. And consciously, we learn various pranayama as
prescribed by the yogis to help us control and channel the breath for various
purposes. By the practice of pranayama, the yogis learned how to unleash
the power of the breath. From Sanskrit, pra denotes consistency, and na means
movement. According to Donna Farhi, prana is a force in constant movement.
At the beginning of any yoga practice, we first need to become aware that
the breath is really breathing us. It is first and foremost a natural process.
From that point, we can begin to move forward both in asana and pranayama
practices. She says, “We allow this essential breathing to happen to us naturally….
You let the wisdom of the breath guide all of your movements. As you learn
to follow the lead of the breath, you will know what to do next. I call this
moving inside the breath.”
For me, as a student of yoga, I have understood pranayama
as a technique to be done mostly outside of asana; at least in the beginning
stages of practice which can last a few lifetimes. For the classes that
I teach, I choose different techniques for different situations - if I want
my students to create energy through the breath or have more relaxation
and balance. So in class, I usually teach ujjai (victorious breath), nadi
sodhana (alternate nostril breathing) and its variations, kapalabhati
(skull shining), cooling breaths like sitali, deerga breath or long steady
breathing, or 3 part breath laying on their backs.
I don’t teach the more advanced pranayama techniques simply
because I don’t feel that as a student of yoga, I have that skill. Also,
so many people simply don’t breathe normally in an efficient manner that
spending time on more complicated breath techniques seems like putting the
cart before the horse so to speak. Even Iyengar has said that he practiced
for many years and had to master most asanas before his teacher taught him
any pranayama techniques. For most students of yoga, just becoming aware
of where one breathes during the day is a giant step forward. For instance,
do you tend to breathe in the upper chest? Do you hold your breath? When
do you hold your breath? Do you forget to complete the exhale in order to
rush into the inhale? Do you hold tension in your chest area? Do you breathe
more from one side? Most people tend to breathe more from their right lung
that has three lobes as compared to the left lung that has two in order to
make room for your heart. Are you able to breathe by expanding your side
ribs as well as your back body or do you just follow the pattern of breathing
up and down? So many ways to look at breathing and that is without even adding
the Ujjai breath!
In conclusion, no matter what form of yoga you follow, all
types have this in common: yoga strengthens and lengthens the muscular system
and when combined with pranayama or breathing techniques, yoga stimulates
the parasympathetic nervous system. This is important since it is the parasympathetic
nervous system that slows you down. It tells muscles to relax, improves
digestion and assimilation, boosts immunity, slows the heart rate, lowers
blood pressure and in general helps to counteract the imbalances created
in our bodies by our high stress society. In order to help stimulate the
parasympathetic nervous system, you need to hold your poses longer and use
long, slow deerga type breathing. Active practices are good but won’t create
the same benefits as slow forward bends, hip openers, and restorative poses.
That is why it is very important to incorporate a restorative practice into
your yoga routine. Perhaps the changes we feel by doing our practice come
from the changes we are creating in our nervous system. According to Rod
Stryker (“Positively Prana”, Yoga Journal), yoga helps to increase the flow
of Prana or Life Force throughout your body. Holding asanas and breathing
through them helps release and dissolve pranic blockages. Further, different
poses can unlock prana in different ways – forward bends are soothing whereas
backbends are more expansive and revitalizing.
The more we learn to build and maintain our storehouse of
prana, the more we can grow in our asanas. My spiritual teacher used to say
that when we come into the body we are given a certain number of breaths
for that lifetime due to our past karmas. When we meditate, we naturally
slow down the breath thereby not rushing though our allotted breaths for
that lifetime. Think of the difference in your breathing between the times
that you feel angry or stressed and the times when you are calm and peaceful.
That is why some yogis can live longer lives than other people. Their breathing
patterns are slower, more relaxed, and deeper. As we learn more and more
about the breath, we can then begin to travel deeper into the more esoteric
teachings of our yoga practice.
Quotes on Pranayama
Yoga Sutra
2:49 The Universal Life Force (Prana) is enhanced and guided through
the harmonious rhythm of the breath (Pranayama)
2:50 The movement of the Life
Force is influenced through Inhalation, Exhalation, and Sustained breath.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
1: After mastering asanas, the yogi-possessing self-control and eating
a suitable, moderate diet-should practice pranayama as taught by his guru.
2: When the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When the breath
is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady. Therefore one
should restrain the breath.
The Crown of Life, by Kirpal Singh
Pranayam, or yogic breathing, can be practiced profitably and successfully
under the guidance of a Guru or an adept in the method and by those who
observe truthfulness, continence, temperance, moderation in diet, humility
and patience, and are not given to any kind of addictions.
Chhandogya Upanishad
The mind functions through prana,
It is from prana (life) that everything proceeds.
Bhagavad Gita
12-14: The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness
of the moon and the fire – these are my glory. With a drop of my energy
I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel
of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants. I enter breathing creatures
and dwell within as the life-giving breath. I am the fire in the stomach
which digests all food.
For a yoga practice based in the pranamaya kosha, see my website:
www.shreeyoga4u.com
Many Thanks!!
As a lifelong advocate of both physical fitness and
spiritual growth, Francesca finds the practice of yoga a natural. She began
studying yoga seriously 6 years ago when first introduced to the philosophy
and alignment principals of Anusara Yoga. She is now a registered SOYA
yoga instructor with a RYT 500 designation with the Yoga Alliance and is
a faculty member of the South Okanagan Yoga Academy in B.C. Canada. She says,
“Taking the seat of the yoga teacher is a gift and a responsibility given
to me by my teachers. I take this position seriously since I now function
as both student and teacher. My desire is to share my love of yoga and the
philosophy that enlivens it with all my students.” She encourages people of
all ages, shapes, and sizes to come to class and enjoy the many benefits of
a yoga practice. You can email Francesca at francesca.shree@me.com or visit
her website for more information at www.shreeyoga4u.com
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