Meaning of Pranayama

Pranayama comes from root word Prana, it means life force. In ordinary terms it means Breath or respiration but unlike it has a deep meaning it means the all permeating universal cosmic energy. Primararily though Prana is equated to the breathing process of inhaling and exhaling it constitutes many other manifestations. The Prana also performs the vital functions of the body along with giving it the life sustaining energy through the process of respiration. Prana is further divided into five forms namely Prana, Apana, Vayana, Udana and Samana. The movement of each form is in different parts of the body and manifests for different functions. The Prana moves in the Thoracic region and absorbs the vital energy force (Oxygen ) from the atmosphere. Apana moves and manifests in the abdominal region and controls the elimination of urine, semen and faeces. Vayana pervades in the entire body distributing the vital energies absorbed from food and breath. Udana manifests in the throat and controls vocal chords and intake of food and air. Samana stokes the gastric fire and controls digestion.

Thus the first part of the word Pranayama the root prana is the vital life energy the second part Ayama means stretching or prolonging. The regular practice of Pranayama helps one to inhale deeply hold the breath for a longer time and exhale slowly thus prolonging the duration of each breath cycle. In Pranayama one consciously and purposefully extends or stretches the duration of breath and performs various rhythmic variations to achieve a complet control over breathing and regularizing it so that instead of about 14-16 breaths per minute the cycles are reduced to about 5 – 6 cycles of breath per minute.

Once the complete control on breathing is achieved the aspirants body is balanced in all vital energies and is generally healthy in body and aids in control of mind also as it helps in concentration. It also blesses one with longetivity.

PRAYANAM The elixir of Life.

The greatest gift of God after giving us life is the involuntary process of breathing, for if it was voluntary then maybe humans would have forgotten it, which would have been fatal. It would also be not possible for the living beings to sleep as all the voluntary control ceases during sleep.
As is evident, all living beings can survive without food or water for a few days, but it is impossible to survive without air even for few minutes. Thus breathing is the most important function for all living beings. The ancient system of Yoga therefore lays great stress on right breathing techniques. The Pranayama is voluntarily or consciously controlling the breathing process. The great sage Patanjali minutely studied the breathing process and developed an art of controlled breathing Pranayama.
Breathing constitutes, inhalation, retention, and exhalation. By bringing about variations in inhalation i.e. either through right nostril, left nostril or both, exhalation through right nostril, left nostril, or both, internal or external retention of breath, altering the duration of inhalation or exhalation or both, there are sixty four different types of Pranayams.
Prana (the air we breathe) is a life force or energy that keeps one going. When one breathes in he takes in this all pervading energy, during retention one savours this energy and while exhaling one dispels out the toxins out of the body. Thus practice of Pranayama helps in absorbing the energy and cleansing our body of the toxins.
An average person normally inhales about 500cubic centimeters of air, and during deep inhalation takes in as much as six times i.e. 3000 cubic centimeters of air. Generally a person uses his faculty of breathing from about 50% to 70% only. Pranayama helps in increasing the lung capacity and achieve optimum ventilation to optimize the faculty of breathing. The normal rate of breathing is about 15 breaths per minute i.e. about 21600 breaths per day. According to the ancient scriptures (Vedas) the lifespan is not measured by years but by the number of breaths. Pranayama lengthens the duration of breath bringing it down to about 6-8 breaths per minute, thus promoting longevity.
Another major benefit of Pranayama is that it calms the mind which facilitates clear thinking and helps in developing strong will power. Pranayama permeates energy not only in the gross body but also the subtle and the astral body, thus assisting in spiritual development and release of the divine cosmic energy Kundalini situated at the base of the spine. Mastering of pranayama along with meditation leads one to attain self-bliss and live a wholesome life.