Before pranayama, prana : in the yogic tradition prana is the vital breath that pervades body and soul, not understood as distinct entities.
At the same time, this term also designates the energy that moves and, moving, moves, to evoke Dante-like formulas familiar to us.
It is found in all living forms and animates them in the true sense of the word. Within us vital energy that circulates in the body through the nadis, the channels of the subtle body.
And how do we go from prana to pranayama breathing ?
Ayama means conscious control, regulation that also leads to extension, restriction and extension . If we combine the two terms together, it is easy to understand how the term pranayama indicates a form of breath control in its various phases.
Pranayama: conscious breathing
Conscious breathing is based on three fundamental principles, three key moments of the conscious breathing:
- Inhalation ( puraka ), through which the body is stimulated ;
- Exhalation ( rechaka ), phase in which poisons are expelled from the body ;
- Retention ( kumbhaka ), moment of redistribution of energies throughout the whole organism
The triadic technique is not as simple as it may seem at first reading. Pranayama presupposes listening to oneself, absorption capacity, willingness to broaden perception, to manage control . The manipulation of the internal prana to one's body tends to re-establish the spontaneous flow and remove energy blocks that translate into psycho-physical closures .
Pranayama breathing is radically grafted into yoga and is found in any type of yoga you practice. The practitioner gradually trains the mind and experiences the sensation of spontaneous suspension of the breath . In a broad sense, those who practice pranayama learn to stay suspended .
Creating the conditions for this evolution of consciousness requires time, care, love.
