Pranayama (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a sanskrit word meaning “extension of the prana or breath” or more accurately, “extension of the life force”. The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, prana, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and “āyāma”, to extend, draw out, restrain, or control.
Pranayama is control of Breath”. “Prana” is Breath or vital energy in the body. On subtle levels prana represents the pranic energy responsible for life or life force, and “ayama” means control. So Pranayama is “Control of Breath”. One can control the rhythms of pranic energy with pranayama and achieve healthy body and mind.
Patanjali in his text of Yoga Sutras mentioned pranayama as means of attaining higher states of awareness, he mentions the holding of breath as important practice of reaching Samadhi. Hatha Yoga also talks about 8 types of pranayama which will make the body and mind healthy.
Five types of prana are responsible for various pranic activities in the body, they are Prana, Apana, Vyan, Udana & Samana. Out of these Prana and Apana are most important. Prana is upward flowing and Apana is downward flowing.
Practice of Pranayama achieves the balance in the activities of these pranas, which results in healthy body and mind.
The formal practice of controlling the breath, lies at the heart of yoga. It has a mysterious power to soothe and revitalize a tired body, a flagging spirit, or a wild mind. The ancient sages taught that prana, the vital force circulating through us, can be cultivated and channeled through a panoply of breathing exercises. In the process, the mind is calmed, rejuvenated, and uplifted.
March 2012
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Pranayama →
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San Francisco Airport Gets Yoga Room →
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Would you use a yoga room at an airport?
Airports are notoriously stressful. From the security lines to flight delays, just getting from Point A to Point B is often enough to cause even the calmest of travelers to unravel.
It doesn’t have to be this way—at least not if you’ve got a layover at San Francisco International Airport…..
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