Pranayama, Anuloma viloma,Alternate Nostril Breathing

                                                             Pranayama - Introduction

Pranayama simply means control of breath.

Pranayama is the 4th stage in Pathanjali's eight stage Yoga discipline. Two Sanskrit words: Prana and Ayama are
combined in one word Pranayama. Prana means life and Ayama means control. Therefore Pranayama is the control
of life.

Prana is the Energy or Life Force that is universal in nature and it is omnipresent. A portion of that prana is present
in the human body. It flows at a superficial level to maintain the body and its organs. Ayama means expansion or
stretching. When we used the two together in word Pranayama it means the extension and control of the breath.

Breathing is the most important function in our body but it is the most neglected one.Learning to control our breath
allows us to control our body chemistry. Awareness and control of the breath also allows us to control our emotions.
Mastery of the breath is vital to our spiritual growth. Pranayama is a form of breathing exercise and works as the
supreme aim for spiritual awakening in yoga.

Breath is the life force that sustains life. When the breath stops, life ends. Normal breathing use only a fraction of
our potential respiratory capacity. Pranayama helps to control this life force in an extraordinary way to get the
tremendous benefits. It brings benefits such as increased energy and perception, and development of various brain
faculties. Pranayama purifies the channels that will carry the increased prana to some areas of the brain. It is very
important that the channels be purified first to cope up with the increased energy created by Pranayama. The goal
of Pranayama is to increase the quantum of the Life Force (Prana) so that it can reach out to recesses of the brain.
This helps in expanding the human faculties and retarding degeneration.

There are three thousand small pores in the lungs of a human being. By breathing normally only 300-500 pores are
utilised and therefore the immunity of our body decreases. Harmful addictions and bad habbits make our body weak
and decrease immunity and thereby bacterial growth develops in the closed pores and increase the chances of
deseases like tuberculosis or asthma. But when you take deep breath the closed pores get opened. As a result their
efficiency increases and blood gets pure. Your mind becomes also pure and more concentrated with practice of
pranayama. Pranayama develops memory, physical and mental strength.

Always breathe through the nose, not through the mouth with the awareness. As you breathe in, know that you are
breathing in. As you breathe out, know that you are breathing out. This will greatly enhance your general health
and well-being. Breath is life in itself and each in-breath brings the gift of life, and each out-flowing breath can be a
natural release of tension and negativity.

The Life Force lies as dormant potential energy called the "Kundalini". It resides at a center which is found just
above the genital area, called the "Mooladhara Chakra". This Prana flows from the "Mooladhara" center up along
the right side of the spinal column into the center which lies at the top of the spinal column, which is called the "Ajna
Chakra". The prana gets distributed to the whole body through a different set of nerve channels so that it reaches
every atom of the body.

A Yogi measures the span of his life not by the number of years but by the number of his breaths. Vital capacity is
the capacity shown by the largest quantity of air a person can inhale after the deepest possible exhalation. We
usually take 15 breaths in a minute.This way counting the total number of breaths comes to 21,600 times per day.
Most people breathe but using only a small part of their lungs capacity. The breathing is shallow depriving the body
of oxygen and prana which leads to disharmony in the body. The abdominal breathing called also diaphragmatic
breathing is the most natural and efficient way to breathe.

There are many reasons for using the Diaphragmatic Breathing:
With each diaphragmatic breath the abdominal organs are massaged, they are stimulated and invigorated. This
alternating squeezing and relaxing action helps pump the blood through the organs of the abdomen, and helps in
moving waste through the intestines.

The lungs are pear shaped, with the narrow end pointing upwards. This means that with chest breathing, only the
narrow top part of the lungs are used, rather than the larger deeper recesses accessed during diaphragmatic
breathing.

Due to gravity, the lower recesses of your lungs have a richer supply of blood pumping through them, and thus are
better suited to efficient exchange of gasses during respiration.
Less energy is required to breath with the diaphragm muscle than with the chest muscles.
Shallow chest breathing never empties the waste products from the deep recesses of your lungs where they
accumulate and stagnate. Whenever possible breath diaphragmatically!

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Lie down flat on your back and relax your whole body.
Observe your spontaneous breath without controlling it for a while.
Place your right hand on your abdomen just above the navel, and the left hand on your chest. As you breathe try to
notice whether there is more movement in the abdomen or the chest.
Your right hand should move up with inhalation and down with exhalation.
The left hand should not move with your breath (though, at first your chest may move slightly).
Try to take your breath down deeper and deeper into the lungs so that you feel the abdomen lifting as you breath
in and falling as you breath out.
Gradually, you should notice the abdomen moving more firmly, and the chest moving less.
As abdominal breathing becomes easier to you, try to let your breathing become slower, deeper and smoother.
Try to relax as much as possible.
This is the breathing that you should use at all times, while at rest or at work. Practice it until it becomes natural and
unconscious.

There are 4 important aspects of Pranayama:

1. Inhalation called Pooraka
2. Exhalation called Rechaka
3. Internal Breath Retention called Antar Kumbhaka
4. External Breath Retention called Bahir Kumbhaka

The most important part of Pranayama is the breath retention called Kumbhaka.
In order to perform the breath retention correctly the practitioner must develop a gradual control over the function
of respiration. At the beginning the more emphasis are given to inhalation and exhalation in order to strenghten the
lungs and balance the nervous system in preparation for retention of breath.

The human framework is comprised of 5 bodies called sheaths, according to Yogic Physiology:
1. The food & material body (Annamaya Kosha)
2. The vital energy body (Pranamaya Kosha)
3. The mental body (Manomaya Kosha)
4. The psychic body (Vijnanamaya Kosha)
5. The transcendental body (Anandamaya Kosha)

The Annamaya Kosha is the gross physical body, which is composed of the elements of the physical world. It
consists of five elements: birth, grow, change, decay and death.

The Pranamaya Kosha is the astral body, which is composed of the five organs of action and five vital energies:
prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana. It experiences: hunger, thirst, cold and heat.

Prana (in this context does not refer to cosmic prana) governs the area between the larynx and the top of the
diaphragm, and it is associated with the organs of respiration and speech. It is the force by which the breath is
drawn inside. Apana is located below the navel and provides the energy to the large intestine, kidneys, anus and
genitals. It is concerned with getting rid of waste from the body. Samana is located between the heart and the
navel. It controls the digestive system: stomach, liver, pancreas and intentines and activates the heart and
circulatory system. It is also responsible for distribution of nutrients. Udana controls the area above the neck. It
activates the sensory receptors: eyes, nose, ears and harmonises the limbs, their associated muscles, ligaments,
nerves and joints. It is also responsible for the erect posture. Vyana pervades the whole body. It regulates and
controls all movements and coordinates the other prana.

The Manomaya Kosha is the astral body, where anger, lust, depression, doubt, delusion are its working. Its
constituents are: the mind, knowledge and subconscious.

The Vijnanamaya Kosha is the astral body with the function of discrimination and decision making. It consists of
intellect (which analyses) and ego.

The Anandamaya Kosha is the causal body where the joy, bliss, peace and calmness are experienced. It consists of
samskaras (subtle impressions of all lives lived) and karma.

Prana & Lifestyle
The flow of Prana in your body is affected by your lifestyle such as physical activities, work, sleep, food and sex. Your
emotions, imagination or the thoughts can affect the pranic body even more. The stress also deplete the pranic flow
and then you may experience being totally drained of energy.

The breath is the most vital process of your body. If a person is engaged in deep thinking, relaxation or meditation,
the breathing will be slow and steady. If the person is affected by negative emotions, the breathing will become
fast, unsteady and irregular.

The slow breathing is very important for increasing the human life span!

From the observation of the animals the Ancient Yogis & Rishis noticed that the animals with slow breath rate
(elephants, tortoises, pythons) have long life span and the animals with a fast breathing rate (dogs, rabbits, birds)
live only for a few years.

A slow breathing rate keeps the heart stronger and better nourished and leads to a longer life. By deep breathing
we increase the absorption of energy, enhancing our vitality and general wellbeing.