(First published 13/4/2008)
Following on from the last chapter in which I introduced pranayama.
Prana refers to “that which is infinitely everywhere”, it is the life force and the energy that is within us and in the world around us.
In the ancient texts of India, it says that someone who is troubled, restless, or confused, has more prana outside the body than within. Also, when we are sick, the amount of prana outside the body is greater than within, and at those times the quality and the density of the prana inside the body is reduced. This also applies when we feel listless, restless, depressed, lacking in motivation, stuck, and other such negative states. At all these times, prana is said to be depleted within our bodies.
In contrast to this, the more peaceful, well-balanced, and healthy we are, the less our prana is dispersed outside the body; and if all the prana is within the body, we are usually free of these negative symptoms.
If there is not much room within the body for prana, it is because there is something preventing prana to enter and forcing the prana inside the body outside – and this is the rubbish we don’t want.
Through a yoga practice one develops the ability to retain and hold more prana within the body. We do pranayama (and asanas) to clean up the body of unwanted rubbish; this includes physical matter, such as flushing toxins out of the body and excretion, and it also includes negative emotional states, such as depression, tiredness, lethargy and stagnation.
By removing the rubbish, we create space for prana within the body. Our state of mind is closely linked with the quality of prana within the body. We can influence flow of prana through the flow of our breath, the quality of breath influences our state of mind, and vice versa. In yoga we aim to make these connections so that prana concentrates and can flow freely within us.
This is an important aspect of yoga practice: the connection between prana and mind; or in Sanskrit, and yogic terms, we are referring to purusha, which means consciousness.
The quality of prana is affected by the state of our mind. If we feel agitated or excited the breath becomes quicker, whereas when we are relaxed and peaceful the breath is deeper. In order to influence our prana we must be able to influence the mind. Our actions often disturb the mind, causing prana to disperse from the body. Through regular pranayama practice we reverse this process, as a change in the breathing pattern influences the mind.
If we look at the fluctuating states of mind, we are able to observe the connection between prana, our mind and our bodies. When the mind is muddled, agitated and so forth, the body is also likely to manifest negative states, and in this situation, the prana is likely to be of poorer quality and dispersed. Whereas when the mind is clear and transparent, the body is not disturbed, and the prana is stronger.
In pranayama we focus our attention on the breath. It is important to keep an alert mind, especially as the process is subtle, so that we can feel the breath flowing through the body; this in contrast to asanas (yoga exercises) where it’s easier to sense the body’s movements. The only physical movement is the breathing.
To help us maintain an alert focus on the breath there are several pranayama techniques, and these in turn, help us to go deeper into the meditative state of yoga. Breathing mechanically without the mind brought into focus is not the intention of pranayama (and also when practising asanas, we want to keep the mind focussed on the posture).
And this does not necessarily happen with every breath or immediately, as pranayama is a subtle practice that takes time to develop. Change occurs over a long period of time. If when practising pranayama we notice a change, this is because of the development and practice we have already put into yoga: that has gradually built up a store of prana within the body. Yoga is not an instant fix, but a practice that with time and effort goes much deeper and is longer lasting.
In later chapters I will explain some of the pranayama techniques, that I teach at my workshops, so that you can put this theory in practice.
To be continued…
