"Breath is life and life is breath”

Prana is life force and yam is the expansion. so  pranayam is called the expansion of the life force.  It is 4th limb of yoga and commonly used to describe various yogic breathing exercises that help give the practitioner control of life force. This was originally expounded by Patanjali, an ancient yogi, in his Yoga Sutras, a text on yoga philosophy and practices.

Prana- life energy yama- expansion The expansion of prana, also referred to as breath is pranayama. In various cultures prana is know by many names, such as, ki in Japan or as chi in China.  Pranayama is much more than breath control it is the expansion of the life force. There are 3 parts to the breath – inhalation (purak), retention (kumbhak) and exhalation (rechak).

The practice of pranayama increases the level of oxygen in the body.  It is Patanjali’s 4th limb of yoga and commonly used to describe various yogic breathing techniques that give the practitioner control of life force within their body.

Physical Benefits:

§         Helps the lungs to fully expand.

§         Facilitates and increases the circulation of fluids throughout the body

§         Supplies more oxygen to the blood cells, tissues, heart, brain that tones the nerves and muscles.

§         It purifies nadis and internal organs alleviating fatigue and stress.

§         Bestows great vitality and strength.

Mental benefits:  Breath is the bridge between mind and body.

It has been said that the mind is the king of the senses and that the breath is the king of the mind.  When a person displays negativity it often brings about disease in the body. Therefore it can be said, that diseases begins in the mind. Even a short practice of pranayama changes your mood; just watch your breath when you are stressed or tired and see its pace and depth.  Next watch your breath when you are happy and with your loved ones and notice the vast differences. 

 Pranayam helps to increase the amount of oxygen to the cells and  helps lungs to expand.

 Breath also changes  your mood. Watch your breath when you are happy, and when you are angry and notice the differences. We exercise our bodies, but often forget about our breath so the practice of pranayama is the way to exercise our breath and lungs.

BENEFITS OF PRANAYAM:

·        It helps the lungs to fully expand.

·        It increases the circulation of bodily fluid to different body parts.

·        It takes more amount of oxygen to blood cells, heart & brain.

·        It purifies nadis and bring great vitality and strength.

RULES FOR PRANAYAM:

·        Beginners should always perform any pranayam at a slow pace from 2-3 minutes and  increase the duration.

·        If one gets tired during any practice it is good to take breaks.

People suffering with high blood pressure, heart disease and pregnant women should not do any forceful exhalation or retention of the breath.

 OBSERVANCES FOR PRANAYAM:

·        Beginners should perform all pranayam at a slow pace for 2-3 minutes and increase the duration as  .

·        If you get tired during any practice it is good to take breaks.

·        People with high blood pressure, heart disease or when pregnant should refrain from forceful exhalation or breath retention.