Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) - Prana and the Body
Breath is life. It is one of our most vital functions. Yogis recognize this importance through the Pranayama or Breathing Exercises which is one of the
Five Principles of Yoga. They have formulated different Beginner and Advanced Breathing Techniques to help you breathe easier and enjoy a healthier and purer life.
The word Pranayama consists of two parts: Prana and Ayama. Ayama means stretch, extension, expansion, length, breath, regulation, prolongation, restraint and control, describing the action of Pranayama. Prana is energy, the self-energizing force that embraces the body. Pranayama is when this self-energizing force embraces the body with extension, expansion and control.
Prana and the Body

Prana, the life force or vital energy, is the center of all Yoga Practices. Prana is in matter, but is not in the matter. It is in the air, but it is not in oxygen. It is a subtle form of energy carried by the air, food, water and sunlight, and animates all forms of matter. Through the practice of
Asanas and
Pranayamas, more Prana is taken in and stored in the body bringing great vitality and strength.
Yogis believe that man is composed of five energetic sheaths, also known as Koshas:
- the drop of divinity at our core
- the karmic body - our karma with everyone on the planet
- the astral body where things like spirituality and creativity originate
- the mental/emotional body
- physical body
Prana is the vital link between the astral and physical bodies. It is mainly in the Nadis that it flows as shown in the image. It exists both as a positive and negative energy when it is known as "Apana". Prana itself is in afferent impulse, whose nature is to move upward while Apana is efferent and moves downward. When the two are united in the
Muladhara Chakra, the Kundalini energy is awakened.
Kundalini and the Nadis
The Nadis are nerve channels or tubes in the astral body through which the Prana flows. Asanas and Pranayamas are designed to purify the Nadis for the Prana to flow freely. If the Nadis are blocked, the Prana cannot flow easily and freely and results to poor health. According to Ancient Yogis, there are about two thousand Nadis. Of all these Nadis, the most important is the Sushumna. The function of the Sushumna can be compared to the functions of the Spinal Cord in the physical body. On either side of the Sushumna are two other Nadis called the Ida and the Pingala which correspond to the sympathetic ganglia of the
Spinal Cord as shown in the cross-section of the spinal vertebra. Kundalini, which is a dormant or static energy and is depicted as a coiled snake, is located at the base of the Sushumna in the Muladhara Chakra. This energy is awakened by the practice of Pranayama and other
Yogic Practices.
This article was contributed by:
www.holistic-online.com.
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Saturday 26th April 2008 at 10:53:39 AM
I would like to point out an error in this article. In the article it is stated that yogis believe that the being is made up of a total of 3 bodies.
In yogic philosphy it is believed that the being is made up of 5 bodies or energetic sheaths called Koshas.
The first is the drop of divinity at our core
the next is the karmic body - our karma w/everyone on the planet
the next is the astral body where things like spirituality and creativity originate
the next is the mental/emotional body
finally the 5th is our physical body.
The astral body is the intermediary between our higher and lower selves, as the heart chakra is the intermediary between our higher and lower chakras/higher and lower aspects of our nature.
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