Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Pranayama
Breath control practice: the extension and regulation of prana, the life force.
Meaning
What Pranayama Means
Pranayama combines Prana, life force, and Ayana, extension, expansion or regulation: the extension of one's life force through the breath. It is the fourth of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, following Yamas, Niyamas and Asana.
Pranayama has three parts: Puraka, inhalation; Rechaka, exhalation; and Kumbhaka, retention. Working consciously with these three parts is what distinguishes pranayama from ordinary, automatic breathing.
In Practice
How It’s Used
In the teacher training, pranayama techniques include Long Deep Breathing, Breath of Fire, and the nostril-based practices Surya Bhedana, Chandra Bhedana and Nadi Sodhana, each producing a different effect on the nervous system depending on which nostril is used and in which order.
Pranayama is paired with the Positive Mind among the three functional minds. The manual notes that breathing at eight breaths a minute or slower begins to stimulate the pituitary gland and develop intuition, and that below four breaths a minute, meditation becomes automatic.
