The Science of Pranayama

‘Prana’ in Sanskrit is the sum total of both, the vital breath as well as energy of the body. According to yoga every individual according to his/her past Karmic actions has a rationed amount of ‘prana energy’ associated with the physical body. When the energy associated with the ‘prana’ is exhausted, the ‘prana’ leaves the physical body. A valid argument to advocate that prana is not just breath would be putting a dead body on a respirator or supplying it with oxygen. In either case, life is not restored back. Hence, according to the philosophy of yoga ‘prana’ is the vital force which keeps this body alive. The science of pranayama would therefore be, controlling the life energy to augment longevity of life. Augmentation of life is in reality utilizing the prana energy usefully, economically and judiciously. An analogical comparison would be comparing a bank balance with ‘prana’. Not all of us are endowed with identical cash flow and deposits. However, we can either multiply our assets or dissipate them through wasteful actions. Similarly, the deposits of prana that we had left in the past through our actions are the starting balance in this life. We can choose to augment or disintegrate this deposit.

Actions culture the prana and so good wholesome actions charge the prana with positive vibrations, anchoring them towards higher planes of existence. If the mind associated with your body directs the body towards wasteful actions then, according to the law of nature your energy anchors itself with the lower planes of existence. Physical action, breath and energy are interrelated. They bear a close relationship with our physical, emotional and mental health. When the breath is steady the mind is steady but when the mind is agitated the breath is unsteady. The voluntary as well as the involuntary actions of our body are controlled by our breath consciously or unconsciously. A long deep breath is far more advantageous to the physical body as it enhances the oxygen supply of the body. With our daily life of strife and stress we forget to watch our breath. Stress and strife lead to shortening of breath. Short breaths tantamount to paucity in the oxygen supply to the body, causing fatigue. A stressed out tired individual is less efficient in executing a task with finesse or making a balanced decision. According to the principle of conservation, more energy is needed by a tired individual to complete a task and hence more expenditure of prana energy. The technique of pranayama helps utilize the prana energy such that the body is able to function effectively and efficiently with the minimum expenditure of energy, bringing prolonged existence.

According to the yogic texts, the body is composed of five sheaths of existence- the outermost is the physical body or the ‘annamaya kosha’ . It requires food as nourishment. The second sheath of existence is the ‘pranamaya kosha’, it is sustained by energy received from the annamaya kosha and the process of respiration. The third sheath of existence is the Jnanameya or the Knowledge based sheath of existence. It is nourished through learning and the emotional culturing. The Vijnanmeya kosha is the spiritual sheath that nourishes on higher knowledge of the universe. Finally, the last sheath is the ‘Anandamaya kosha’ or the sheath of blissful joy. When all the sheaths of existence are nourished in a balanced way, an individual experiences bliss or the ultimate joy. With pranayama we work at the level of the Pranamaya kosha. It is the pivotal link between the solid physical body and the subtle energies of the inner sheaths of existence. An imbalance in the subtle sheaths of existence results in manifesting itself as disease in the physical sheath. The prana energy is said to reside in the heart. This prana is composed of prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana.

The apana energy energizes the excretory and reproductory functions of the body. The prana provides energy to the eyes ears, face and nose. Samana maintains the functioning of the digestive organs. The vyana is responsible for the smooth functioning and interconnection of energy flow throughout the body. Udana is the upward force of the prana energy, its importance becomes prominent at the time of death. It carries with it the sum total of energies of good wholesome actions as well as demeaning deeds performed in our earthly sojourn. Like a vector, its resultant energy will move upwards, towards the higher planes if the prana is charged with positive deeds or it will move in the downward direction towards the lower planes if the actions are unwholesome. Purgatory or limbo is when the good deeds and bad deeds cancel each other out. Udana is the carrier energy of the deeds of an individual. At the time of the next birth the Uddana cultured by the past deeds again enters into the next physical body. Gaining mastery and understanding the functioning of the ‘Prana energy’is the science of pranayama. Commercial yoga uses pranayama as a platform of a skill acquired for removal of disease however, the yogis of the yesteryears had much more sublime and emancipated goals –those of self realization and gaining an understanding of the cycle of birth and death. Unlike asana where guided instruction is recommended, the technique of pranayama, has to be learned under the guided instruction of a teacher.