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Traditional, energetic practises, for anyone, anywhere.
Hello there, and welcome back to Primordial path podcast. This week we are focussing on the 4th limb of yoga, pranayama. We have already spoken about the first 3 limbs, which you should absolutely go back and listen to them if you haven’t already.
In the yoga world people generally think that pranayama is simply regulating the breath. However it is more than that. Pranayama is the control of vital and psychic energy within the body, the prana.
There are three main stage sof the the pranayama practise, inhale, retention and exhale. In Patanjalis sutras it states “Pranayama is the pause in the movement of inhalation and exhalation when that is secured.” So technically pranayama is the retention of the breath to activate the prana.
The relationship between the breath and the prana is so close that one is influenced by the other. With the focus of retention of breath being the key here, from a scientific perspective this allows for the change of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the cells, which in turn clears the nadis, which are the energy pathways in the body. Unfortunately its not just that simple, we then have to clear and align the chakras to also allow the flow of prana. Which, in more people, are blocked as well, and the prana can only be partially released. As the saying goes, some is better than none! But by limiting the prana we we can’t fully realise our potential in terms of energy, mind and consciousness.
Now, you can meditate without doing pranayama, of course many people do. However if we start to incorporate some pranayama practises prior to meditation we can more easily achieve the higher states of consciousness that we are aiming for. This focus of breath and prana, improves our concentration which in turn improves our ability to have a clear mind to meditate.
As we reach higher levels of practise, the direction of the panic flow is influenced and a greater quantum energy is released, when this happens, many new experienced can be unlocked. Just like in a video game when we reach the next stage, more treasures or powers are unlocked.
There are many many pranayama practises which we won’t go into detail here, however we will start to make some videos for these practises so that you have test them out and see for yourself.
In chapter 4 of the Haṭha Yoga-pradīpikā, it says: “when the brahma-granthi (in the heart) is pierced through by prāṇāyāma, then a sort of happiness is experienced in the vacuum of the heart, and the anāhat sounds, like various tinkling sounds of ornaments, are heard in the body”. And then goes on to also say, “a Yogī’s body becomes divine, glowing, healthy, and emits a divine swell. The whole of his heart becomes void”.
Well if that’s no enough to get toy to start a pranayama practise I don’t know what is. I certainly want a divine, glowing and healthy body. YES PLEASE!