Pranayama is a term formed composed of the words prana and ayama.
- Prana is a Sanskrit word that may refer to both breath and its subtle counterpart, the life energy.
- Ayama is the Sanskrit word for "extension." The term "pranayama" refers to the practice of extending one's life energy.
Although the word pranayama cannot be understood etymologically as control of prana' due to the center long a, many subsequent traditional writers have interpreted it precisely in this manner.
- To illustrate his argument, Ramana Maharishi used the word prana rodha, which plainly implies control of prana.
- As a result, you must accept control of prana' or direction of prana' since a definition of the word, as this is what you will ultimately perform in kumbhaka.
Yoga has grown in popularity all over the globe, but sadly, this popularity is limited to asanas (posture).
- It's gotten to the point where students only use the word yoga to refer to asanas, and pranayama is seen as foreign or weird.
- However, in the yogic tradition, pranayama has always taken center stage, with asana serving primarily as a warm-up or preparation for pranayama.
I'll try to demonstrate the primacy of pranayama using quotes from both the history of yoga and contemporary experts. I'm doing this in the hopes of rekindling interest in yoga's most powerful method.
You may also want to read more about Pranayama and Holistic Healing here.
