Pranayama

The basic vitality which is key to life, is what we term Prana. Prana is the basic life principle. We believe that everything in creation has Prana. The normal misconceptions about Prana arise due to partial understanding. Some say that Prana is the air entering in and going out of the lungs, others feel that it is the energy that which governs breath, some say that it is nothing but nerve impulses etc.

As we seen, Prana is the basic principle. In its dormant form, it exists in the mineral world. In the vegetable kingdom, we can observe that the primary facets of Prana. As Prana manifests more and more in the animal and human spectra newer faculties emerge.

In different parts of the body, different aspects of Prana work with proper co ordination and organisation between them. In the human system our seers have recongnised five major facets of Prana carrying on five major functions.

There are five different manifestations of Prana also is called Mukhya Prana (the chief Pranay) to distinguish it from its five manifestations. They are Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udana.

Normally there 3 components of breathingi.e.,  Inhalation, Exhalation, and Stoppage of breath. They are termed Puraka, Recaka, Kumbhaka respectively.

In Kumbhaka the stoppage of breath can occur in 3 ways After inhalation (Puraka or Antarya Kumbhaka), after exhalation (Recaka or Sunya or Bahya Kumbhaka) and an automatic suspension of breath not due to a preceeding process of breathing (Kevala Kumbhaka). This last variety, Kevala Kumbhaka is the airm of all Pranayama. In this stage there is no force inside urging us to breathe in or out. A natural suspension of breath is accomplished. This may be induced for a short time by a preceeding Kriya like Kapalabhati.  Due to hyper oxygenation, we get a glimpse of what Kevala Kumbhaka is like.  

There are types of Schools in Pranayama

In the first School of Pranayama forceful Kumbhaka is mandatory. In the second school, emphasizing the slowness of recaka and puraka, no forceful stoppage of breath (Kumbhaka) is used.