The Eight Limbs of Yoga, or Asta-anga (ashtanga) yoga
Yama | Niyama
| Asana | Pranayama
| Pratyahara | Dharana
| Dhyana | Samadhi
Pranayama:
Yoga Sutras: II.49 Pranayama is the regulation of the incoming
and outgoing flow of breath with retention. It is to be practiced
only after perfection in asana is attained. - (Iyengar translation).
Pranayama is not merely the control of breath. Breath is the
force that helps us access prana. Through control of breath we
can access and control prana. Prana works in the the subtle or
energetic body, as opposed to the physical, or musculo-skeletal.
Prana is the life energy in all of us. In Yogic and Ayurvedic
physiology prana pervades our systems and is blocked when there
is damage or illness. Or vice versa, when prana is blocked, damage
and disease occur.
Pranayama should not be practiced less than a half hour before
or after asana. The practice profoundly affects the chemistry
and state of the systems in the physical and emotional layers
of our self. Health of the nervous system, the organs and the
mind are enhanced through pranayama and the meditative state it
may bring about.
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