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Have you ever heard of the five vital breaths? Also called vāyus, they have a special place to take. Today, we will focus only on the first of these channels, Prana. We will approach the subject from different points of view and you will eventually know everything about Prana; its meaning in Sanskrit, how to capture Prana,…
We will even see some methods of Prana yoga that will help keeping the flow of Prana and the “samana” energy. These methods are called the Pranayama techniques.
The definition of Prana
If we look at the definition of this word from a semantic point of view, Prana is a synonym of the word Ana and means the physiological breath which is manifested by organic breath in your physical body.
This method of synthesizing a complex concept into a single word is faithful to the Sanskrit vocabulary which derives its name from the Hindu mentality. It is life force, what it represents, which manifests itself in a breath that is a much more concrete concept.
This combination of two phenomena of an opposite nature is indicated by a single word : the Prana.
If you are interested in these terms associated with your favorite yoga practice, we suggest you read our other articles such as the one on the meaning of Namaste or even our articles dealing with the 7 chakras, You can find all this on our website in the middle of our collections of all kinds dedicated to the practice of yoga.
Prana in yoga
Prana flows in us mainly through breathing. However, there may be blockages that you will then have to work on with special exercises. These blockages are sometimes the source of more serious physical disorders such as muscle pain, headache and even some psychological ailments such as depression, your energy flow will no longer be able to circulate even if there are empty spaces where the energy no longer circulates. Both situations are problematic and must be dealt with as quickly as possible to regain a certain level of well-being.
There are dozens and dozens of breathing exercises that you will have to include in your yoga sessions adapted to prana. These exercises are all focused on breathing and are usually done at the same time as your postures. These exercises are very numerous, it is up to you to find those that interest you the most.
Here are some existing variants that it is important to exercise by repeating them over and over again to the point where you will fully master them.
Take a deep breath through the nose, open the mouth, pull the tongue and look up at the third eye. Exhale the air through the mouth loudly and loudly.
- Ujjayi Pranayama, or Ocean Breathing:
This Pranayama is more frequently associated with vinyasa yoga style. Sit with your legs crossed, and take the time to build your confidence. When you feel good, you can start practicing this breathing during your asanas.
How does it work?
As we explained earlier, Prana literally means “the breath of life”, which animates us, makes us vibrate. It is at the base of all the others, it is the very principle of life and the force that allows it. It is composed of several levels that differ thanks to their subtlety and the difficulty of perceiving them. Although it is very difficult to visualize all of them, they are all related to each other and work in harmony.
How do we capture the Prana?
Capturing prana is not at all obvious, but we will see other exercises to make it easier. The breathing exercises that we will see are certainly very effective, but you should not limit yourself to these. We advise you to appropriate them, to practice them again and again and even to adapt them according to your preferences.
Yoga is a practice that each of us experiences differently. There are no rules to follow, there are only examples, inspirations that you use to chart your own path. Experiment, be creative, and never be afraid to try.
- Kapalabhati
Sit comfortably, make yourself comfortable with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. The goal will be to take between 24 and 30 short breaths, so as to control your breathing and become aware of it. These breaths should not be too powerful, the goal is especially to keep a good pace and observe the stimulation of your solar plexus.
- Ujjayi Anuloma
On the other hand, we find here a breathing exercise with much slower efforts. It is a combination of alternating breathing and Ujjayi breathing, which we have already talked about. Once again, sit comfortably with the same predispositions as for the Kapalabhati. You will be required to complete 10 to 12 cycles as follows:
- Inhale fully from the nose, hold the air 3 to 5 seconds
- Exhale on the left side (block the right nostril with your hand)
- Inhale fully from the nose, hold the air 3 to 5 seconds
- Exhale on the right side
What is important here is to visualize our action. We realize that the vital energy circulates in our body, we try to visualize our chakras by going through them one by one.
