PRÁNÁYÁMA
Expansion of Bio-energy through respiration
Prána means bio-energy; ayáma, expansion, breadth, intensity, elevation. Pránáyáma designates techniques that are always of a respiratory nature and conduct to the intensification or expansion of prána in the body.
Prána is the general name that Yôga assigns any type of energy that is manifested biologically. In theory, prána is energy of a solar origin, but also possibly manifested after metabolization, that is, indirectly, when absorbed by air, water or food. Prána, of a generic kind, can be divided into five more specific types of prána: prána, apána, udána, samána and vyána. These can each be further divided into various subpránas.
Prána is visible. On any sunny day, execute pránáyáma and fix your eyes on the blue of the sky. Wait. When your vision adjusts itself, you will begin to see myriads of incredibly dynamic and brilliant minute points that glimmer, making their rapid circular and sinuous movements evident. When executing your respiratory exercises, mentalize that you are absorbing such image of energy.
The yôgi respiration should always be nasal, silent and complete, except when instructed otherwise. It should be executed with the full participation of the abdominal, intercostal and thoracic musculature, which promotes a more effective use of one’s lung capacity. When breathing must be executed through the mouth, be it inspiration or expiration, or, when it must produce some noise, this will be explicit in the description of the exercise. Therefore, from now on, it should be clear that when instructed to execute pránáyáma that is not nasal, silent or complete, they are to be treated as exceptions.
Phases of the respiration
The phases of respiration have the following names:
o inspiration – púraka;
o retention of air – kúmbhaka;
o expiration – rêchaka;
o retention without air – shúnyaka.
PÚRAKA
Every time you breathe in, mentalize that you are absorbing the prána that is suspended in the air. Visualize the prána. Try to feel the intense joy in the act of breathing in this vitality, much like when you are sampling an exquisite food.
KÚMBHAKA
When retaining air, avoid holding your breath for an excessive amount of time to avoid causing anxiety or cardiac palpitations. Your progress should be gradual in order to be healthy. The retention of air in the lungs is easier and more comfortable if the practitioner does not fill the chest too much. The lungs should only be filled to their maximum when the pránáyáma’s objective is to raise the capacity of the lungs. When this is the case, the pránáyáma requires little to no retention of air.
Dizziness may occur when the practitioner is a beginner or when a practitioner executes many pránáyámas. This is natural due to the hyper-oxygenation of the blood. In theory, it is nothing to worry about as long as the health of the practitioner is normal. During ásanas, dizziness may also occur for the same reason, especially in the bhujangásana. However normal as it may seem, it is always recommendable that one consults their teacher to know if it isn’t due to incorrect execution, which may come to have undesirable consequences. Techniques that include the retention of air or rhythm require the accompaniment of a teacher that has a formal degree from our institution. In addition, it must be remembered that those pránáyámas with long retentions of air are not exempt of risks and require the orientation of a teacher who has reached the degree of Master in addition to the perfect health of the practitioner.
RÊCHAKA
Many teachers tell practitioners to mentalize their illnesses, problems, vices, defects and “everything that they have that is bad,” being expelled along with the air that is exhaled. Personally, I don’t like this mentalization because it carries with it the suggestion that you have “bad things” within you. And, even worse, it demonstrates that it accepts to pollute the environment where one practices Yôga, excreting such undesirable vibrations, leaving them there for others to eventually contract. The place where you practice should be clean not only on the physical plane, but also on all other planes. Therefore, when exhaling, mentalize that you are exhaling the best of what you have within you, out into the universe: health, happiness, affection, companionship and everything that you can remember that is positive.
SHÚNYAKA
The prolonged shúnyaka (like a very long kúmbhaka) produces the intoxication from carbon dioxide, which can help the chitta vritti nirôdhah (Yôga Sútra, chapter 1, sútra 2), however, it should be practiced with great care and always under the direct supervision of a Master. In theory, it should never be executed with only the guidance of a book.
Article writen by Marcello Oliveira, Instructor of SwáSthya, The Ancient Yôga and member of The International University of Yôga.
