Everyone hopes to enjoy a long, active and useful life, free from disease and immune to the damaging effects of nervous stress and tensions. In this light yoga has something unique to offer and therefore it is most important that everyone knows and practises certain pranayamas and asanas on a daily basis.
The system of hatha yoga has undergone thorough scientific investigations in European, Communist and American countries. Pranayama which was once translated as ‘breathing exercises’ is now recognized by scientists throughout the world as a means of invigorating, enhancing and accelerating the revitalizing processes in the body.
Tube lights require a certain voltage to come on. If the voltage is supposed to be 220 and it goes down to 180, what happens? No light. Air-conditioners have a booster attached which completes the circuit so that they can continue to function even when the voltage is low. However, if the voltage is very high, say 440, the tube light and the armature in the air conditioner will burn out. Similarly, in our bodies there is energy, shakti, which can be increased or decreased. When this shakti is decreased, the mind-body and all of its functions are impaired. On the other hand, when the energy level is raised too high, the brain becomes hyper excited or manic.
Prana is not the breath which you inhale; prana is shakti, subtle energy. But with the help of breath we can recharge the prana shakti in our body. In scientific investigations it was found that most people do not breathe correctly. Tests performed all over the world have shown that most people do not breathe enough to fulfil the needs of their body and brain. We live on prana and oxygen, supplied through the medium of breath, through the nostrils. Usually both nostrils do not flow at the same time; they flow for about eighty minutes, and both flow together for only one minute or two in between. This is the cycle of ida and pingala.
Both nostrils are directly connected to the left and right brain hemispheres, each of which controls certain functions of the body. Paralysis occurs when the brain is unable to direct nerve impulses to the body. When a man thinks or worries too much, if he becomes excited or emotional, his breath will automatically be affected.
Breathing affects the heart; a person having a heart attack can stop it immediately with correct breathing. You may have read about scientific investigation of yogis in India and abroad who can stop their heart at will. It was found that when they stopped their heart, they stopped their breath as well, but still continued to live. This means that with the help of pranayama it is possible to gain complete control over the voluntary as well as involuntary functions of the heart.
Pranayama is based on the three stages of respiration: pooraka, inhalation, kumbhaka, retention, and rechaka, exhalation. By permuting and controlling these three, different pranayamas are obtained. Kumbhaka is a very important part of pranayama, especially for those who suffer from nervous breakdowns, poor memory and incorrect breathing habits like inhaling in short, quick or shallow breaths. When we do not breathe correctly, the brain is not supplied with sufficient oxygen and therefore breathlessness is experienced.
During pranayama the bodily secretions are arrested and controlled. Therefore, the right time to practise pranayama is in the morning on an empty stomach. It should not be practised on a full stomach, not even after tea.
Pranayama is for all people regardless of age, physical or mental condition. Anyone can learn and practise it. However, pranayama should be taught by a master, individually not collectively. Each person has his own physical and mental constitution. Therefore, the teacher has to study his student’s particular makeup and according to that the pranayama and its ratio has to be adjusted.
Breathing is a natural process; its normal rhythm is 15 rounds per minute, 900 rounds per hour and 21,600 rounds per 24- hour day. When the breathing rate is increased, longevity is decreased. Fifteen rounds per minute is the rate which correlates to 75 or 80 years of life. Ten rounds per minute lengthens life to about 100 years. However, more than 15 say 30 to 35 rounds limits the lifespan, as with a dog for example, to 10 or 15 years.
Quick, shallow breathing is an ageing factor and not really beneficial for emotional integration and balance. Therefore the first prerequisite in pranayama is conscious breathing. Learn to maintain the normal breathing rate of 15 rounds per minute. Relax your body and become aware of the breath. Stop thinking and worrying for one minute and the breath rate will drop down to 15. But if you continue to think, the breath rate will be higher. The thinking process affects the breath and the breath affects the thinking process.
By freeing your mind from emotional tension for half an hour, you can become aware of how you breathe. Psycho-physiological experiments have proved that during moments of stress and strain the intake of oxygen is very high while consumption is very low, only about one tenth of the actual need. This means that the greater portion of oxygen intake goes unused. Thus after learning to breathe consciously 15 rounds per minute, it is necessary to learn to breathe completely, to the full capacity of our lungs. This is the second prerequisite of pranayama.
Chest breathing is incomplete. In yoga the complete breath consists of abdominal (diaphragmatic) breathing, chest (thoracic) breathing, and shoulder breathing. This has to be practised for some time until you are able to train your system to breathe correctly. Complete breathing is done through the abdomen. In the beginning, practise with your hand on your navel. Relax all the tensions in the chest and shoulders. Breathe a little deeper than natural and feel your abdomen expanding and contracting. When this is perfected, inhale, first expanding the abdomen and then the chest in one slow, smooth motion. When the maximum amount of air has been drawn into the lungs, the shoulders will raise automatically. Complete breathing will free you from colds, cough, allergic asthma, sinusitis, migraine and many other problems.
12 May 1977, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa, published in Yoga Vol. 17, No. 11 (November 1979)