Proper Breathing (Pranayama)

Breath is life. Yoga teaches us how to use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to control the breath to increase vitality and enhance mental clarity. Pranayama (control of the life force-known as prana in yoga) is the practice of  specific breathing techniques that increase oxygen intake and encourage the absorption of prana into the body’s subtle energy channels (nadis) and energy centres (chakras). By controlling the prana through the breath the mind is rendered calm and clear and we experience increased energy, well-being and peace of mind.  Pranayama connects the body with its ‘battery’ the solar plexus. Tremendous potential energy is stored here. When tapped through the practice of pranayama this energy is released for physical and mental rejuvenation. Pranayama is one of the most important practices in yoga. Through the practice the yogi is able to control the nervous system and obtains gradual control over the mind. Yogis have known for thousands of years that if we control our breathing patterns we can control our mind.