Photo by Katherine Rountree
Pranayama. If you inhale on the first syllable, exhale on the second and repeat, the word makes up two full breath cycles. Pra-na-ya-ma. Each syllable is of equal length, equal sound and equal importance.
Pranayama is a Sanskrit term that means to draw out the breath. The two roots words, prana and ayama, mean “energy” or “vital breath” and “to draw out.” To practice pranayama is to practice breathing — not natural breathing, but breathing that is slow, measured, counted, controlled.
Focusing on the breath is a yogic tradition that’s used to still the mind, silence thoughts and enter a meditative state. This contemplative quality encouraged Buddhists to adopt pranayama and bring it into their meditation practices to hasten enlightenment. Mahayana, Theravada, Ch’an and Tantric Buddhists all practice some form of pranayama, as do the Japanese Zen Buddhists, though they call it shikan-taza. In yoga it’s used to generate and sustain focus, to keep the mind in the studio and within the parameters of your own single mat.
American yoga seems to have lost pranayama. In between buying our $100 Lululemon yoga pants and perfecting our impressive dolphin pose headstand, we’ve forgotten to take a breath … and then let it go, counting as we do. We’ve forgotten to focus on filling up and then emptying out every particle of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
We’re supposed to inflate our lungs like a helium balloon. They should push out against our ribs and stomach with force. Then the release, the exhale, should be so totally draining that our navel reaches back to kiss our spine. This sounds complicated, but it shouldn’t be. Strain yourself only within your level of ability.
But why is breathing so important? The reason goes back to why we practice yoga in the first place: to achieve stillness and wholeness with body, mind and spirit. Concentrating on the breath has a unifying aspect. It eliminates outside thoughts and sensations. Instead of honing in on what’s going on outside the window or in the row of people seated behind you, your mind stays inside your own body, your own self. It follows the breath, tracks it, keeps you present and alert. This is the best state for practicing yoga.
Your mind should zero in on your breath and cancel out all other thoughts. Anything that crosses your mind other than breath, just accept it as a random thought and then dismiss it. Don’t become frustrated — that will only distract you further — but instead return to focusing on pranayama.
Without focus, without concentration, there is no reason to do yoga. Pranayama brings us to that state of one-pointed, finer-tuned focus. Tips for staying in that state include counting your breaths, one number for each exhale. Count to 10 and then start over at one. Some people chant in their heads to keep track of the breath. Mantras like ham-sa or om namah shivaya can be used with this technique. Find what works for you and then begin to breathe, to stretch, to unfold into your true self.
