Pranayama

The Pranic Benefits of Yogic Breathing:
Breath is seen as the outward manifestation of prana, the vital force or energy that flows through the physical body but is actually in the Astral body. By exercising control over the breathing, you can learn to control the subtle energies within the body, and ultimately gain full control over the mind.

Pranic Benefits:
The prana, when consciously controlled, is a powerful vitalizing and regenerating force. Once you are able to control the prana, it can be manipulated for self development, for healing yourself of seemingly incurable diseases, and to help you to heal others.

The Chakras:
The areas in the pranic sheath of the astral body where many nadis, or astral nerves, come together are called chakras. We can imagine them rather like a telephone exchange, with many wires leading in and out. The chakras represent the vibratory levels of the astral body, becoming more subtle as they ascend. Through breathing exercises, or Pranayama, the yogi tries to raise his vibratory level. The energy pattern of each chakra is represented by particular colours and a certain number of lotus petals. Each petal bears one of the 50 letters of Sanskrit alphabet, and one letter forms the central sound, on mantra.

The Nadis:
To the serious yoga student, purification of the nadis is of the utmost importance in ensuring the healthy flow of the prana. An energy blockage in these astral tubes, or meridians, may result in physical and mental diseases, so yoga exercises work in a similar way to acupuncture to purify and strengthen the nadis. Of the 72,000 nadis, the sushumna, ida, and pingala are of prime importance to the yogi. Only during meditation does it come into the sushumna. Yoga breathing exercises help to balance the energies.

Alternate Nostril Breathing – Anuloma Viloma
The principal benefit of practicing Alternate Nostril Breathing, or Anuloma Viloma, is that it strengthens the respiratory system. As exhalation is twice as long as inhalation, stale air and waste products are drained and expelled from the lungs, and from the entire body. Alternate Nostril Breathing calms and balances the mind; you should try to perform at least 5 rounds daily. Begin with the right hand in the Vishnu Mudra position and the thumb on the right nostril. When exhaling, try to empty the lungs completely.