Prana is the vital energy that underlies all life. In Sanskrit, the word carries a range of meanings: breath, life force, wind, spirit. At its most fundamental, prana is what animates matter, the energy that makes the difference between a living body and an inert one. The grossest and most accessible manifestation of prana is the breath, which is why the breathing practices of yoga are called pranayama: literally, the regulation or expansion of prana.
The relationship between breath and mind is among the most consistent observations in the entire yoga tradition. An anxious mind produces a shallow, irregular, rapid breath. A calm and focused mind produces a breath that is slow, deep, and even. But the relationship works in both directions: deliberately regulating the breath changes the mind. This is not a metaphor. The breath is the most direct lever the practitioner has for influencing the quality of mental activity, because it is the only aspect of the autonomic nervous system that can be both voluntarily controlled and left to function on its own.
The Three Phases
Classical pranayama involves three phases of breath: puraka (inhalation), kumbhaka (retention), and rechaka (exhalation). The ratios among these phases, and the techniques used to regulate them, vary across the different schools of the tradition. What is consistent is the aim: a breath that is smooth, deep, diaphragmatic, and regulated, moving through the full capacity of the lungs without force or restriction. The deliberate regulation of these three phases is what distinguishes pranayama from ordinary breathing awareness, which is itself a valuable preliminary practice.
The Nadis
The anatomy underlying pranayama in the yogic tradition involves the nadis, channels through which prana flows in the subtle body. The tradition describes 72,000 nadis, but three are of primary importance. Ida is the lunar channel, associated with the left nostril and the calming, receptive quality of mind. Pingala is the solar channel, associated with the right nostril and the activating, energizing quality. Sushumna is the central channel, running through the midline of the subtle body along the spine. In the ordinary person, prana flows predominantly through Ida and Pingala, alternating between them according to natural cycles. The deeper aim of pranayama is to balance the flow through these two channels, creating conditions under which prana can enter the central channel, the prerequisite, according to the tradition, for the awakening of kundalini and the higher states of meditation.
Pranayama in the Eight Limbs
Patanjali addresses pranayama in the Sadhana Pada as the fourth of the eight limbs. After the body has been stabilized through asana, pranayama naturally follows, because the body’s stillness creates the conditions for observing and working with the breath. As pranayama deepens, it brings about what Patanjali calls the removal of the covering of inner light: the gross obscurations of the mind begin to thin, and the ground for concentration is prepared.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a fifteenth-century text, is explicit about the purpose of pranayama: to purify the nadis so that prana can flow through the sushumna. The text draws a direct connection between breath control and samadhi. “By whom the breathing has been controlled, by him the activities of the mind also have been controlled; and, conversely, by whom the activities of the mind have been controlled, by him the breathing also has been controlled.” The relationship is reciprocal and total.
Named Practices
There are numerous named pranayama practices in the tradition. Nadi shodhana, alternate nostril breathing, is among the most foundational, aimed specifically at balancing the flow through Ida and Pingala. Kapalabhati and Bhastrika are vigorous, activating practices involving rapid, forceful exhalation. Ujjayi involves a slight constriction of the glottis that creates a soft ocean-like sound in the breath, encouraging slow and even breathing commonly used in asana practice. Sitali and Sitkari cool the system through inhalation over the tongue. Bhramari, in which the exhalation is accompanied by a humming sound, has a direct calming effect on the nervous system and is often taught to beginners as a first breath practice.
The tradition is consistent in one caution: pranayama, particularly the more forceful practices, should be learned under guidance. Working directly with prana in the subtle body carries real effects, and proceeding carefully, with awareness of one’s actual current capacity rather than some imagined ideal, is the mark of a mature approach to the practice.
