Prana is the sum total of all energy that is manifested in the universe. It is the vital force, Sukshma. Breath is the external manifestation of Prana. By exercising control over this gross breath, you can control the subtle Prana inside. Control of Prana means control of mind. Mind cannot operate without the help of Prana. It is the Sukshma Prana that is intimately connected with the mind. Prana is the sum total of all latent forces which are hidden in men and which lie everywhere around us. Heat, light, electricity, magnetism are all the manifestations of Prana. Prana is related to mind; through mind to the will; through will to the individual soul, and through this to the Supreme Being.
The seat of Prana is the heart. Prana is one; but it has many functions to do. Hence it assumes five names according to the different functions it performs, viz., Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vyana. According to the different functions they perform, they occupy certain places in the body. The table given in the following pages will give you a clear idea.
Breath directed by thought under the control of the will is a vitalising, regenerated force
which can be utilised consciously for self-development, for healing many incurable diseases and
for many other useful purposes. Hatha Yogins consider that Prana Tattva is superior to Manas
Tattva (mind), as Prana is present even when mind is absent during deep sleep. Hence Prana plays a
more vital part than mind.
If you know how to control the little waves of Prana working through mind, then the secret
of subjugating the universal Prana will be known to you. The Yogin who becomes an expert in the
knowledge of this secret, will have no fear from any power, because he has mastery over all
manifestations of power in the Universe. What is commonly known as Power of Personality is
nothing more than the natural capacity of a person to wield his Prana. Some people are more
powerful in life, more influential and fascinating than others. It is all through this Prana, which the
Yogin uses consciously by the command of his will.
| Prana | Location | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Prana | Chest | Respiration |
| Apana | Anus | Excretion |
| Samana | Navel | Digestion |
| Udana | Throat | Speech and Spiritual ascent |
| Vyana | Entire body | Circulation |
Sit in Padmasana or Siddhasana. Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale (Puraka) through the left nostril till you count 3 Oms slowly. Imagine that you are drawing the Prana along with the atmospheric air. In course of practice, you will actually feel that you are drawing Prana. Then close the left nostril also with the little and ring fingers of your right hand. Retain the breath till you count 12 Oms. Send the current down to the Muladhara Chakra. Feel that the nerve-current is striking against the Muladhara Chakra and awakening Kundalini. Remove the right thumb and exhale through the right nostril till you count 6 Oms. Again inhale through the right nostril, retain and exhale through the left nostril as stated above. All the above six processes constitute one Pranayama. To start with do 6 Pranayamas in the morning and 6 in the evening. Gradually increase it to 20 Pranayamas for each sitting. The ratio of inhalation, retention and exhalation is 1:4:2. You should gradually increase the period of Kumbhaka.
Rapid succession of forcible expulsions is a characteristic feature of this exercise.
‘Bhastrika’ means ‘bellows’ in Sanskrit. Just as a blacksmith blows his bellows rapidly, so also you
should inhale and exhale rapidly. Sit in your favourite Asana. Close the mouth. Inhale and exhale
quickly 20 times like the bellows. Constantly dilate and contract the chest as you inhale and exhale.
When you practise the Pranayama a hissing sound is produced. You should start with forcible
expulsions of breath following one another in rapid succession. After 20 such expulsions, make a
deep inhalation and retain the breath as long as you can comfortably do and then slowly exhale. This
is one round of Bhastrika.
Begin with 10 expulsions for a round and increase it gradually to 20 or 25 for a round. The
period of Kumbhaka also should be gradually and cautiously increased. Rest a while after one
round is over and again begin the next round. Do 3 rounds in the beginning and after due practice,
do 20 rounds in the morning and 20 in the evening.
Advanced students do this Pranayama after partial closing of the glottis. They do not make a
powerful noise like the beginners. They can do it even in a standing posture.
Bhastrika removes inflammation of the throat, increases the gastric fire, destroys phlegm
and all diseases of the nose and lungs, eradicates Asthma, consumption and other diseases which
arise from the excess of wind, bile and phlegm. It gives warmth to the body. It is the most effective
of all Pranayama exercises. It enables Prana to break through the three Granthis. All the other
benefits of Sukha Purvaka Pranayama are obtained in this exercise also.
Sit on Padmasana or Siddhasana. Close the eyes. Keep the left nostril closed with your right
ring and little fingers. Slowly inhale without making any sound as long as you can do it comfortably
through the right nostril. Then close the right nostril with your right thumb and retain the breath by
firmly pressing the chin against the chest (Jalandhara Bandha). Hold the breath till perspiration
oozes from the roots of the hair (hair follicles). This point cannot be reached at the very outset. You
will have to increase the period of Kumbhaka gradually. This is the limit of the sphere of practice of
Suryabheda Kumbhaka. Release the Jalandhara Bandha. Then exhale very slowly without making
any sound through the left nostril with the thumb closing the right nostril.
“The practice of Suryabheda Kumbhaka destroys decay and death and awakens Kundalini.”
This Pranayama should again and again be performed, as it purifies the brain and destroys
the intestinal worms. It removes the four kinds of evils caused by Vayu and cures Vata
(rheumatism). It cures rhinitis and various sorts of neuralgia. The worms that are found in the
frontal sinuses are also destroyed.
Retain the breath as long as you can do it comfortably and then exhale slowly through the
left nostril by closing the right nostril with your right thumb. Expand the chest when you inhale.
During inhalation a peculiar sound is produced owing to the partial closing of glottis. The sound
produced during inhalation should be of a mild and uniform pitch. It should be continuous also.
This Kumbhaka may be practised even when walking or standing. Instead of exhaling through the
left nostril, you can exhale slowly through both nostrils.
This removes the heat in the head. The practitioner becomes very beautiful. The gastric fire
is increased. It removes phlegm in the throat. Asthma, consumption and all sorts of pulmonary
diseases are cured. All diseases that arise from deficient inhalation of oxygen and diseases of the
heart are cured. All works are accomplished by Ujjayi Pranayama. The practitioner is never
attacked by diseases of phlegm, nerves, enlargement of spleen, dyspepsia, dysentery, consumption,
cough or fever. Perform Ujjayi to destroy decay and death.
Practice of this Pranayama demands skill on the part of the students. He who practises this
Plavini can do Jalastambha and float on water for any length of time, Mr. ‘S’, a Yogic student, can
float on water for twelve hours at a stretch. He who practises this Plavini Kumbhaka can live on air
and dispense with food for some days. The student actually drinks air slowly like water and sends it
to the stomach. The stomach gets bloated a bit. If you tap the stomach when it is filled with air, you
will get a peculiar tympanic (air) sound. Gradual practice is necessary. The help of one who is well
versed in this Pranayama, is necessary. The student can fill up the stomach with air by gradual
belching. After the practice, the air should be completely taken out. It is done by Uddiyana Bandha
and hiccough.
Say mentally to the patient, ‘I am transmitting a supply of Prana (vital force)’. Do
Kumbhaka when you send the Prana. Practise rhythmical breathing also. Have a mental image that
the Prana is leaving your mind, passing through space, and is entering the system of the patient. The
Prana travels unseen like the wireless (radio) waves and flashes like lightning across space. The
Prana that is coloured by the thought of the healer is projected outside. You can re-charge yourself
with Prana by practising Kumbhaka. This requires long, steady and regular practice.
Tamas and Rajas constitute the covering or veil. This veil is removed by the practice of
Pranayama. After the veil is removed, the real nature of the soul is realised. The Chitta is by itself
made up of Sattvic particles, but it is enveloped by Rajas and Tamas, just as the fire is enveloped by
smoke. There is no purificatory action greater than Pranayama. Pranayama gives purity, and the
light of knowledge shines. The Karma of the Yogi, which covers up the discriminative knowledge,
is annihilated by the practice of Pranayama. By the magic panorama of desire, the essence, which is
luminous by nature, is covered up and the Jiva or individual soul is directed towards vice. This
Karma of the Yogi which covers up the Light and binds him to repeated births, becomes attenuated
by the practice of Pranayama every moment and is destroyed eventually.
Dharanasu cha Yogyata Manasah: “The mind becomes fit for concentration”—Yoga Sutra
(II-53). You will be able to concentrate the mind nicely after this veil of the light has been removed.
The mind will be quite steady like the flame in a windless place as the disturbing energy has been
removed. The word Pranayama is sometimes used collectively for inhalation, retention and
exhalation of breath and sometimes for each of these severally. When the Prana Vayu moves in
Akasa Tattva, the breathing will be lessened. At this time it will be easy to stop the breath. The
velocity of the mind will be slowly lessened by the Pranayama. It will induce Vairagya also.