Prana & Pranayama
Prana - means Life force & yama - restraint/control
Pranayama - meaning control of life force energy.
Prana can be manipulated thru breath as well as other means.
It is well known that our breath is faster when our minds are more agitated & slower when our minds are calmer. Control/manipulation of breath enables us to make our minds calmer.
Prana is not breath (as is wrongly assumed while calling Pranayama as "breathwork"). Pranayama, therefore, does not refer to a set of breathing techniques that help quieten the mind, but also play an important role to bring about healing & effective functioning of the body as well. These techniques serve as a means to manipulate the subtle energies of the physiology as well as deeper realms of the subconscious.
Prana, chakras & vayus
In Sanskrit 'Pr' refers to 'before' and ana (or anu) refers to the 'minutest particle of matter' – therefore prana means that which is before material manifestation
Prana also acts at the subtle energy realm that serves as a conduit between thoughts & the physical manifestation. At a gross level, prana manifests as the energy in each cell of the body.
Chakras are "subtle energy" vortices associated with major nerve centers. The main chakras are connected via a network of nadis ("subtle energy" channels) to many other smaller chakras.
They also create “hubs” of energy directly associated with the physiological systems, characterized by the “direction of flow called ‘Vital airs” or vayus (Apana (flowing downward – associated with excretion/elimination), Samana (flowing laterally associated with digestion), Udana (flowing upward – associated with learning & creative thinking, ), Vyana (flowing all around externally – associated with extremities like skin, nails etc.) & prana (flowing circularly – associated with circulation of blood, fluids etc.)
Pranas & their influence over mind-body
The communication of the subtle energy via chakras thru nadis thru the small chakras to the vayus influence the prana of our body & mind.
A negative mood carries negative prana which in turn creates ailment in the body. Pain in the body carries the prana of a ‘bad mood’ in the mind.
Where our awareness flows, our prana flows.
In an untrained mind, the awareness jumps from one thought to another thereby dissipating the prana.
Our mind is a constant flow of many thoughts, and each thought is like a spec of energy. When we repeatedly bring our awareness to the same thoughts, they get energized even more and take on a 'manifestation' which ripples down the neural network as synapses, like an electric circuit.
These networks when frequently traversed become the thinking loops or patterns in our brain which defines “our personalities” & influence our view of the world.
Blockages in the prana manifest as chronic diseases in the body and/or behavioral changes in the mind.
Our subconscious makes up for 90% of our ‘mind’ and therefore influence the perceptions of conscious mind very strongly. They are the cause for addictions, afflictions etc.
Using methods/practices like pranayama, mantras, meditation, etc. that directly work with the prana, not only affect the physiological systems of the body, but go deeper within to reverse negative patterns stored in the subconscious mind, effectively bringing about healing and positive transformation at all levels.
List of a few scientific studies validating the healing thru pranayam.
Reduction in weight - Pranayam's like Kapal bhati done regularly have shown to burn & tone the abdomen very effectively
Reduction in BP with anulom vilom pranayam - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628802/
Modifying the brain responses due to Bhrambri pranayam causing non-epileptic paroxysmal gamma waves in the EEG https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4097899/
Impact on neurocognitive abilities with 15 min of kapal bhati pranayam-https://europepmc.org/article/med/1818698
Effect of pranayam on Allergic rhinitis - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3392338/
Effective lung functioning - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3392338/
Affecting the autonomic system & treating disorders like IBS (Irritable Bowel syndrome). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438173/
Effect of Pranayama (Breathing Exercise) on Arrhythmias in the Human Heart https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830711002837
Effects of Pranayama on detoxification https://www.ijmrhs.com
Effect of Fast and Slow Pranayama Practice on Cognitive Functions In Healthy Volunteers https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939514/
Improvement of Brain Function through Combined Yogic Intervention, Meditation and Pranayama https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
Effect of uninostril yoga breathing on brain hemodynamics https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728953/
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