Pranayama

Pranayama or breathing exercise means the control of inhalation(breathing air)and exhalation(and its breathing out).Breathing carries out the biochemical process of getting energy from digested food.As is well known cells and tissues of the body have to depend on their activity on the energy derived from oxidation of the digested food.And this process cannot go on without a regular supply of oxygen to cells and tissues.
Yogakundali upanishad has defined pranayama thus:"the prana is the air that flows in the body.Its ayama means kumdhaka(air retention in the body).It is of two types sahita and kevala."Yogic breathing has three steps:Rechaka(exalation),Puraka(inhalation)and kumbhaka(retention).When kumbhaka is accompanies by the first two,it is said to form sahita variety,but when it is devoid of the two,it is kevala variety.
According to vishnu purana,yogic breathing is "a technique which controls all that is connected with prana.Markandeya purana terms yogic breathing makes the prana and apana silent.Patanjali has decribed it as stoppeng inhalation and exhalation.Lord Krishna,in Gita,also says pranayama means stopping movements of prana and apana.
This process is connected with the external and internal environment.In the former case body takes in oxygen from the air and in the latter oxygen is available to cells and tissues.
Life can go only as long as air goes into the body.The air is called prana.Breathing is an effect of prana.Old masters of yoga have divided prana into ten forms and each form has different functions.Chief of them are prana,apana,vyana,udana and samana.Many books on yoga like Trishikhi-Brahman upanishad,Yoga yajnyavalkya,chhandogya upanishad,Amritanadopanishad have described the location and functions of the ten vayus.Ar\tharvuveda has also said the body cannot function with out prana and apana.
Prana is the universal store house of energy.It is a manifestation of spirit.It is because of it the sun shines,the earth and other planets move around the sun,rivers flow into the ocean and stars move along a fixed course.If prana departs,the mind and the senses also leave the body as mind is linked to the soul.
Pranayama(yogic breathing)may be called a technique of silencing the breath-control of the vital force through the regulation of breath.when the subtle prana is controlled through pranayam,the practitioner's mind comes under his control,is free from distraction,and he is able to control the desires of the sub-conscious.Thus when one attains control over prana he automatically gains control over mind,sex energy and subtle desires.When the subconscious mind is free from worldly Vasanas(subtle desired),one attains powers of the spirit.
Readers must have notices when the mind is not in sound form, a person's breath flows irregularly as the energy is wasted because of distraction of the mind but when the mind is calm,the breath is smooth and slow.A practioner of pranayama acquires enough energy,thinks in terms of a link between him and the entire cosmic life and acquires mastery over universal powers-even conquers death by mastering elements.
Pranayama is a boon for all of us.A normal human being breaths more than 21,000 times in 24 hours.If the breathing is normal, he lives for 100 years.but since we play,walk,run,,lose temper or are subject to anger or fear,life is cut short.By quick and irregular breathing life is wasted.Pranayama compensated the loss by retaining breath.Thus it prolongs life.Pranayama is the prolonging life and curing various diseases.
The process of inhalation and exhalation continues ceaselessly.This process takes only four seconds when one is in a state of rest.One respires 15 times in one minute.He breaths about 400 cc of air.While one is performing yogic breathing,the number of respiration per minute falls.