Yoga is the science and art of healthy living and Pranayama Yoga plays a very important role in achieving this goal. Pranayama Yoga is concerned with breathing. ‘Prana’ is a Sanskrit word that stands for ‘life force’ or ‘life energy’ and ‘yama’ stands for ‘discipline’ or ‘control’ Considering we cannot live without breathing, it is appropriate that it has been given the title of life force. Pranayama then is the practice of controlling your life force. Yoga offers a number of breathing techniques to promote proper breathing as well as to get the maximum advantage of every breath we take.

When we inhale, we take in air and absorb oxygen from it which then oxygenates the blood and carries it to all parts of our body. When we exhale, we remove carbon dioxide from our body along with other gaseous toxic wastes. All internal organs, including the brain depend upon oxygen, which is carried to them in the blood. If the level of oxygen in the blood is low, it can affect the functioning of our internal organs. Prolonged periods of low or no oxygen can cause cells in the organ to die. On the other hand, if we do not exhale properly, the toxic wastes remain in our body and are likely to cause internal damage to our vital organs. That is why it is crucial that we inhale and exhale properly in order to absorb as much oxygen as possible and dispose as much toxic waste as possible.

Unfortunately, since breathing is such a natural process, we hardly ever give attention to our technique of breathing. Also, in the hectic pace of today’s life, we are so inundated with stress and pressure that we invariably tend to take shorter, shallower breaths.  This basically means that we are neither absorbing as much oxygen as we need, nor are we exhaling as many toxins as we need to. We may not feel any short term effects of this, but in the long run, it can have very serious adverse effects on your life, including irreversible damage of internal organs as well as reduction of life span.

Pranayama Yoga teaches us Yoga breathing techniques that allow us to breathe freely and fully. It ensures that the proper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is maintained within the body. Using Yoga breathing techniques, you can ensure that your blood gets oxygenated to its maximum capacity. This highly oxygenated blood will ensure that all your internal organs are also suffused with blood and function to the best of their ability. On the other hand, Pranayama also ensures that no toxic wastes remain in the body as they are efficiently removed while breathing out.

In Yoga, Pranayama are paired with Asanas, which are physical exercises to maintain the health of the body. Together, they ensure that the body is healthy and detoxified. Pranayama is also used in Yoga meditation. It is irreplaceable in its ability to help control the mind. Thus, Pranayama plays a very important role both the development of the body and the mind, and eventually even lays the path to spiritual enlightenment.