PRANAYAMA

Pranayama is the beautiful, ancient yogic practice of conscious breath control. In yoga, the intimate connection between breath and mind is one of the most fundamental understandings to work with.

Our mental state directly affects our breathing patterns, and vice versa. It is a two way traffic. Someone carrying tension or stress will naturally have a disrupted, uneven breath. Someone who is emotionally stable and free of stress will breath smoothly.

By learning to breathe properly and smoothly, we get to control our nervous system, transform our state of mind and emotion, and help our life force (prana) to awaken and circulate without obstructions throughout the body. It is a practice available to anyone, at anytime.

The techniques of pranayama fall into two main categories: activating, and relaxing.

- The activating techniques help to energize, unblock, and clear our mind

- The relaxing techniques slow our nervous system and breath down and help us to enter deep states of meditation and calm

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These practices are furthermore enhanced by the practice of 'bandha', which is to contract subtle muscles in key areas of the body like the diaphram, perineum and throat.

As well as 'kumbhaka' or breath-holds, that have all kinds of beneficial effects on our health, as well as help to reach temporary periods of 'no mind'.