Yoga Sutra II- 49 TASMIN SATI SVASA PRASVASAYOR GATI VICCHEDAH PRANAYAMAH - That [firm posture] being acquired, the movements of inhalation and exhalation should be controlled. This is pranayama.Swami Satchidananda says that "After mastering the posture, we must practice control of the prana by controlling the motions of the inhalation and exhalation." He states that there is a misconception that pranayama means holding the breath for as long as possible. That is not the case. "Prana is the cosmic force without which nothing moves or functions." Analogies are given that prana is like gasoline that moves a car and electricity makes light possible. We are told that prana moves our thoughts. By pranayama we deal directly with this cosmic force and it takes time to control it. We are also informed that we have a reserve of prana like a car as reserve tank that can be opened if the gas runs out.
We learn from this commentary that we have been given a reserve tank that is hundreds of times greater than what we normally use. This is what is called the kundalini, or coiled force. Swami Satchidananda says that people talk about arousing the kundalini, but if they cannot even deal with their everyday force, why even attempt to do that?. "One should only do it after qualifying and preparing himself or herself." It is for our own safety that he tells us that. This reserve is released automatically when the time is right. Warning: "One shouldn't awaken it prematurely by practicing difficult or violet breathing exercises.
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2 comments:
I would love to learn more on this. I have already seen the direct relationship of slowing the breath and slowing the thought process. Thank you for this!
You are so welcome C.Om ! The breath control process is fascintating. The next few posts will expound a little more detail on pranayama technique. Stay tuned! (:-)
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