Pranayama, the fourth limb of yoga is the conscious control of breath. After perfecting the body and clearing the channels or nadis of the body, the breath is the vehicle which carries our life-force into the various tissues of the body. Studies have been undertaken to show that the oxygen absorption of our cells is greater when we consciously breathe into a tight muscle or spasm. You can imagine your inhalation moving from your nostrils to a particular part of you body in need to care, and then imagine exhaling directly from that place.
- Step 1: Observe the Natural Breath: The first step in any Pranayama practice is always observing the breath as it is right now. You may do this sitting or lying down. Close the eyes and feel the breath moving in and out of your nostrils. Notice what the inhale feels like coming in and moving down into your lungs, creating a full sensation in the abdomen. Notice what the exhale feels like moving up and out of the body through the nostrils, creating a surrendered feeling in the body. How long can you continue to watch your breath without being distracted by sounds, thoughts, memories or physical sensations? Every time you see that your attention has been drawn elsewhere, return your awareness to witnessing your natural breath without judgment or analysis.
PRATYAHARA (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Pratyahara or the withdrawal of the senses, is the next step in the yoga process. Once you have tuned your mind toward watching the breathing, you can begin to direct your attention deeper inside, away from sensory perception. All day long we are bombarded with seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and touching the world around us. Each time we encounter a pleasurable sense experience, we want more, becoming attached to delightful smells, silence or beautiful music, delicious food, and pleasurable sensations. We seek out pleasant experiences and try to avoid un-pleasant experiences which creates grasping and aversion in the thoughts. Our world is filled with both silence and noise, comfort and pain - when we find equanimity in the face of both, our mind is freed from these sense attachments.
