This month (Jan. 2012) we kick off the new year with an exploration of Pranayama. "Prana" means life force enery, "Yama" means to control. So how do we "control" our energy? Well, the best representation we have for the electricity with in us is our breath. So pranayama excercises are usually breath excercises. Breathing is normally an unconscious action. If we had to remember to breath the way we remember to take out the trash, we'd probably die. By taking control of our breath and conciously breathing and paying attention to our breath, we bring the unconscious into the conscious mind. We place it in the front of our mind and suddenly we are not thinking about anything else. The moment becomes clear, present, simple.
Furthermore, we also find that by controlling the breath in various ways we actually gain control over immense amounts of energy! Most of the really difficult postures I've gotten into in yoga were entirely a result of conscious breathing, and not about my muscle strength.
The practice of pranayama can give us access to power, but it also increases our ability to focus. When your mind is scattered and you are trying to accomplish a hundred things at once, and it seems you can't get anything done at all, steady your breath. Suddenly, your brain mimics the regular pace of your lungs and diaphragm, and the thoughts are all still there, but have organized themselves into clear categories. You find you have the ability to put one task in front, and accomplish it from beginning to end with out distraction, and then onto the next, and so on.
Pranayama is a key to unlock our most powerful and most intelligent potential. After all, how are we able to function if our electricity is just spiraling out of control all over our mind and body? Control the breath, and you control the nerves which are the conductors of our lives. Each human is like a mini orchestra made up of many vibrations. With out a conscious conductor, we are just a mess of noise. With a conductor, the symphony roars in harmony and even improvises better on the spot. And so, if you want more control over your life, practice pranayama. Just 5 minutes a day of controlled breathing. It's harder then it sounds. The minute you sit to just practice breathing your brain starts freaking out, as if this is such a waste of time, and it has so many other things to do. But get passed that moment, and you'll be amazed at what you find!
Furthermore, we also find that by controlling the breath in various ways we actually gain control over immense amounts of energy! Most of the really difficult postures I've gotten into in yoga were entirely a result of conscious breathing, and not about my muscle strength.
The practice of pranayama can give us access to power, but it also increases our ability to focus. When your mind is scattered and you are trying to accomplish a hundred things at once, and it seems you can't get anything done at all, steady your breath. Suddenly, your brain mimics the regular pace of your lungs and diaphragm, and the thoughts are all still there, but have organized themselves into clear categories. You find you have the ability to put one task in front, and accomplish it from beginning to end with out distraction, and then onto the next, and so on.
Pranayama is a key to unlock our most powerful and most intelligent potential. After all, how are we able to function if our electricity is just spiraling out of control all over our mind and body? Control the breath, and you control the nerves which are the conductors of our lives. Each human is like a mini orchestra made up of many vibrations. With out a conscious conductor, we are just a mess of noise. With a conductor, the symphony roars in harmony and even improvises better on the spot. And so, if you want more control over your life, practice pranayama. Just 5 minutes a day of controlled breathing. It's harder then it sounds. The minute you sit to just practice breathing your brain starts freaking out, as if this is such a waste of time, and it has so many other things to do. But get passed that moment, and you'll be amazed at what you find!
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