#Pranayama is the subtle breath work of #Yoga and #Ayurveda. It offers cleansing practices (#kriyas) as well as practices which facilitate a deeper understanding of our energetic nature.
Pranayama is the bridge between the physical body (#annamayaKosha) and the emotional body (#manomayaKosha)
The energy body (#pranamayaKosha) is located in between the physical and the emotional body and hence it naturally has the capacity to cleanse and nourish both.
#Prana is the energy which sustains life. If our breath is gone, then we are no more in the physical realm. Pranayama is increasing the level of Prana within us. It facilitates this on a very physical level, through the training of the the muscles we use to breath. If these muscles are exercised on regular basis, they naturally become stronger and hence we increase the volume of air entering and releasing from our lungs. This has a healing effect on every cell in our body. At the same time, we release the tension we hold in our body and find access to a deeper form of #relaxation.
On an emotional level and if practiced with loving awareness and kindness, we can release stored emotions. Pranayama is reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and is nourishing the parasympathetic nervous system. This has a calming and relaxing effect and provides us the opportunity to see our selves with clarity and ease. Sometimes we only realise how much tension we carry within us, if we experience the absence or the release of tension. This can be facilitated through the practice of Pranayama.
On a spiritual level we receive and understanding of the energetic, the very physical or materialistic as well as the conscious aspects of our self and the world as a whole. This understanding is not just on a intellectual level but on a felt and embodied level. Every time we practice Pranayama we nourish our whole being and hence we facilitate, breath by breath a more wholesome way of life.
For me Pranayama is a practice I cherish every morning. It is like a mirror, providing me insights of my present state of mind. The breath never lies and it shows me with great clarity, wether im calm, angry, impulsive, agitated, relaxed or present. It is a practice I can adapt beautifully to my state of being. In health, sickness, sadness or through states of anxiety and happiness, the breath work is always with me, offering me comfort and a clear tool to nourish my body as well as my emotional wellbeing.
Much love
Isa