Energy Management (Pranayama): Control
and Expansion of
the Life Force
Guiding and controlling the life force energy currents and
the rhythms of breath stabilizes the mind. Movement
of energy is subtly managed through rhythmic breathing;
inward, outward, in balance, and eventually transcended.
Then one remains anchored in the Inner Light.
Sutras ii.49–ii.53
Just as time management is needed for optimal productivity, energy management is necessary for the optimization of happiness. To understand the scope and practice of Pranayama, it is helpful to break down the word for translation in two slightly different ways. Life Force Energy, called pran or prana in the Sutras, is the invisible, intelligent current that flows within us and around us at all times. When the word Pranayama is split as prana and yama, yama means “to control.” But when it is split as pran and ayama, ayama means “to expand.” So essentially the practice of Pranayama is the science of both controlling and expanding the energy that activates and organizes our physical bodies.
To function at our peak, this Life Force Energy has to be regulated within and outside our bodies. This is accomplished through focused willpower, visualization, and conscious breathing techniques that help us channel energy in different ways. Through the practice of Pranayama we can decrease tension and anxiety, release emotional and mental stress, recharge physically, and relax deeply.
Everything we are exposed to in the environment affects our level of prana and our ability to take it in and use it effectively. We draw prana from sunlight, clean water, living foods, and all-natural surroundings. We can also benefit from being near yoga masters who have a greater level of prana due to their expanded capacity to control Universal energy. And in advanced practice, Pranayama expands us spiritually toward our true essence by enabling us to perceive consciousness without dependency on breathing at all.
Although sometimes interpreted as “breathing exercises,” Pranayama is far more than this. To effectively practice Pranayama, it is essential to intentionally absorb and assimilate vital energy in multifaceted ways. It requires the focused willpower that we explored through Tapas in chapter eight, as well as the ability to visualize ourselves as energetic beings beyond the confines of the physical body.
Scientific Progression of the Eight Limbs
Now we begin to see the scientific progression of the Eight Limbs. Through development of the Yamas and Niyamas, we put our inner and outer lives in order. Next we steady and open the body through Asana, making it an efficient channel of Life Force Energy. This prepares the way for the control and expansion of energy within and beyond the body that Pranayama develops. Then, once energy is intentionally regulated, we can embrace the more subtle practices, such as sensory control through Pratyahara and mind management through Dharana. Each limb supports the next.
As with any practice, we begin where we are and work our way to more over time. With regular Asana practice, we learn to relax and expand in many different circumstances. Over time this will enable all tension, restlessness, heaviness, aching, yawning, blinking, and squirming to subside. Ideally we should be able to sit with ease for thirty minutes or more in order to practice Pranayama without complaint from the body. At the beginning, however, even five minutes of Pranayama practice will yield noticeable results.
Using Breath as a Starting Point
As with most of our practices so far, we begin with the most accessible, outward change possible and then work inward to deeper layers. Because the breath is our constant companion, it is a primary vehicle for the distribution and retention of energy. Yet most people, having no training in Pranayama, breathe inefficiently, taking in shallow, erratic breaths that do not serve to maximize the potential energy resources we need to fuel our lives.
At its most basic level, Pranayama teaches us how to breathe deeper and fuller, and with only a certain number of breaths allotted to any human life, it behooves us to utilize them consciously. Deep breathing calms the restless mind, creating a stronger ability to focus. It also clears out emotions that launch us onto a reactive roller coaster. Now is the time to move beyond unconscious, ineffectual breathing, into an active circulation of breath and prana in our physical bodies.
Anytime we change our breathing patterns, we change our physical experience, our mental state, and the amount of power that is available for our daily activities. This is easily noticed in the simple practice of taking ten deep breaths before speaking when we are upset. By slowing down and bringing intentionality to the breath, the mind calms so we can respond consciously rather than react unconsciously. By far the simplest and best anti-stress medicine we have at our disposal at all times, Pranayama is an invaluable tool for nurturing our mental and physical health.
Take a moment and feel your natural breath. Does it seem small or large? Constricted or free? Shallow or full? Notice the length, rhythm, and sensation of the breath and where you feel it in the body. Make note of any holding or pausing between the inhale and the exhale, or between breath cycles.
Now, place your hands on your belly. Take a big breath in. Was it difficult to get a full breath in? Did the breath get stuck or stop anywhere between the belly and the chest? Did your belly suck inward or did it inflate to allow for the filling up with oxygen? If it sucked inward, you are breathing backwards. The belly should open, like a balloon being inflated when inhaling. Remember, Pranayama is about controlling and expanding. Breathing correctly creates space to take in more Life Force Energy.
Now, keep your hands on the belly and notice your exhale. As you let the breath go, does the belly puff out or do the abdominal muscles engage to expel all the air? Was it challenging to fully release the breath or did it explode out in a tremendous sigh?
Ideally the breath should flow evenly and without strain into the inflating belly on the inhalation and out of the relaxing belly on the exhalation. By controlling prana in this way, we also control our experience, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Further breathing techniques are included at the end of the chapter, which enable access to the energy we need in various life situations.
Benefits of Deep Conscious Breathing
Awareness of how we move prana through the breath is a foundational building block of Pranayama. If we did nothing more than learn to breathe slower, deeper, and more evenly, we would increase our health and life span significantly. The strong correlation between the physiology of breathing and length of life is noticeable in the difference in life span between mammals that breathe slowly, like tortoises and elephants, versus those that breathe rapidly like rabbits and mice.
The average human breathes approximately sixteen times per minute, but an advanced practitioner of Pranayama can regulate the movement of energy through breath to less than one cycle per minute. Slowing the breath dramatically like this prolongs life by decreasing stress on the organs and cortisol levels.
In addition to increasing the length of life, Pranayama also promotes a better quality of life experience. On a purely physical level, deep breathing maintains elasticity in lung tissues for greater pulmonary functioning and efficient blood oxygen levels. It also slows the heart rate so blood pressure decreases. It aids digestion through the circulation of fluids to all the organs in the abdomen. It helps eliminate waste by circulating blood to the liver and kidneys, and it aids immune functioning by optimally circulating lymphatic fluid. Consistent deep breathing disposes of carbon dioxide and any buildup of toxins in the bloodstream more efficiently.
With any change in our physical and emotional states, our breathing patterns change naturally. Think of how the breath quickens when we are upset or afraid. By reversing this equation, we see how employing strategic Pranayama practices to effect desired physiological changes gives us a new measure of self-control. Just by changing our breath pattern, we can shift our feeling state. If we are lethargic but need to accomplish a work or school project, we can employ Pranayama that quickens the heart rate and stimulates the brain. If we are feeling anxious and jittery, we can employ a practice that slows the metabolism and racing mind.
Practicing conscious control of the breath lets us bring awareness to patterns of restriction in the body in order to release them. There are hundreds of practices of Pranayama that effect different states of being. Like having a variety of tools in a toolbox, it is helpful to know a variety of practices, so that as we notice what needs attention, we can employ the appropriate Pranayama to overcome blockage and create flow.
Energize, Relax, or Neutralize
On the mental and emotional levels, managing prana through deep breathing helps us relax and lowers the levels of stress hormones. Steady breathing balances the flow of blood to both hemispheres of the brain for positive correlation between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which regulate the spectrum between stimulated brain activity and rest. We feel more control over body and mind, able to integrate emotional responses as they arise.
Studies done at the Harvard Medical School by Herbert Benson, M.D., have shown how stimulating certain areas of the hypothalamus can cause stress, and by activating other areas of the brain, stress is reduced. A steady, slow breath creates what Benson called an immediate “relaxation response.” 10 In contrast, forceful, deep breathing energizes us without the use of artificial stimulants.
Focusing on the breath illuminates our inner landscape. By examining the quality of our exhalation, we see how well we are able to relax and how much we are giving out to the world. Assessing the nature of our inhalation, we determine our level of engagement with life and what we are taking in. We see what needs to change and what we need to let go. If we have been suppressing emotions, conscious breathing will act like a surgeon’s knife, excavating that which is creating dis-ease through unhealthy repression or negative beliefs.
Pranayama creates space for inquiry and personal discernment. And it enables us to consciously reprogram for more joy. It gives us the ability to put ourselves into action or rest at will by controlling the involuntary nerves of heart, lungs, and other organs. As we allow vital organs to rest and become replenished with new Life Force Energy, and use our will force to visualize where and how prana is directed, we create the physical and emotional stillness and discipline needed for meditation.
The breath is the link between body, mind, and spirit and as such is the great liberating force, enhancing vitality and creating within us a fuller opening to the endless prana that is available from Source.
Movement of Prana
According to yogic philosophy, Universal Life Force Energy moves through our bodies in the nerve channels (nadis). The word nadi comes from the Sanskrit root meaning “to flow.” Similar to our circulatory system, the nadis transport subtle energy throughout every cell of the body and just like a river. If there are obstructions to the flow of prana in our system due to illness, mental disturbance, or emotional repression, then we feel stagnant or blocked. By increasing and distributing prana properly, we experience greater health and well-being and prepare for the expansion of our awareness beyond the limited physical body.
The ancient Hindu treatises classify 72,000 nadis and their relationships with the mind. The most important three of these nerve channels are the Ida, the Pingala, and the Sushumna. The Ida is said to transport the masculine energy of the intellect, rational thinking, heat, and the sun. The Pingala channels the feminine energy of feelings and intuition, cooling, and the moon. These correspond to the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The Sushumna is the central channel, running through the body from the root of the spine to the top of the head.
The Ida and the Pingala originate at the base of the spine where a storehouse of latent life force energy (Kundalini) resides. They coil around the central Sushumna like a DNA double helix, similar to the caduceus symbol for the medical profession. Prana moves thru the Ida and Pingala channels in varying degrees depending on both inner and outer conditions and how much self-control (Brahmacharya) we are practicing. If there is too much or too little of either masculine or feminine energy, the physical body will be unbalanced. When these energy channels are in harmony, we feel happier. Through appropriate Pranayama exercises, we create free-flowing channels, and we feel more energetic and optimistic with harmony in our breath and in our lives.
Chakras as Energy Vortexes
The Ida and the Pingala cross each other at seven major energy centers called chakras. Yogic texts describe the chakras like wheels whose spokes radiate the energy and consciousness that have descended into the body out through the spine into all parts of the body, creating the sense-conscious state.
Instructions in the Sutras discuss enhancing prana by regulating inhalation and exhalation, and by suspending the breath with lungs full and lungs empty for greater energy efficiency. As we learn to breathe with stronger intention and control, we prepare ourselves to move beyond the physical experience of being in human bodies, to the experience of being the consciousness within the body. Then in more advanced practices, we learn to increase and directionalize the flow of prana upward through the chakras to the cerebral chakra, or brain, where Divine perception is reawakened. Here we joyfully recognize that we have dominion over the body and are not limited by it in our Soul nature.
To drive the energy to the higher centers of consciousness and maintain it there, we employ locks (bandhas). Like safeguarding our homes by locking the doors when we go out, in Pranayama practice we protect the concentrated movement of prana through bandhas. These are expressed both physically through muscle contraction and energetically through the subtle movement of prana.
The first of the three main energy locks or bandhas is the root lock (Mula Bandha), engaged by contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor and drawing upward internally toward the navel. The second is the abdominal lock (Uddiyana Bandha), which is engaged by drawing the abdominal muscles in and up, hollowing out underneath the lower ribs to seal the prana into the heart center. And third is the throat lock (Jalandhara Bandha), engaged by pulling the chin back and in toward the throat and cervical vertebra. These powerful energy seals should be learned from an experienced teacher.
There are many levels to Pranayama practice, but even the simplest forms consistently used over time allow us to engage with life from awareness based in intentionality and self-control rather than reactivity, self-interest, and survival mentality. Qualities like compassion, generosity, and even love become more accessible as we manage prana correctly. We feel harmonious and happy, because as Patanjali states in the Sutras, the veils over our inner light are swept away and we perceive the Self clearly.
Advanced Stages of Pranayama
Initially the Sutras direct us to modulate the length and depth of breath as well as to focus the mind strongly on the movement of the breath. In more advanced Pranayama practices where the breath is held in differing patterns, novices often strain and then feel a sense of restriction or even panic. Of course this runs counter to the essence of the practice that is meant to calm and clear mental perception, not disturb it. We are advised to engage Pranayama without agitation or tension of any kind. We can only do what we can do today. Like a challenging posture that we accomplish incrementally with regular practice over time, advanced Pranayama reveals itself effortlessly as we perfect our understanding of the mechanics and control of the breath with daily effort.
The Upanishads refer to the storehouse of prana held at the base of the Sushumna channel as the Kundalini. This surplus prana is present in all of us and is hundreds of times greater than the energy we normally use. It is depicted as a coiled snake, lying in wait for the time in which we are ready to release our consciousness from the physical domain and reunite it with the spiritual.
Until we can completely control the prana we need and use on a daily basis, we should not try to ignite the release of this surplus, as it can be imbalancing for our daily functioning. Advanced Pranayama should be learned from an experienced teacher who can guide safe and adequate preparation of the body, physically and energetically, for more intensive practices. The gateway for the release of this extra prana opens naturally when the time is right, after much dedicated practice, and should not be forced.
Beyond Breathing
Every human life begins with an inhalation and ends with an exhalation. The final stages of Pranayama come when all effort in the management of the life force through the breath is surrendered. As we contemplate the Infinite as both the breath moving through the body and the awareness of the body being breathed, we recognize that we are not the temporal physical shell but the Spirit within it. And the Consciousness behind the mechanics of breath is the essence of Truth.
When the time is right for our evolutionary advancement, the directional flow of the pranic current reverses from downward to upward in the spine, moving from the physical to the spiritual. Like a mini death, a spontaneous suspension of breath occurs when all prana is drawn inward and upward, aligning us with Higher Consciousness.
Everything stills in body and mind. Perception becomes perfectly clear and the light within shines effervescently. This powerful reversal destroys the barrier of mental ignorance that blocks our awareness, unifying us with pure Consciousness through an uninhibited state of meditation.
This state in which the Life Force Energy disassociates from the breath altogether and prana is felt on a more subtle spiritual level without connection to the physical body is experienced momentarily by many meditators and for indefinite periods of time by masters. The unintentional suspension of breath is the least defined state of Pranayama in the Yoga Sutras and not one to be sought after. We can trust that dedicated practice rather than explanation will take us to this expansive state. We can rest in our consistent, disciplined Pranayama practice, and the deep peace and calm it brings, connecting us effortlessly to Self beyond the physical body.
Daily Practice
Integrate an active practice of energy management into your daily life. These general guidelines should be followed for all efforts in Pranayama. Specific practices are described below.
Visualization to Direct Energy
Visualization and willpower help direct energy during Pran-
ayama. Close your eyes and feel where energy may be low in the body. Visualize the breath moving into that particular body part or circulating throughout the body evenly for healing and balancing. Utilize this in the breathing techniques listed below for maximum result. And employ focus and will to all Pranayama.
Visualization for Higher Consciousness
Visualize the breath moving from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head with each inhalation. See it returning from the crown to the base of the spine on the exhalation. When this imagery is strong, pause at the top of the inhale, visualizing an expansion at the crown of the head, connecting your awareness with Universal Consciousness. Allow any resistance, fear, or doubt to drain into the earth beneath you as you exhale.
Three-Part Breath (Dirga Pranayama)
This basic Pranayama helps to center and ground us. It is also very relaxing. Sit upright and put one hand just below your navel and one hand on your chest. Think of a vase that you fill with water from the bottom of the vase to the middle, then to the top. It is the same with a basic three-part breath. Begin by filling the belly with air first, then the diaphragm, then the chest. When emptying a vase the top empties first, then the middle, then the bottom. So with the exhalation, the chest should empty first, then the diaphragm, then the belly. Abdominal muscles engage to expel all the air out of the body. Visualize tension and stress leaving with each exhalation.
Three-Part Breath Variation (Circumferential Breath)
This Pranayama creates space in the body and expands lung capacity, mirroring how, as we take in more prana, we also expand in our lives. Continue the visualization of the pitcher being filled from bottom to top and emptied from top to bottom. Now add breathing to the outer circumference of the body by placing your hands on the bones at the top of the hips. Start the inhale into the belly and see if you can make the hands on either side of the body move outward with the expansion of air. Move the hands up to the side of the rib cage and expand again. Then place the fingers at your collarbones and make those bones rise with each inhale.
Double Exhale Breath (Sattvic Breath)
A great way to relax and unwind if tension is present is by lengthening the exhale, which triggers a relaxation response by signaling the parasympathetic nervous system. Maintaining awareness of the three-part and circumferential breathing already established, begin to count slowly as you inhale. Do not strain for an unnaturally large inhale. There is no magic number to attain. Just count as you inhale normally. Then as you exhale, pace the out breath so it is twice as long as the inhalation. For example, if your inhale is four counts, try to make your exhale eight counts. If your inhale is twenty counts, make your exhale forty. But do not hold the breath to reach a particular number. The exhalation does not have to be exactly double. Just send the breath out more slowly than it entered.
Double Exhale Breath Variation (Bhramari Pranayama)
To feel the sound vibration of this Pranayama, it is customary to close the eyes and cover the ears with the index and middle fingers. Without counting this time, inhale slowly and naturally through the nose. Then on the longer exhale, with lips closed, make the sound of a buzzing bee, essentially humming the sound of the letter “M.” Make the sound as consistent and as long as possible without strain. Repeat for a minimum of ten rounds of breath. Notice how the mind is soothed.
Skull Shining Breath (Kapalabhati Pranayama)
This Pranayama heightens willpower, strength, and intention. It is a heating, activating breath, good for those who are feeling lethargic or down. Maintain a dynamic Pranayama posture with spine erect and torso open. Inhale fully through the nose. On the exhalation, snap the diaphragm back toward the spine, engaging the upper abdominal muscles to expel all the breath rapidly and forcefully through the nose. As the rhythm of the exercise becomes familiar, engage the lower abdominals as well as the diaphragm when you exhale. When this is familiar, finally add the engagement of the muscles of the pelvic floor into a strong root lock (Mula Bandha). Feel strength building in your core and focus building in your mind.
Straw Breath (Kaki Pranayama)
This Pranayama is cooling and reduces tension in the body. It also helps with insomnia as it clears the busy mind. Sit tall with chest and belly open, bring the mouth into the shape of drinking through a straw. Inhale through the mouth and feel the cool air pass across the tongue. Inhale for as long as you can without straining. Then close the lips and exhale slowly through the nose, feeling any bodily tension melting away.
Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Shodhana Pranayama)
To balance the overall system, this Pranayama establishes evenness in the nostrils that correspond to the Ida and Pingala nadis. Both energy and calmness are cultivated. Make a fist with one hand. Release the thumb and ring finger. Place the thumb on one side of the nose and the ring finger on the other. Close the right nostril and inhale through the left. Then close the left and exhale through the right. Inhale through the right and exhale through the left. Continue closing off one nostril at a time, always making the change on the exhalation. Do not be concerned if you notice a slight difference in the nostrils at the beginning, one naturally being more open than the other. This can be particularly noticeable if cold symptoms or any nasal obstructions are present. Just do the best you can.
Add a Mantra
Mantras are sounds that tune our minds to a desired outcome. Used consistently, they can completely rearrange mental habit patterns. Once you become familiar with at least one of the above Pranayama exercises, try adding a mantra. Whether you choose a classical Sanskrit mantra like So Hum or Aum, or whether you repeat a quality you wish to cultivate in your native language is up to you.
As you inhale, repeat the mantra silently to yourself. Repeat it again as you exhale. With each breath, become more and more relaxed, finding your way to the still center of your being, to the place of wholeness, integrity, and possibility. Breathe the essence of the mantra or quality you have chosen into your whole body and heart. Notice how it feels to be centered, grounded, present, and aligned. Hold this feeling and enjoy it for a full five minutes.
Questions for Further Reflection
Take a moment with your journal now to answer the following questions. Or find a quiet pause sometime today to remember the practice of energy management and contemplate these thoughts further.
Affirmations to Post and Remember
Affirmations solidify beliefs in our subconscious minds, creating a foundation from which we can then manifest positive change in our outer lives. Repeat these often with strong intensity and full faith.
10. “Relaxation Response,” Mind Body Medical Institute, http://www.relaxationresponse.org/. Accessed January 5, 2015.