Introduction

heclassicalyogicpracticesofpranayamahavebeenknownin

Indiaforover4,000years.IntheBhagavadGita,atextdatedtothe
Mahabharataperiod,thereference
topranayama(4:29)indicatesthatthepracticeswereascommonly
knownduringthatperiodaswasyajna,firesacrifice.ManyUpanishads
writteninthepreBuddhistperiodalsorefertotechniquesof
pranayama(toattainhigherstatesofconsciousness).However,itisin
thehathayogatextssuchasHathaYogaPradipika,GherandaSamhita
andHatharatnavali,writtenbetweenthesixthandfifteenthcenturies
AD,thatwefindadetaileddescriptionofthepractices.Itwouldseem
thataneedwasfeltatthattimetoreviveandcodifythepracticesthat
wereuntilthenhandeddownthroughtheoraltradition.Thevedic
culturehaddeclinedwiththeadventofBuddhismandmanyyogic
practiceswerebeinglostormisappliedbytheirpractitioners.Thusthe
authorsofthetextssoughttorestorethepurityandauthenticityofthe
practices.
Aneedisfeltyetagaininthetwentyfirstcenturytoreinstatethe
originalintentandexperienceofthepractices.Theyogicrenaissance
witnessedinthelastfewdecadeshasmadeasanaandpranayamainto
householdterms,buttheessenceanddepthofthepracticesremain
unexploredfor
mostpractitioners.

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IthasbeenthepurposeaswellasthecontributionofSatyanandaYoga
tobringtheknowledgeoftherealizedrishistoyogaaspirantsina
languageandmethodthatisapplicableinthecurrentage.Thisisalso
thegiftandblessingofourgurus,SwamiSivanandaandSwami
Satyananda.
Thisbookprovidesacompletedescriptionofthescienceofpranayama
aspresentedintheclassicaltextsandastaughtintheSatyanandaYoga
traditionbytheBiharSchoolofYoga.Pranaandpranayamaare
investigatedasphilosophy,physiologyandpractice.Thescriptural
analogiesoftheconceptofpranahavebeenrenderedcomprehensible
forthemodernreadersothatanessentialunderstandingofthebasisof
thepracticesisacquired.Inaddition,thescientificframeworkofthe
conceptsisexplained,andthepracticesarepresentedinastageby
stage,systematicmethodsothattheyogiccounselofgradualperfection
maybeunderstoodandpractised.
Thebookisdividedintothreeparts.Part1explainsthetheoryof
prana,andrelatedyogicconceptssuchaskoshas,chakras,nadisand
mantra.Part2describesrespiratoryphysiologyasrelevantin
understandingyogicandpranicphysiology,theprocessofpranayama
andtheresearchundertakenbyscienceonpranayamaandrelated
practices.Part3providestheguidelinesforpractisingpranayama,and
thepreparatoryandclassicalpracticesofpranayama.Therearealso
fourappendicesdescribingyogicpracticesthatcomplement
pranayama,includingnetiandagnisarkriya,asanas,mudrasand
bandhas.ThepranayamasutrasfromtheHathaYogaPradipikaare
alsoprovidedasanadjunct.
Prana
TheUpanishadstellthefollowingstory.Onceallthedeitiesthatreside
inthebodyair,fire,water,earth,ether,speechandmindhadan
argument.Eachclaimedthatitwassuperiortoallothers,declaring,"I
sustainthisperishablebody."Pranawaslisteningtothisdebate,and

ultimatelysaidtothem,"Donotdeludeyourself.ItisI,havingdivided
2
myselfintofiveparts,whosupportsandsustainsthisbody."Thedeities
didnotbelievehim.Indignantly,Pranabegantowithdrawfromthe
body.Instantly,alltheotherdeitiesfoundthemselveswithdrawingtoo.
WhenPranaagainsettledinthebody,thedeitiesfoundthattheyhad
assumedtheirrespectiveplaces.ConvincedofPrana'ssuperiority,all
nowpaidobeisancetoPrana.
Pranaisthevitalforcethatsustainsnotonlythebody,butalsocreation
ateverylevel.TheseersofIndiahavealwaysknownwhatmodern
sciencehasbeentryingtofathom:theexistenceofaprimevalforce,its
nature,potential,andhowtoharnessit.Everyyogicsciencemantra,
yajna,austerities,differentformsofconcentrationandmeditationis
aimedatawakeningandenhancingthisvitalforcewithintheunitofthe
individualorthewideruniverse.
TheSanskritwordpranaisacombinationoftwosyllables,praandna,
anddenotesconstancy,aforceinconstantmotion.Pranaexistsin
sentientbeingsastheenergythatdriveseveryaction,voluntaryand
involuntary,everythought,everylevelofthemindandbody.Scientific
researchdescribespranaasacomplexmultidimensionalenergy:a
combinationofelectrical,magnetic,electromagnetic,photonic,ocular,
thermalandmentalenergies.Pranaalsoexistsintheinsentientworld,
causingmotion,
growthanddecayatthislevel.Pranais,indeed,thebasisofmanifested
creation.Itistheforcethatemergedoutofthe'originalwilling'ofthe
primalconsciousnesstobringaboutcreation.TheChhandogya
Upanishad(1:11:5)says:
Inpranaallmoveableandimmoveablebeingsmerge(during
dissolution)andriseoutofprana(duringcreation).
Intheindividualbeing,pranapervadestheentirebeing,projecting

itselfinwhattheyogiscalledpranamayakoshaalevelofexistence
subtlerthanthephysical.Theexistence

3
ofthispranicfieldhasbeenprovenbymodernsciencetoo.In
particular,thehighlysensitivesystemofKirlianphotographynoted
theexistenceofahaloaroundpeopleaswellasobjects.Italsofound
thatthehalochangedaccordingtothestateofthebeing.Thispranic
fieldissometimescalledpsiplasmaduetothefactthatitcanbe
likenedtotheplasma(chargedgases)describedinplasmaphysics;it
hasbeendescribedasavapourofchargedparticleswhichcanbe
affectedinternallybythemindandexternallybyelectric,magneticor
electromagneticfields.
Inthepranicbody,pranaflowsthroughnadis,energychannels,andis
storedinchakras,energyvortices.Accordingtosomeresearchers,the
electromagneticenergyinpranagivesrisetoradiationinwhichthe
wavesofelectricenergyandmagneticenergyareatninetydegreesto
eachother,resultinginwhatlookslikeaspiral.Indeed,thespiral
radiationstructurearoundchakrashasbeenseen,describedanddrawn
bysagesandsavantsfromallpartsoftheworldatdifferenttimes.
Pranaisinherenttoabeing.Wearebornwithacertainquantumof
prana,andwemaintainit,increaseordecreaseitthroughtheairwe
breathe,thefoodweeat,thethoughtswethink,theactionsweperform
andthekindoflifewelead.Whenwedie,theaccumulatedprana
leavesthebody.
Pranayama
Thescienceofpranayamawasdevelopedbyhighlyevolvedyogis
throughanintuitiveandexperientialunderstandingofpranaandits
influenceonthehumanmechanismatvariouslevels.Theagencyofthe
breathwasusedtoaccessthepranicfield,toattainbalanceinthebody

andcontrolofthemind.Thepracticeswouldrenderthebodymind
instrumentcapableofexperiencinghigherstatesofconsciousnessso
thattheultimateunionwiththetranscendentalrealitycouldbe
experienced.
Thebreathbeingthemediumofpranayama,thesystemisbasedonthe
threestagesofrespiration:inhalation(pooraka),
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retention(kumbhaka)andexhalation(rechaka).Bypermutingand
directingthesethreestages,thedifferentpracticesofpranayamaare
obtained.Technicallyspeaking,pranayamaisactuallyonlyretention.
MaharshiPatanjali'sYogaSutrasstate(2:49):
Pranayamaisthepauseinthemovementofinhalationandexhalation
whenthatissecured.
Inhalationandexhalationaremethodsofinducingretention.Retention
isthekeybecauseitallowsalongerperiodfortheassimilationof
prana,justasitallowsmoretimefortheexchangeofoxygenand
carbondioxideinthecells.Asthebreathisalsointimatelyconnected
withvariousfunctionsandorgansofthebodyaswellasthemind,by
controllingthebreathwealsoinfluenceallthesedimensions.
Atthepraniclevel,intheirinitialstagesthepracticesofpranayama
clearupthenadis,energypathwaysinthebody.Thescripturessay
thereareover72,000nadisorpathwaysofpranainthepranicbodyand
sixmainchakras.However,
intheaverageindividual,manyofthesepathwaysareblockedandthe
chakrasreleaseenergyonlypartially.Inotherwords,wedonotutilize
ourfullpotentialintermsofenergy,mindandconsciousness.The
negativeconditionsweexperience,whetherphysicalormental,arethe
causeaswellastheconsequenceoftheblockages.Thestateofour
nadisandchakrasaredefinedbyoursamskaras,conditioningscarried
inseedform,aswellaspurushartha,selfeffortandanugraha,grace.
Withthepracticeofpranayama,thesepathwaysofenergyaregradually

freedsothatpranamovesthroughthemsmoothly.
Athigherlevelsofpractice,thedirectionofthepranicflowsis
influencedandagreaterquantumofenergyisreleasedfromthe
chakras.Astheseprocessesareactivated,manynewexperiences
unfold.Expertguidanceisessentialtosteerthepractitionerthrough
thesestages.