Pranayama: Definition and Historical Context

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Mr.Viju V

Definition of Pranayama
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Definition of Pranayama

Pranayama is a Sanskrit compound word consisting of two parts:

  • Prana: Refers to the vital life force, breath, or energy that sustains the body
  • Ayama: Has multiple interpretations including “extension,” “expansion,” “control,” or “restraint”

Therefore, pranayama can be defined in several ways:

  1. The control or regulation of breath through specific breathing techniques
  2. The expansion of life force energy within the body
  3. A set of practices designed to control prana within the human body by means of various breathing techniques, meditative visualizations, and physical locks (bandhas)

In classical yoga, the breath is associated with prana, thus pranayama is a means to elevate the prana-shakti, or life energies. The practice involves conscious manipulation of breath to influence the flow of prana throughout the body’s subtle energy channels (nadis).

Historical Context and Origins

Vedic Period (1500 BCE)

  • The concept of prana appears in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest sacred texts
  • While references to the term “prana” can be found as early as 3,000 BCE in the Chandogya Upanishad, references to pranayama as a breathing practice do not occur until much later in yogic literature

Upanishadic Period (700 BCE)

  • One of the earliest recorded references to pranayama as a breath-related practice can be found in hymn 1.5.23 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
  • The Upanishad states: “One should indeed breathe in (arise), but one should also breathe out (without setting) while saying, ‘Let not the misery that is dying reach me.’ When one would practice that (breathing), one should rather desire to thoroughly realize that (immortality). It is rather through that (realization) that he wins a union with this divinity (breath), that is a sharing of worlds.”
  • This text clearly links breathing practices to the regulation of vital energy and life-force

Bhagavad Gita (5th to 2nd Century BCE)

  • References to pranayama practices can be found in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 29
  • The text highlights the use of conscious inhaling, exhaling, and breath retention to effect trancelike states
  • It suggests that regular practice of pranayama can be used to enact greater control over the senses and mind

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (circa 400 CE)

  • Pranayama is formalized as the fourth “limb” of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga in verse 2.29
  • Patanjali discusses his specific approach to pranayama in verses 2.49 through 2.51
  • In verse 1.34, pranayama is introduced as a method aimed at stabilizing the mind
  • The practice involves two primary techniques: exhalation (pracchardana) and retention (vidharana)
  • Patanjali does not fully elucidate the nature of prana, and the theory and practice of pranayama seem to have undergone significant development after him

Hatha Yoga Development (10th-15th Century CE)

  • The 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a key text that elaborates on various pranayama techniques
  • It includes detailed instructions for practices such as Kumbhaka (breath retention) and various body locks (Bandhas)
  • The text mentions that control of breathing provides one of the most direct methods to expand life force and balance the vayus (vital winds)
  • According to traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda), the human body contains five separate elements and three separate humors (doshas)
  • The pranavayu (master wind) is said to join mind and body at conception, later subdividing into five primary and five subsidiary winds that provide energy for essential bodily functions

Modern Evolution (20th Century onwards)

  • The yoga guru Swami Kuvalayananda began the experimental study of pranayama in 1924
  • Modern yoga as exercise often uses pranayama differently than traditional texts, synchronizing breath with movements between asanas
  • Contemporary scientific research has explored the physiological effects of various pranayama techniques

Traditional Understanding of Prana and Vayus

According to traditional texts:

  • Prana is “the driving force of all the functions of the body”
  • The various functions of the body such as swallowing, digestion, and physical movement are all reliant on the efficient functioning of prana
  • When the vayus (winds/energies) function efficiently, the body enjoys good physical health and mental clarity
  • When the winds become imbalanced or the channels through which they flow become damaged, sickness and disease arise
  • Control of the breathing process (pranayama) provides one of the most direct methods to expand the life force and balance the vayus

Philosophical Significance

Pranayama bridges the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga practice:

  • It is seen as a tool to purify the nadis (energy channels)
  • Regular practice is believed to prepare the mind for deeper meditation
  • In some traditions, the ultimate aim of pranayama is the suspension of breathing (kevala kumbhaka), “causing the mind to swoon”
  • Paramahansa Yogananda described the real meaning of Pranayama as “the gradual cessation of breathing, the discontinuance of inhalation and exhalation”
  • The practice is traditionally seen as a pathway to higher states of consciousness and spiritual awakening
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