Agni, the Fire of Life

What happens within this movement of prāṇa and apāna? According to yoga we have a fire, agni, in the body, situated in the vicinity of the navel, between the prāṇa-vāyu and the apāna-vāyu. The flame itself is constantly changing direction: on inhalation the breath moves toward the belly, causing a draft that directs the flame downward, just like in a fireplace; during exhalation the draft moves the flame in the opposite direction, bringing with it the just-burned waste matter. It is not enough to burn the rubbish; we must also rid the body of it. A breathing pattern where the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation is aimed at providing more time during exhalation for freeing the body of its blockages. Everything we do to reduce the rubbish in the body is a step in the direction of releasing our blockages. With the next inhalation we bring the flame back to the apāna. If all the previously burned waste has not left the body, the flame will lose some of its power.
Certain physical positions are beneficial for the meeting of fire and rubbish. In all inverted postures, the agni is directed toward the apāna. This is the reason yoga attributes so much significance to the cleansing effects of inverted postures. Cleansing is intensified when we combine inverted postures with prāṇāyāma techniques.


All aspects of prāṇāyāma work together to rid the body of apāna so that prāṇa can find more room within. In the moment when waste is released, prāṇa fills the space in the body where it really belongs. Prāṇa has its own movement; it cannot be controlled. What we can do is create the conditions in which prāṇa may enter the body and permeate it.
The Yoga Sūtra describes the flow of prāṇa with this lovely image: If a farmer wants to water his terraced fields, he does not have to carry the water in buckets to the various parts of his fields; he has only to open the retaining wall at the top. If he has laid out his terraces well and nothing blocks the flow of the water, it will be able to reach the last field and the furthest blade of grass without help from the farmer.3 In prāṇāyāma we work with the breath to remove blockages in the body. The prāṇa, following the breath, flows by itself into the cleared spaces. In this way we use the breath to make possible the flow of prāṇa.
Understanding prāṇa as an expression of puruṣa, we have as little possibility for working directly on prāṇa as we have of influencing our puruṣa directly. The way to influence prāṇa is via the breath and mind. By working with these through prāṇāyāma, we create optimal conditions for the prāṇa to flow freely within.

TKV Desikachar

The Forms of Prāṇa

There are five forms of prāṇa, all having different names according to the bodily functions with which they correspond. These forms of prāṇa are:
*udāna-vāyu, corresponding to the throat region and the function of speech
*prāṇa-vāyu, corresponding to the chest region
*samāna-vāyu, corresponding to the central region of the body and the function of digestion
*apāna-vāyu, corresponding to the region of the lower abdomen and the function of elimination
*vyāna-vāyu, corresponding to the distribution of energy into all areas of the body

We will concern ourselves with two forms: prāṇa-vāyu and apāna-vāyu.
That which enters the body is called prāṇa and that which leaves it is called apāna. The term apāna also refers to the region of the lower abdomen and all the activities that take place there. Apāna describes that part of prāṇa that has the function of elimination and provides the energy for it, and it also refers to the lower belly and the rubbish that collects there when the power of prāṇa is not in a state of equilibrium. When a person is slow and heavy we sometimes say that he has too much apāna. Apāna as prāṇic energy is something we need, but apāna as refuse left from activating this energy actually prevents prāṇa from developing within. All forms of prāṇa are necessary, but to be effective they must be in a state of balance with each other. If someone has a lot of rubbish in the region of the lower abdomen then he or she consumes too much energy there, and this imbalance should be addressed. The goal is to reduce apāna to an efficient minimum.
Apāna as waste matter accumulates because of many factors, some of which lie within our control. The practice of yoga aims to reduce these impurities. People who are short of breath, cannot hold their breath, or cannot exhale slowly are seen as having more apāna, whereas those who have good breath control are considered to have less apāna. An overabundance of apāna leads to problems in all areas of the body. We have to reduce the apāna so that we can bring more prāṇa into the body.
When we inhale, prāṇa from outside the body is brought within. During inhalation, prāṇa meets apāna. During exhalation, the apāna within the body moves toward the prāṇa. Prāṇāyāma is the movement of the prāṇa toward the apāna and the movement of the apāna toward the prāṇa. Similarly, holding the breath after inhalation moves the prāṇa toward the apāna and holds it there. Holding the breath after exhalation moves the apāna toward the prāṇa.

TKV Desikachar - The Heart of Yoga

Pranayama

The word prāṇāyāma consists of two parts: prāṇa and āyāma. Āyāma means “stretch” or “extend,” and describes the action of prāṇāyāma. Prāṇa refers to “that which is infinitely everywhere.” With reference to us humans prāṇa can be described as something that flows continuously from somewhere inside us, filling us and keeping us alive: it is vitality. In this image, the prāṇa streams out from the center through the whole body.
Ancient texts such as the Yoga Yājñavalkya (see appendix 1) tell us that someone who is troubled, restless, or confused has more prāṇa outside the body than within. The amount of prāṇa outside the body is greater when we feel unwell; at those times the quality of prāṇa and its density within the body is reduced. Too little prāṇa in the body can be expressed as a feeling of being stuck or restricted. It can also show as a lack of drive or motivation to do anything; we are listless or even depressed. We may suffer from physical ailments when prāṇa is lacking in the body. And finally the Yoga Sūtra mentions disturbances in the breath, which can take very different forms.1 On the other hand, the more peaceful and well-balanced we are, the less our prāṇa is dispersed outside the body. And if all the prāṇa is within the body, we are free of these symptoms.

If prāṇa does not find sufficient room in the body there can be only one reason: it is being forced out by something that really does not belong there— let’s call it rubbish. What we are trying to do when we practice prāṇāyāma is nothing more than reduce this rubbish and so concentrate more and more prāṇa within the body.
Our state of mind is closely linked to the quality of prāṇa within. Because we can influence the flow of prāṇa through the flow of our breath, the quality of our breath influences our state of mind and vice versa. In yoga we are trying to make use of these connections so that prāṇa concentrates and can freely flow within us

TKV Dasikachar - The Heart Of Yoga

Ujjayi Breath

Breathing is the most important part of a yoga pose.It used frough out the practise in Ashtanga-Vinyasa, when in other schools of yoga it is not emphesided so much to use it during the practise of asana. Ujjayi (oo-jy-ee) breath, also called conqueror breath or snoring breath is a great breath for beginner yogis. Here are the steps to practice and learn Ujjayi Breath.



1. Sit in with legs crossed or in half lotus, lengthen your spinal with your , relaxe your houlders.
2. Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly through a widly-opened mouth. Direct the out-going breath slowly across the back of your throat with a drawn-out HA sound.
3. Try this a few times and then close your mouth. Now, as you both inhale and exhale through your nose, direct the breath again slowly across the back of your throat. Ideally you should hear, a soft sea-shell sound or ocean-wave like sound.
4. This sound, called ajapa mantra (ah-JOP-ah mahn-trah) or "unspoken mantra" it slows down and regulates your breath, allowing you to focus your awareness on your body and mind.