Pranayama

When it comes to practicing Yoga, many beginners will hear one term over and over again so it is a good point to cover it. The term we are referring to is that of pranayama. It is actually composed of two separate Sanskrit word which can be loosely translated to breath control, or breathing control.

In practicing Yoga, one of the fundamentals in any pose is the pranayama; one’s ability to control their breathing throughout the pose. In its most fundamental form, it allows the practitioner to focus on the breathing allowing them to get the most out of the poses.

While some people may insist that it is not so much the breathing control as it is the control of the pranic current of life, but irregardless of its translation, in practice one handles this through their control of breath and breathing throughout the stretches. It is in fact one of the most basic fundamentals with regards to practicing Yoga as one cannot simply perform the poses of the art without also incorporating the breathing control if they want to avail the benefits of the practice.

As with any pose, it is important to breathe in, then breathe out as you continue to stretch further until you have reached your maximum stretching point. This is done over and over again as a means of allowing one to stretch even further. If you simply try to reach your toes with a lung full of air, you may or may not be able to do it depending on your physical fitness level. However, if you breathe out as you reach for your toes, take a pause to breath in again, then stretch further with your next outgoing breath; you will continue to be able to stretch up until a maximum point in which your body begins feeling pain.

However, the next day when you do the same exact stretch in the same manner, you will find an ability to stretch even further. This continues on until you are very flexible and can accomplish the feat without thinking about it.