Wisdom from the Upanishads
Pranayama - The Fourth Limb of Yoga
Pranayama involves the use of various breathing techniques, and can be translated as "control of the breathing", or "breathing exercises." However, the use and effects of pranayama are much greater than this. The word p rana actually refers to the “vital life force” and ayama means “to control or extend”, so pranayama can also be defined as “extension of the life force”, which is why it can help to restore, to heal and to relax. . The yogis figured out in ancient times that “when the breath wanders, i.e. it is irregular, the mind is also unsteady, but when the breath is still, so is the mind, and the yogi lives long. So one should restrain the breath.” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika). The yogis also believed that the length of our lives could be measured in terms of how many times we are destined to breathe, rather than in terms of days or years. We can observe the same in the animal kingdom, animals such as tortoises, elephants, and snakes have a slow breathi...
