Pranayama is the exercise of the breath, to bring it under the control of the mind, for physical and mental benefits. The Yoga Shastra describes pranayama as a means to control not only the pranas, but also the chitta, the thought potential.
Over and above this, through pranayama, one can even extend one’s prana-shakti (life-force) into other spheres of existence, even beyond the waking, dreaming and sleeping states of the mind.
But, confining ourselves to advising the therapeutic aspect of pranayama, it is suggested to practice pranayama as a routine, after the performance of ‘asanas’ (yoga exercises).
By seating yourself at a convenient place, over a carpet and cross-legged in the Padmasana pose, or the Vajrasana, you can begin with, closing the eyes and concentrating on the forehead, at the top of the nose.
Start with pressing the right nostril, the ‘pingala’, with a tip of your finger and breathe in through the left the ‘ida’. This inhaling action of pranayama is called ‘purak’ in Yoga.
After a full ‘purak’ action, stop inhaling and control the breath for a while, both nostrils closed. This part of pranayama is known as ‘kumbhak’. Now start exhaling through the right nostril and breathe out fully (the right nostril opened).
Yoga calls this action as ‘rechak’ in pranayama. In the ‘rechak’ kriya, you exhale out, in a way, all the poisons of the physical system and in ‘purak’, you draw in oxygen, the vital energy for the blood in your system. By ‘kumbhak’, or the control of breath, you enable your breath to reach the remotest tissues of your lungs.
Repeat a number of times, this process alternately through the ‘ida’ and the ‘pingala’, that is, the ‘purak’ and the ‘rechak’ actions, as also the kumbhak in between—that is, the actions of inhaling, controlling and exhaling in a circle and vice-versa. That completes pranayama.
Pranayama may be performed for about ten minutes, but one should not over-tax, and keep it within easy limits.
As for the durations of ‘purak’, ‘kumbhak’ and ‘rechak’, the proportion of time for each in order is in the ratio of 1:2:4, that is, if you inhale for 5 seconds, you have to control it for 10 seconds and exhale it completely taking 20 seconds.
One should begin with easy timings and then regulate them later.
During the course of pranayama, the full concentration should be on your breath, thus withdrawing your consciousness from the external to the internal, trying to forget all the physical worries and enjoying the bliss of peace brought about in your mind by pranayama.
The control of thought can best be achieved by mentally reciting ‘nama’, name of the lord, or some ‘mantra’. In Hatha Yoga this practice is called “Ajab-japa” (breathing awakeness in unison with mantra recitation).
The mantra prescribed is a simple one—’SOHAM’, uttering mentally ‘SO’ with the inhaling of breath and uttering likewise the next part, ‘HAM’, with the exhaling of breath.