Praanaayaama control of breath

Breathing is life but how little do we know about it! For example, do you know that you use only one nostril at a time for our breathing? At any time, either only the right or left nostril will be working.

Test it out now. Place a finger half an inch below your left nostril for a few seconds, and then under your right. You will now which is working at the moment. Amazing, isn't it?

And now for more. Do you know the active nostril changes, at regular intervals (approximately one and a half hours) during the day? And that for a short period, both nostrils come into play?

The ancient yogis in India knew all this and much more. They knew the intimate connection between breath and mind. For example, when your mind is angry, watch your breathing. It will be disturbed. And similarly, if you hold your breath for long, your mind will get agitated. The yogis were trying to get some degree of control over the mind. Since the mind is very subtle, impossible to grasp, they figured out how to use this connection between the breath and the mind. By controlling the breath, they were indirectly able to influence the mind.

The link between mind and breath is most significant. The Yoga Sutra says that when we practice praanaayaama the veil is gradually drawn away from the mind and there is growing clarity. The mind becomes ready for deep meditations. Thus, praanaayaama is first and foremost awareness of the breath. Here, we focus our attention on the breath. In the practice of praanaayaama it is therefore very important to keep an alert mind, for the processes that are being observed are very subtle. There is no visible movement of the body as in asana practice; we must acutely sense and feel the movement of the breath within. The only dynamic process is breathing. Patanjali makes a few practical suggestions for keeping our attention on the breath. For example, we can focus on where it enters and leaves the body at the nostrils. It is also possible to listen to the breath, especially if you make a slight noise by gently contracting the vocal chords, a praanaayaama technique known as ujjayi. Or we can follow the areas through which the air passes through.