Lesson 6 - Pranayama (Breath) & Pratyahara (Senses)

Pranayama (Breath) & Pratyahara (Senses) - Steps 5 & 6 on the 8 step ladder

In the last two blogs we considered the first 3 branches (also called steps*), of the 8 branched system of Yoga.
 
To recap…
 
Branches 1 & 2, The Yamas and Niyamas are the ethical practices of Yoga.
 
Branches 3 The Asanas, alongside branches 4 & 5 Pranayama and Pratyahara, are the physical practices of Yoga
 
Pranayama
Prana means - breath, life, energy, vitality, wind, strength, respiration, our life energy.
Ayama means - restraint, expansion.
 
So Pranayama means the expansion and control of the breath.
 
How often has someone said ‘take a deep breath’ when you feel angry or upset or panicked or agitated?
 
“If you want to to calm yourself, we first regulate your breathing, once that is under control the heart will settle.” Iyengar
 
The asanas prepare the body for the Pranayama, BKS Iyengar uses the analogy of a clay water jug to explain this. To paraphrase, he says,
 
First you must bake the carrier (the body, or clay jug) in a kiln to make it strong so it can hold the contents ( the breath, or the water).
 
The asanas work on elongating the trunk and opening the chest, as well as focussing the mind on the sensations of the breath within different areas of the body. Thus they physically and mentally prepare the student for the Pranayama practice.

In Iyengar Yoga, Pranayama and Asana work are practiced separately, and not within the same class. However, attention to breath is part of the asana class. It is advise1 d by Iyengar that 1 hour should be left between attending an asana class and pranayama class, either can come first. Pranayama is often practiced in the early morning, the Asana mid morning.
 
Pranayama classes, merge sound, visualisations and muscular actions with specific breathing techniques such as Ujjayi and Viloma breath, to pump and push energy (life force) around the body.
 
Pranayama work quietens the senses through bringing about a mental state of single pointedness. This is important preparation for the next step of the ladder Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses).
 
Pratyahara - the control/withdrawal of the senses 
Pratyahara can be understood best in poses like Savasana, which is the final relaxation pose that we practice at the end of our asana practice. Once pratyahara is experienced regularly in such poses as savasana, it can become a familiar state of mind that can be practiced anywhere and anytime. Anytime we stop ourselves from being pulled around by our senses, and direct them only towards one thing, in a way that changes our state of being, is Pratyahara.

Mindfulness demonstrates Pratyahara.
 
* Although the branches in the system can be referred to as steps on the ladder it doesn’t always need to be climbed in sequential order. If you grab any branch of a tree and pull it to you the whole tree comes, and the other branches then become more accessible. Some people start a meditation practice before an asana practice, others turn to asana first. The beauty of yoga there is something for every personality type.