Pranayama, How to Do

Swami Sivananda, “Pranayama is an exact science. It is the fourth Anga or limb of Ashtanga Yoga. —“Regulation of breath or the control of Prana is the stoppage of inhalation and exhalation, which follows after securing that steadiness of posture or seat.” This is the definition of Pranayama in the Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali.

“I will show you the four easy and important exercises in Pranayama. The first is easy: Sukh Purak Pranayama: you can practise it even lying down in bed. Draw the air through both nostrils as long as comfortable; retain it as long as comfortable, and breathe out.

The next Pranayama is the Sandhya Pranayama or the Anuloma-Viloma Pranayama: draw the air through the left nostril, retain it and exhale through the right nostril; then, draw the air through the right nostril, retain it and exhale. This constitutes one round of Pranayama. The ratio between Purak (inhalation), Kumbhak (retention) and Rechak (exhalation) is expected to be 1:4:2. But in the beginning you need not bother yourself about this. When you become an expert, the ratio will come by itself. During retention of breath particularly repeat your Ishta Mantra. This is more effective. This will fill you with divine energy.

Bhastrika is rapid exhalation and inhalation. It is like blowing of the bellows. Even one round of Bhastrika will invigorate you, within a few seconds.

If you practise all the Pranayama for a considerable time, Kevala Kumbhaka will come of its own accord. Kevala Kumbhaka is Kumbhaka without Puraka and Rechaka — retention of breath, without inhalation and exhalation.

(pg. 11, 49 The Science of Pranayama by Swami Sivananda)

(pgs. 21-22, Yoga Samhita by Swami Sivananda)

Dangers of Meditation by Vamanadeva Shastri

Ojas  

Without “ojas”, exercises in meditation and yoga lack the proper foundation. Perhaps, the first question for an individual attempting real yogic practices is: “Do I have the ojas to sustain it?”

[“Ojas” refers to the subtle energy of water as the stored-up vital reserve, the basis for physical and mental endurance… On an inner level, it is responsible for nourishing and grounding the development of all higer faculties.]

Prana is held by ojas, which is its conductor. If we increase prana without ojas, adding energy without being able to ground it, we may disturb, if not derange, the mind and nervous system.

All forms of meditation are not good for everyone, any more than all foods or herbs are. For this reason, Ayurveda recommends the proper lifestyle and an integral approach to meditation that considers both our different faculties and the nautre of the individual.

More about Ojas, and Increasing it

Diet
Ojas, as a subtle material substance and essence of the tissues, requires the material support of a right diet. This invilves a nutrituive vegetarian diet with the use of whole grains, seeds and nuts, oils, root vegetables, dairy products, sweet fruit and natural sugars.

Brahmacharya
Control of sexual energy (Brahmacharya) means reducing the discharge odf reproductive fluid. This is crucial for developing additional ojas.

Control of the Senses
Control of the senses requires reducing the amount of energy lost through sensory indulgence, which includes avoiding most forms of entertainment, particularly through the mass media. Much energy is lost through the eyes and ears. This is part of the practice of pratyahara or withdrawal from the senses in Raja Yoga. Overuse of the motor organs can also deplete ojas., particularly too much talking because the vocal organ is the most important of these.

Preliminaries to Meditation
Most meditation disorders are caused by imbalanced development of prana, tejas and ojas. Their main cause is insufficient ojas. Without he proper ojas, increased tejas can burn up the nadis of the subtle body.

Meditation should be grounded in a proper lifestyle, particularly a sattvic diet, sattvic impressions and sattvic associations. Without these, we may not be capable of real meditation, even if we want to practice it.

If we merely sit silently without any tools to calm the mind first, we may simply get lost in our own thoughts and end up more confused and distrubed.

Meditation, particularly of a passive nature, opens up the subconscious mind. If you are NOT ready to handle it, this can cause complications.

(pgs. 88, 95-97, 100, 102, 288-289, Yoga and Ayurveda)