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This episode is all about pranayama. An introduction to this most powerful set of practices.

Pranayama in the context of raja yoga, references in other texts and my own experience with pranayama practices.

Pranayama describes the practices that a yogi might use to harness, guide or explore prana. Prana is most often translated as "life force" or "vital energy". Literally prana means "shining forth".

Frequently, pranayama is introduced as the yoga of breath and particular breathing techniques to achieve a specific state of being, and although the breath is a wonderful point of entry to the study of prana, it is not limited to the breath.

In the context of the yoga sutras, pranayama is one of the eight limbs of yoga. It serves as a bridge between the more external practices (yamas, niyamas and asana) and the internal practices (dharana, dhyana, samadhi). Which makes sense since particularly in the case of the breath, there is an ongoing relationship between the breath and the interior and exterior.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika takes pranayama a level or two deeper, going into greater detail of the practices that one might undertake as part of the pranayama practice.

Sloka 2.2 of the HYP says that "Where the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. Where the breath is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady. Therefore, one should practice pranayama."

1. begin where you are.

2. begin with one breath.

3. less is more.

4. trust your own experience.

5. take notes.