The Breath and Prana
Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.
Now more than ever, in light of Covid, we are reminded of the value of self care. Caring for your well being with life’s simple offerings- a soothing cup of tea, calling up a friend, quiet time, more vegetables in your diet. A practice that has helped me over the years is paying attention to my breathing. Do you notice how you are breathing corresponds to how you are feeling? I have found that breathing exercises help destress and energize me, provide focus and clarity, and improve my breathing capacity . In Yoga, the practice of paying attention to and regulating your breath is called pranayama. Prana is energy and yama means control.
Prana
Prana is simply energy from our sun and moon. Prana is everywhere and in every living thing. Prana travels in our bodies, inside countless vibrational channels, called nadis in Ayurveda and meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Chinese call prana chi, and in Japanese it is called ki. Prana is absorbed through marma points found all over the body. We also breathe in prana because it’s in the air. Prana enlivens us, infusing us with nature’s energy and intelligence at a deep cellular level. We feel energized when we’re in nature. Think about it, how your body does what it does in this largely unseen level, a deep cellular, subatomic world that is mind boggling to comprehend. This is the level prana speaks to us. This deep intelligence comes from the vibration of nature where prana is more pure. In the Ayurvedic text, The Charaka Samhita, the sutra “deha prana samyoge ayuh” describes “prana as the life force”. No prana, no life. Prana is associated with health and vitality and is the ultimate healing factor.
Components of Prana:
Soma, Agni, Marut
Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda recognizes that prana is fundamentally made up of three components: soma, agni and marut. Soma energy emitted by the moon has cooling, nurturing and stabilizing qualities. Soma contribute these attributes to two of the five elements of nature, earth and water. Ojas is also a product of soma, associated with immunity and biological intelligence. We also make ojas, as it is the finest product made after food has nourished all our seven dhatus or tissues. Agni energy is naturally hot coming from the sun, characterized by its piercing sharp, transformative qualities. It bestows the elements fire and water. Marut energy allows for the flow of soma and agni, having subtle qualities of delicate, light and changing, creating the elements space and air, and imparts intelligence of the flow and distribution of soma and agni.
Prana and You
One of the fundamentals of Ayurveda as it applies to our lives can be understood by getting to know the three doshas: vata, pitta, kapha. Dosha means “that which is out of balance” or “that which is seeking balance”. These energies work within us and affect our actions and behaviour. Furthermore, as discussed by my Ayurvedic teacher, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, vata, pitta, kapha come from soma, agni and marut, hence our three doshas come from prana. The five elements of nature are derived from the components of prana.
3 Components of Prana
Soma - energy from the moon
Agni - energy from the sun
Marut - the movement of soma and agni
5 Elements of Nature
Akash - space
Vayu - air
Agni - fire
Jal - water
Prithvi - earth
The five elements of nature come into the body upon conception and are called the three Doshas: Vata, Pitta, Kapha
3 Doshas and 15 Subdoshas
Vata Dosha
Overall Function: governs the movement of pitta and kapha
Five Subdoshas: prana, udana, samana, apana, vyana
Prana Vata- head area; the master of all fifteen subdoshas of vata, pitta, kapha; governs the five senses, thinking and reasoning
Udana Vata- governs the throat, voice, breath, memory
Samana Vata- movement of food in the digestive tract
Apana Vata- downward flow of elimination of wastes, sexual function, menstruation
Vyana Vata- blood flow throughout the body, rhythm of the heart
Elements: governed by space + air
Qualities: quick, cold, light, dry, rough, activity, movement, slim build, small boned, irregular appetite & bowel movements, prefer warmer weather; when out of balance qualities are exacerbated, for example too flighty, spacey feeling, nervous, jittery, anxious, skin very dry, emaciated, irregular sleep, cold hands and feet, think or move or talk too fast.
Pitta Dosha
Overall Function: transformation of thoughts, emotions, food, digestion
Five Subdoshas: pachaka, ranjaka, sadhaka, alochaka, bhrajaka
Pachaka Pitta- governs digestion and metabolism
Ranjaka Pitta - clean healthy blood
Sadhaka Pitta- love, desire, motivation, spirituality
Alochaka Pitta- functionof the eyes
Bhrajaka Pitta- healthy glow of the skin
Elements: governed by fire + water
Qualities: heat, burning, acidic, strong digestion, focused, precise, organized, medium physical build, quick to grasp and understand; when imbalanced sharp, impatient, irritable and fiery temperament, highly emotional, heartburn, acid stomach, ulcer, liver overheated, itchy eyes and skin, acne, skin breakouts
Kapha Dosha
Overall Function: calms the quick, over-active vata and sooths the fiery, sharp qualities of pitta
Five Subdoshas: tarpaka, bodhaka, kledaka, avalambaka and shleshaka
Tarpaka Kapha- moisture and fluids for brain, eyes, nose, mouth
Bhodaka Kapha- sense of taste
Kledaka Kapha- moisture of the stomach lining
Avalambaka Kapha- protection and lubrication for the muscles, heart and lungs
Sleshaka Kapha- moisture for soft skin and synovial fluid of the joints
Elements: governed by water + earth
Qualities: soft, unctuous, soothing, relaxed, calm, stable, nurturing, warm and friendly, big boned, slow and methodical; lethargic and lazy when imbalanced, weight gain, rigid
Each of us have all three doshas to varying degrees.
Prana and Health
Prana is everywhere. It is pure energy from our sun and moon. So it is in the food we eat, air we breathe, and the water we drink. Prana gives life on our planet. It’s the vibration of nature. This purity gets corrupted when tampered with air pollution, food processing and water filtration. When it comes to diet, the more denatured a natural food is, the less prana it has. The same for water and air when there is processing or pollution. Electricity, electromagnetic radiation, and electromagnetic frequencies and WiFi also pollute prana.
Ideally, we would want prana to come into our body pure, from food and water and when we breathe in, and upon entry through the body’s marma points. The main marma point where prana enters is at the top of our head, called adipathi marma point which travel down towards the three main nadis or energy channels (sushumna, ida and pingala) which run vertically in the region of the spine, communicating to organs and systems and distributing prana throughout the thousands of other nadis in the body. The chakras, or energy centres, also run along relative to this vertical axis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they are called meridians. By comparison there are fewer physical channels- such as capillaries, arterioles, arteries, veins and bigger channels like the lungs, circulatory, digestive, excretory and reproductive. When you think about it we are mostly made up of energy as there are thousands and thousands of energy channels throughout the body.
My Ayurvedic teacher, Vaidya R. K. Mishra, further explained that prana provides the intelligence to all our cells. Prana in the air gets disturbed by air pollution, electromagnetic frequencies and radiation (EMFs, EMR) from cell phones and its towers, WiFi, computers, X-rays. We all know how drained we feel being in front of a computer all day. These frequencies travel with prana inside our energy channels and disturbs the flow and distribution of prana. He recommended nature as best for pacifying the influx of EMFs and EMRs we are now all exposed to:
Lie or walk in sand
Walk bare feet on grass or earth
Hug or sit next to a tree
Walk in the moonlight
Put a few shredded basil leaves in your bath water or in your drinking water
Have plants around your home and computer areas
Be with nature as often as you can
Prana in food gets corrupted by over processing, for example through packaging and canning, and less prana would be found in fast food, or take out. Food after being processed, reheated, microwaved, packaged, shelved becomes acidic and this compromises our health.
Prana in water is compromised with chlorination, filtering and processing. Think how much better you feel when you are eating home cooked fresh meals and drinking pure clean water. Leftovers after four hours lose prana, as the ancient doctors cognized. Furthermore, the ancient sages knew that handling and processing herbs for medicine required extra care to keep prana intact. With respect to pharmaceuticals and supplements made in labs, we are left to wonder the potential strain it can have on the body, though it may have some positive effects. Ayurvedic sages also said “if you take part from the whole it will make the body sick”. These days medicine is life saving, no doubt. Long term use of medicine, however, as our world has discovered has its side effects.
Now we can see why prana is so important for health.
Breathing with Awareness
There are different types of pranayama, some are relaxing like nadi shodhana-alternate nostril breathing, cooling as with sheetali, and others are heating or stimulating to the body like bhastrika, ujjayi or agnisara. It is highly recommended pranayama is learned by a trained practitioner.
Pranayama gives you the opportunity to experience the connections of body and mind through breathing. In addition to prana entering the top of your head at the adipathi marma point, you also breathe it in through your nostrils- soma energy from the moon through the left nostril travelling down towards the ida nadi, and agni energy from the sun through the right nostril down towards pingala nadi. Pranayama is one of the eight limbs in the traditional practice of Yoga as described in the ancient text, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:
1. Yamas- ethical morals
2. Niyamas- self-discipline
3. Asanas- postures
4. Pranayama- breath control
5. Pratyahara- withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana- concentration
7. Dhyana- contemplation and meditation
8. Samadhi- union with you true self, your inner joy and peace
Benefits of Pranayama
Decrease stress
Improve psychological stress-related disorders
Improve autonomic nervous system function
Improve immune function
Improve sleep
Improve executive function of the brain- mindfulness, learning, memory, recall
Listen to your body
If you’re new to pranayama start with just a few repetitions and sets, up to 5 minutes, and if you have a medical condition you should consult with a health professional before embarking on any pranayama. Try this. Start with simply breathing in and out from your nostrils, or breathing out with pursed lips. Pay attention to the quality of your breathing, the length, the rhythm and notice any movement from your belly and chest. The belly should inflate when you breathe in, and deflate when you breathe out. If you feel off, like dizzy or nauseous after doing some rounds, pause until the feeling subsides. Repeat and see what happens. Do less repetitions and less sets if you have to, or stop all together and try again later. Remember to always pay attention to how you are feeling.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is often taught by therapists and doctors to help patients relax and recognize the main breathing muscle, the diaphragm, located inside and around your lower rib cage.
Lie down comfortably, head and knees on a pillow. Place one hand on your upper chest, the other just below the rib cage. You can also do this sitting up.
Breathe in through your nose. The diaphragm will engage and you can feel it move with your hand, moving your belly upward if you are lying down, and forward if you are sitting up. In a sitting or standing perspective, the diaphragm moves forward, out to the sides and upwards towards your head, inflating your belly and expanding your rib cage. The idea is to utilize your diaphragm muscle move during breathing, more than any other accessory breathing muscles, like your shoulders or throat.
Breath out through pursed lips or through your nose.
Repeat steps 1-3, five times for 1 set.
Do another set if you feel good, up to 3 sets. You can work your way up to doing 10-20 repetitions with 3 sets. Always listening to how your body feels.
If you would like to do some pranayama, join me on Wellness Wednesdays from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm EST for free virtual yoga classes on Zoom where we do pranayama in class. Pop me a message or call to sign up for these classes.
HeartLotus@icloud.com
647-883-5023
References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015
Marianne Teitelbaum, D.C.- Healing the Thyroid with Ayurveda, 2019
Sri Sri Yoga- Notes from Yoga Teacher Training, 2006 & 2020
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573542/
https://www.healthline.com/health/pranayama-benefits#less-stress