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Friday, April 29, 2011

Pranayama - managing life force

" Today the subject is Pranayama; it is the management of the life force within us.  ‘Prana’ can be translated as life force and ‘ayama’ means extension, drawing out, controlling, restraining.  So pranayama means extending this energy, managing this energy."  Day 34

Prana abounds in the Universe. According to the Yoga tradition, in our pranic body, we have seventy-two thousand (72,000) channels through which prana can flow.  There is prana (subtle energy) in the air that you breathe.  When you breathe the air into your being, your pranic body picks up that life force and it recharges your body.  The breathing is a step in controlling and being in touch with this life force. 

At the navel centre, the Manipura chakra is a storage area of prana. When you learn the yoga breathing and you breathe into the navel area, you can actually store an abundance of prana in this area that can be like a reserve. When you begin to learn to control the subtle energies behind the breathing, you find that you are more in command over this invisible life force within you. You can bring healing energies through the pranic body, recharging the nervous system; stimulating body functions from a spiritual level; bring about healing within the body; and influence the space around you with this vitality, with this presence.

Over the years, I have learnt several breathing exercises and I do enjoy them when I practice. However, the challenge has always been to keep a discipline and practice every day. The message today is a powerful reminder of the power of pranayama to awaken chakras even more  and to energise the entire body using this pranic energy that we can become aware of in the breathing.

peace,
Reena

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