THE SCIENCE OF PRANA

Prana
Prana is the vital energy of the universe. The whole Universe is derived from akasha, space or ether, through the energy of prana. Akasha is hence the Infinite, all encompassing material of the Universe, and prana is the Infinite, all pervading energy of the Universal Cosmic Energy. All the diverse forms of this universe are sustained by the energy of prana. The mind stands as a wall. Understanding prana helps bring prana under control in order to attain the higher rungs of spirituality. All aspects and principles that constitute the universe, are embodied in all the microcosmic forms that constitute the universe. The human body is sustained by the same prana that sustains the universe, and it is through the manifestation of prana that all body functions are possible and coordinated.

The cosmic force of Prana

The cosmic force of Prana in the human body is recognized and subdivided on the basis of the ten functions it performs, and of the ten prana, there are five major and five minor ones.

The major pranas are udana, prana, samana, apana and vyana.
Though the word prana is applied to the Universal Prana that includes all ten pranas, one of the five major pranas has also been given the name prana.

Udana

rules the region of the body above the larynx and governs the use of our special senses. Prana rules the region between the larynx and the base of the heart. It governs speech and the vocal apparatus as well as the respiratory system and the muscles engaged in it.

Samana rules in the region between the heart and the navel
and governs all the metabolic activity engaged in digestion.

Apana has its abode below the navel and governs the functions of the kidneys, the colon, the rectum, the bladder and the genitals. Vyana
pervades the whole body and governs the relaxation and contraction of all muscles, voluntary and involuntary, as well as the movement of the joints and the structures around them. The energy of prana is subtle in form. Its most external manifestation is the breath of the five major pranas. The importance of this specific prana in allowing us access to the subtler energies of the Cosmos. Cosmic prana is also seen as in death. It is the death of the physical body, from the cessation of respiration. In our bodies the breath is like a silken thread. With this we grasp the string of the nerve impulses, from these impulses we grasp the twine of our thoughts; and finally we grasp the rope of prana, gaining our ultimate freedom.

The Nervous System

In order to understand the science of pranayama it is necessary to undersatnd the nature and functions of the nervous system. This system coordinates the functions of all the other systems in the body. Subdivided into the central and the autonomic nervous systems, the central nervous system consists of the brain, twelve pairs of cranial nerves, the spinal cord and thirty one pairs of spinal nerves.
The cranial and spinal nerves spread throughout the body, forming a network of nerve fibers and motor nerve fibers, carry nerve impulses from the brain and spinal cord outward to the nerve endings, and sensory nerve fibers, carry nerve impulses from the nerve endings inward to the brain and spinal cord.

Patanjali, the codifier of yoga science, explains that the control of prana is the regulation of inhalation
and exhalation. This is accomplished by eliminating the pause between inhalation and exhalation or expanding it by retention. Then, by regulating the motion of the lungs, the heart and the vagus nerve are controlled. The autonomic nervous system regulates processes in our bodies which are not normally under our voluntary control processes such as secretion by the digestive organs, the beating of the heart and the movement of the lungs. The science of pranayama is intimately connected with the autonomic nervous system and brings its functions under conscious control through the functioning of the lungs. There is a unique exception to the rule, that the autonomic nervous system governs processes are self regulating and not under voluntary control. Though the act of respiration is for the most part involuntary, voluntary control in this area is easily achieved. The depth, duration and frequency of respiration can be consciously modulated quite readily. It is for this reason that control of breath constitutes an obvious starting point toward attainment of control over the functioning of the autonomic nervous system.

Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system is subdivided into the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. These two subsystems work in seeming opposition to each other, yet the result is harmonious regulation.
The parasympathetic system, tries to slow down the heart while the sympathetic system accelerates it, between these two opposing actions the heart rate is regulated. The sympathetic nervous system consists mainly of two vertical rows of ganglia, or nerve cell clusters, arranged on either side of the spinal column. Branches from these cords spread out to different glands and viscera in the thorax and abdomen, forming integrated plexuses with nerve branches of the parasympathetic system

.
The main part of this system is the tenth cranial nerve, also called the vagus, or wandering, nerve which is connected with the hindbrain and travels downwards along the spinal cord through the neck, chest and abdomen, sending out branches to form various plexuses with the sympathetic system. It ends in a plexus which is connected to the solar plexus; but even though it ends at the solar plexus, it is connected with the lower plexuses through filaments. There are only two known ways of having conscious control over our involuntary nervous system. One is that it can be brought under conscious control by systematically practicing breathing exercises and by preparing oneself for understanding the various vehicles and channels of prana. Regulating the motion of the lungs the heart function is regulated. Then the right vagus nerve is brought under conscious control, and the portion of the mind that coordinates with the involuntary system is accessible.

Gaining Control over the Autonomic Nervous System

The other way of gaining control over the autonomic nervous system is through will power. The more the mind is dissipated, the more the will is scattered. When the mind is made onepointed, the mind strengthens the will power, and with the help of the will power the autonomic nervous system functions in the way we want it to. It is true that there is no such thing as an involuntary system if one learns to control and regulate the motion of the lungs. For by doing so, a vast portion of that system is brought under control. In the science of breath related to pranayama a detailed knowledge and experience is needed to study the finer forces of life than the mere intake of oxygen and output of carbon dioxide. The ancient manuals of yoga anatomy, for instance, describe a network of several thousand nadis, or channels, through which the currents of Prana flow, energizing and sustaining all parts of the body as well as the several thousand nadis.

Merging one's Individual Soul

The words nadis, channels and vehicles are meant to explain one and the same force which is called pranic force. Some manuals state the number of nadis are 72,000, other manuals talk about 350,000 nadis. Four teen are more important than the others, but the most important among these are six: ida, pingala, sushumna, brahmani, chitrani, and vijnana.Yoga anatomy and physiology, is very clear and accurate in the science of yoga. It reveals more about the internal functioning of the human body. The ancient description of nadis and chakras bears a remarkable resemblance to modern anatomical descriptions of nerves and plexuses .

The currents of prana flowing through these nadis are the subtle counterparts of the nerve impulses. The network of nadis and chakras by mapping the flow of prana through this network was through introspective experimentation. The physical body is built around the subtle framework of the nadis, and the sustenance of the body is through the flow of the energy of prana through this network of nadis. In the average individual the dynamic and creative aspect of the energy of prana is only an infinitesimal fraction of the total energy of prana, the major part of it being in a potential, or seed, state. The manuals of yoga refer to this latent, stored up energy as kundalini , the symbolic representation of which is that of a sleeping serpent coiled up in the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine. In the average individual there is flow of prana through ida and pingala, but not through sushumna, this nadi being blocked at the base of the spinal column. The techniques of pranayama are aimed at devitalizing ida and pingala and at the same time opening up the sushumna nadi, allowing the prana to flow through this channel, experiencing great joy and freedom from the bondage of time, space and causation. Having opened up the sushumna nadi it rouses the sleeping serpent at the muladhara chakra and guides the tremendous energy activated upward along sushumna, piercing the six chakras, to the seventh chakra, called the sahasrara chakra, represented as a thousand petaled lotus at the crown of the head.

This arousal and ascent of the latent kundalini energy and its merging in the sahasrara is synonymous with the union of cosmic potency, or shako, with cosmic consciousness, or Shiva. Merging one's individual soul, or atman, with the cosmic soul, or Brahman.

The Ladder of Raja Yoga

Pranayama is one of the rungs on the ladder of raja yoga. The first four rungs of the ladder are referred to hatha yoga, or physical yoga, and the last four rungs as Raja Yoga or the Royal Yoga. The first four rungs are yama or restraints, niyarraa or observances, asana or posture, and pranayama.
The four higher rungs are sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and samadhi, the superconscious state, the ultimate freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Controlling the breath and calming the nerves is a prerequisite to controlling the mind, and control of the mind is a prerequisite to the ultimate subjugation of the universal energy of prana. Body, breath, nerves, mind, prana and the universe are all part of a continuum, and there are no artificial compartments between these various entities. According to yoga and the science of pranayama, disease is a manifestation of an imbalance in the flow of prana, the energy of prana includes both physical and mental energies, body and mind both being sustained by prana. Body and mind interact to a great extent than is normally imagined. The interrelationship between body and mind is the influence of emotions on the breathing. When one is afraid, the breathing becomes shallow and rapid, when depressed, the breathing becomes heavy and labored. There is a correspondence between personality types and breathing patterns. According to yoga, the relationships between the breath and the mind are reciprocal. If a certain state of mind results in a certain mode of breathing, then, conversely, by adopting that mode of breathing consciously one can evoke the corresponding state of mind. By consciously making the breath deep, even and regular, one will experience a noticeable release of tension and

an increased sense of relaxation and tranquility. If there is a correspondence between personality type and pattern of breathing, then by changing the pattern of breathing one can transform the personality. For when the mind is disturbed the breath is disturbed and becomes shallow, rapid and uneven.

Shako of the Universal Life Force

Breath, prana is the inseparable power, shako of the universal life force, the supreme of all created things, and the life principle of the universe. Prana is all the causes and effects are held like beads on a thread. It is the universal force that breathed forth or exhaled the manifested universe, and in the end will inhale the universe back into itself. Prana is Infinity. Prana is the universal force.
Prana also means energy. The word prana itself comes from the Sanskrit root "pra," meaning first, and "na," which means the smallest unit of energy, so prana itself means the first breath, or the most basic unit of energy. Prana is brought into existence and kept in activity by the center of consciousness. Prana is the life principle, the dynamic or working force. It is the power which is the upport of the body and all its moving life forces. The nadi's, the subtle energy paths of the body, are channels for Prana. The body is the support for the nadi's. When prana is in motion and flows through the nadi's, consciousness arises. Higher consciousness, light, wisdom, and truth, which are all pervading but latent, are awakened by regulating the motion of the prana vehicles. The science of breath has its foundation in the desire to control and understand the prana. and is of the highest importance, the most useful. Control of the breath leads to health, an increase in strength and energy, good complexion, increased vitality, the growth of knowledge, and the extension of the life span.

It is the breath and prana that maintains the body. Restrains the mind from needless thoughts. Prana causes perception and action. It bears all the sensory impressions and sensations to the mind.
Prana is the force which holds together the elements of the body. and assists in the very cohesion of atomic particles. It gives form to the embryo in the womb. The flow of breath and prana in the body furnishes the proof of the existence of life. Prana is the cause of speech, touch, sound, and scent, and is the origin of joy. It ignites the fire and maintains warmth and metabolism. Prana also expels all impurities. It penetrates all the channels of the body and disposes of all disease. Prana, through the breath, achieves all these functions when the breath is balanced and undisturbed. It is the motion of the prana in the nadis channels that awakens consciousness, which is all pervading but veiled. Prana is lost from the body in exhalation, excessive exercise, the elimination of waste, the emission of semen, the process of childbirth, and in times of great emotion. If prana is not regulated, the system does not receive an adequate supply of oxygen. If prana recedes from any part of the body, whatever the cause, that part loses its power of action. Death is caused by the outgoing of prana. At death, the prana exits by way of either the eyes, ears, nose, navel, rectum, urethra, or fontanel, leaving an impression at its exit. Its tendency is to leave the body from the site where the mind dwells instinctively or where the innermost feelings reside.