The science behind pranayama

We can proudly raise our shoulders and say that our ancient Rishi, Patanjali is the one who compiled and gave the yoga science to the world.  He is the one who assembled all the information about various yoga techniques and methods. Please read carefully, he is the one who COMPILED it, that means he only reproduced those techniques in a clear and organized form. Those techniques were there even before him but here and there in a scattered form. Like how we say, Rishi Vyasa organized the vedas in four forms, Patanjali organized yoga techniques.

Patanjali's yoga technique is famously called as Ashtanga Yoha (which has eight limbs). They are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Please refer to this wikipedia article to read more about these eight limbs :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali

As you can see, Pranayama comes as the fourth limb of Ashtanga yoga. Pranayama is nothing but controlling your breath but in the correct way. Learning to do it in the correct way is the secret behind it. That technique is the science behind it. Modern science has also accepted that pranayama reduces stress to a great extent and enhances overall mind power, gives you a steady mind and strong will-power. Pranayama, if practiced regularly and consciously can give many benefits to your body and mind.

Our Yoga and Pranayama are now vastly accepted by many people and they are practiced by millions of people now. Our ancient Rishis and our ancient Scripts have given such a wonderful concept in the name of God. For almost all the things they hid the science behind it and gave it in the name of God. How blessed are we to have such great people??

Please look at the Thirumandhiram (By Thirumoolar) below :

ஏற்றி இறக்கி இருகாலும் பூரிக்குங் 
காற்றைப் பிடிக்குங் கணக்கறி வாரில்லை
காற்றைப் பிடிக்குங் கணக்கறி வாளர்க்குக்
கூற்றை யுதைக்குங் குறியது வாமே

The meaning goes this way - Day and night we inhale and exhale. But we do not know the calculation to catch and control that breath. If we know the calculation behind the breath and know how to control it, that is the way to kick the death away.

The above is my interpretation of that tamil poem. If you get a different interpretation please do share your views.

Thirumoolar is one of the 18 sidhars. Patanjali is also one of the 18 sidhars. It will be very interesting to read about them. Will try to post some information about sidhargal also sometime later.

Happy reading guys!!!!