Prāṇāyāma

Pranayama is the systematic practice of conscious breathing techniques used to regulate the flow of vital energy in the body. It involves controlled inhalation (pūraka), retention (kumbhaka), and exhalation (recaka). Practiced regularly, it calms the nervous system, sharpens mental focus, and prepares the body for meditation.

Pranayama is the fourth limb (aṅga) of Patañjali's Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, serving as the bridge between the external practices of āsana and the internal practices of pratyāhāra and dhāraṇā. By mastering the breath, the sādhaka gains mastery over the subtle prāṇic currents (vāyus) flowing through the nāḍīs, purifying the mind and making it fit for deeper contemplation. It is the key discipline through which the gross body is linked to the subtle body.

At the highest level, prāṇāyāma is the cessation of all movement of prāṇa, wherein the individual breath dissolves into the universal Prāṇa — the cosmic life force that sustains all existence. In this state, the distinction between the breather and the breath collapses, revealing the ātman as the unchanging witness beyond all vital activity. As the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā states, when prāṇa becomes still, the mind becomes still, and the yogī attains the motionless state (niścala).