Pranayama

Prāņa znači dah, disanje, život, vitalna energija, vjetar, snaga. Ayāma znači duljina, širenje, istezanje ili kontrola. Prāņāyāma stoga znači širenje daha i njegova kontrola, odnosno produljenje vitalne energije. Jogijsko disanje jedan je od osam krakova joge. Dah je život, jedna od naših najvitalnijih funkcija. 

Jogiji su otkrili važnost svjesnog disanja kao ključ kontrole uma i oksigenacije čitavog organizma prije više tisuća godina. Zato su osmislili i usavršili niz tehnika disanja, kako bi revitalizirali tijelo i um. U Gaia shali tehnike disanja prema tradiciji O.P. Tiwarija i Kaivalyadhama Instituta (Lonavla, Indija) podučava Sandra D. Bianco, certificirana učiteljica pranayame.

“We go through the breath to channelise the behaviour of our mind (citta vrtti).” - O.P. Tiwari

"Pranayama is not merely breathing exercises but more. It should never be confused with or considered to be deep breathing, but rather is the gradual slowing down of the breathing cycle with a view to reach the ultimate state of complete silencing of the breathing activity. It involves a control over the breath, which ultimately is control over the life force activity within. So when the breath is controlled the activity in all the nadis, or all nervous functioning is in effect controlled. Puraka, Rechaka and Kumbhaka identify this controlled breath process which simultaneously controls the effect through the entire nervous system. It directly works with the patterns of prana and apana. It uses both nostrils, sometimes together, sometimes separately, as scientific studies have shown that the discharges from the mucous membrane of each nostril have different electric potentials. Further, Pranayama is not followed for oxygen value, as that is not its benefit, but rather for its effect on nerve culture.“ - Paul Dallaghan