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Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy.  Constant practice alone is the secret of success.  Hatha Yoga Pradipika
 

Pranayama

  
The literal meaning of Pranayama is Prana’s ayam that is an extension of the Prana. The vital life force. ( ‘Tasmin ati shwas prashwas yogati vichehhedah pranayamah’).  Pranayama is nothing but a retention of the Prana-the vital life-force breath through a break in the rhythmic breathing. Prana is that vital life force which seems to be controlling every thing.  Prana is related to the mind and mind is related to the brain and the brain is related to the soul (Atma) and the soul (Atma) is ultimately related to that eternal divine force called Paramatma. The objective of Pranayama is to stimulate, communicate, regulate and control the vital life force that exists in the body.

Benefits of Pranayama

  1. By regularly performing Pranayama the body remains healthy and free from disease. It also decreases the fat.
  2. Pranayama extends your life expectancy, enhances your memory and does away with the mental illness.
  3. Pranayama fully and effectively affects the abdomen, liver, urinary track, small and large intestines, and the digestive system. Thus making you efficient.
  4. Veins and vessels (arteries) are purified through Pranayama and physical lethargy is removed.
  5. Pranayama boosts your appetite, and general health of the body improves and you begin to hear resonance within your body.
 
An Example of yoga breathing.
 

It is said that the practice pranayama can purify the arteries and veins, through which the blood flows in the body. One of the best breathing exercises for this is called  ANULOM-VILOM Pranayama. A student should begin the practice of Pranayama with Anulomvilom. It is a simple breath and students will find results come quickly.

 
Method :
Sit down in Padmasana, crossed legged seated position. Close your right nostril with your right hands thumb and inhale through left nostril as long as you can easily inhale. When your lungs are full, close both the nostrils and hold the breath for some time. Then slowly exhale through the right nostril closing the left. Thereafter close your left nostril and inhale through the right nostril and then closing both the nostril holds the breath in your body and ultimately exhale the breath through your left nostril. This is one  cycle (Avartana) of veins purifying Pranayama. Practice three or four Avartanas daily and increase this practice slowly. inhale for four seconds; hold the breath for eight seconds and then exhale the breath in eight seconds. Take your time and practice in time students will be able to increase the length of the breaths  There are never any emergencies in yoga and students must develop patience.

Benefits :

  • Through practice of  this Pranayama, the blood gets an increased amount of life giving oxygen that thoroughly cleans and purifies it. It is also claimed this breath is helpful for those suffering with lung diseases.  This breath is said to balance both sides of the brain.
 
There are many different yoga breaths, students who are interested in learning or experiencing the different breaths should seek an experienced yoga teacher, students should not just read instructions and try to do breaths themselves.  A qualified yoga teacher will be able to explain the indications and contraindications of each breath.
 

Yoga and meditation are increasingly gaining popularity among the health-conscious the world over. But it is not possible for many of us to practice yoga religiously after a hard day's work. Let's have a look at a kind of breathing exercise that does not take away our energy - a kind of relaxation in which our consciousness is alert, Pranayama.

According to G Gautama, the author of Raja Yoga Pranayama, Pranayama is an experiment in stillness. It is a subtle and dynamic exploration involving the art of breathing. It gives a veritable understanding of the prana or the vital force that moves us. It's an exercise without spending energy, and relaxation without any stimulation.

In our daily life, we are so unenviably pressurized and embroiled in our worldly problems that an added bout of exercise seems tiresome. We often fail to find any respite from our daily schedule, an interval that is indispensable for the sustenance of energy. In such a predicament, the only solution you can perhaps opt for is Pranayama. It's indeed a sound answer to this chaotic situation.

It's indeed amazing that sitting and breathing evenly can be a means of tapping deeper resources within us. Devoting half an hour a day even for a week reveals the beauty of this practice. It increases the quality of alertness of the mind, which becomes capable of looking afresh and thinking in completely new ways.

Breath is not only the nourishment of our body but it is also the one essential link between the terrestrial and the vast expanse of the cosmos, for it ties us through its incessant cycles to the universal order of things.

Patanjali, the sage who formulated the Yoga system, the science of oneness, says that Pranayama is a step to be one with God. It enables one to switch off the five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and sound and provides the concentration to enjoy divine presence.

Paramhamsa Yogananda says, "At night when you're free from your material duties, look into your spiritual welfare. Meditate, pray - pray again and again. Practice the techniques to master the restlessness of the mind."

But meditation is incomplete without Pranayama. So in order to meditate well, you should also practice breathing to control the life force in the body. After successful Pranayama, you will find your mind fully alert and concentrated within - ready to enjoy the divine peace.