Pranayama And Meditation

Pranayama is a traditional system of yogic breathing exercises. Pranayama can be practiced on its own or as a preparation for other meditation exercises. the aim of pranayama is to control our breathing and thus help to control our thoughts. If we practice pranayama in the correct way, we can bring peace and purity into our inner system. If we practice pranayama sincerely it can help improve our concentration and improve our physical health.
Prana means life breath. Yama means control. Pranayama is the systematic effort to regulate our breathing. when practising pranayama it is essential that we avoid harbouring negative, impure thoughts. If during pranayama we have a sense of anger, frustration or ego then our pranayama exercises will not be of any benefit. In fact it may magnify these undivine qualities. Therefore when practising pranayama we should make an effort to keep our mind completely still and quite. If you like when practising pranayama you can repeat the name of God, in whatever form we like best.
In pranayama there are three basic stages of systematic breathing. the first stage is inhalation; this is called puraka. the second is retention, where we hold our breath; this is called kumbhaka. the final stage is exhalation; this is called rechaka. when we breathe in we can repeat silently puraka. when exhaling we can repeat like a mantra kumbhaka.
The yogic systems suggest when practising pranayama to try this basic 1 – 4 – 2 exercise. We breathe in for 1 count. We then hold our breathe for 4 counts. Our exhalation should then last for a count of 2. Rather than using numbers it is best to repeat a mantra, either puraka and kumbhaka, or the name of God that inspires us.
When doing this exercise there are some important things to remember:
1.Our breathing should be natural and gentle. If somebody placed a feather in front of our nose, the feather would barely move. We should never do anything that places strain on our breathing organs. This can damage our health.
2.when practising pranayama we should not feel it is a mechanical exercise. We should feel we are invoking the quality of purity and peace with each inhalation.
If you simply count the numbers-one-four-two-you do not get any vibration, any inner feeling. But when you say the name of God, immediately God’s divine qualities-Purity, Peace, Love, Bliss and many others-enter into you.
3.In the beginning we should not overdo our breathing exercises. It is more important to do them sincerely for a short time rather than overly long. A good time is 15 minutes in the morning and evening. when we have become proficient we can increase the length of time we spend in pranayama.