Prana and Pranayama

Prana is considered to be the highest form of the life force/energy within each individual, which is also the energy associated with 'Source' and all of existence. Prana is tied to the breath, hence ‘pranayama’ meaning breathing techniques (‘yama’ is often translated as ‘restraint’ or ‘control,’ but more accurately means 'expansion' of the breath and field of awareness). To learn more about prana and pranayama, click here.

Further, prana is significant in the context of Ayurveda and is one of the three subtle essences along with tejas and ojas. One can develop a strong reserve of ojas through proper diet, control of the senses, control of energy expenditure, and devotional practices in order to begin building up tejas, and then prana can develop from a strong foundation of ojas and tejas. To learn more about the subtle essenses, click here.