The Energy and Divinity of Pranayama

In the two chapters of Tree Of Yoga this week, BKS Iyengar reveals the “energetic body” layer that connects us to the Universal Divine. We may come to yoga for some external byproduct, but underneath those surface benefits, there is a profound energy that aims to bridge the gap between our external goals and our internal divine grace. 

The energy that runs through the whole of the universe is called prana. Prana is what runs through you and me and every tree. It is the animating power of life that yoga connects us to and brings us closer to the center of our Self. Physical asanas are the means by which we prepare our body and mind to be good receivers and containers for this powerful force. 

“Prana and consciousness are in constant contact with each other. They are like twin brothers. It is said in yoga texts that as long as the breath is still, prana is still, and hence the mind is still. All types of vibrations and fluctuations come to a standstill when prana and consciousness are quiet, steady and silent.”

“Pranayama is the very heart of yoga.” It is the individual breath that links us to universal energy. It is the balance of the inhalation, exhalation, and retention of breath that settles distractions in the mind at its surface and leads us toward the quiet of our soul, purusa, the pure consciousness within. 

To describe this idea, BKS Iyengar tells a story from the ancient Puranas that describes the churning of the ocean of elements to create the elixir of life. In this story, the angels and demons, competing forces of good and evil within the universe, are brought together at a time of imbalance in the world to churn the ocean using a mountain called Meru. During this churning action, the first material that is made is a deadly poison, but with continued work, the elixir of life is produced. This elixir brings back balance and righteousness to the world.

Below are the elements of the story that are important to understand in regard to  our energetic layers and the workings of Pranayama within the ocean of our Self:

• Nadis: the lines and networks of our energetic system; run much like the nerves of the nervous system; nadis run throughout the body from central main lines out through the extremities and back
• Sushumna – symbolized by Mt Meru; the central nadi and churning rod of energy that runs along the spine; identified with the central nervous system; connects the chakra system, the main energy storehouses central to our energetic body
• Ida – the nadi identified with the parasympathetic nervous system; represented by the moon and lighter aspects of our being; this energy descends from the base of the brain
• Pingala – the nadi identified with the sympathetic nervous system; represented by the sun; charges our being by raising energy from the solar plexus, middle navel
• Kundalini Shakti –  the resulting energy that builds from the work of Ida and Pingala together; typically represented by a snake, like the tool for churning in the story of Mt Meru; activated by the inhalations and exhalations of Pranayama; distributed from chakras and Sushumna throughout the body by the nadis

Pranayama is the act of evening out all parts of the breath – inhalation, exhalation,  and retention. The vertical, horizontal, and circumferential extensions of breath are opened up with work in the various Pranayamas, like various parts of the body are opened up by asanas. With nadi channels open, prana/kundalini shakti can be distributed throughout the rest of our embodiment. Every extension of every part of our body has a center Susumna along with the need for balance along the lines of Ida and Pingala, hence the need for alignment. Where there is prana there is consciousness, and where there is consciousness, awareness can be initiated. 

The Yoga Sutras say “asana must be perfected in order to begin the practice of Pranayama” (YS II.49), but “perfection” is just a good word to remind us that Pranayama brings about a powerful force within us that the body and the mind must be prepared to house and distribute. It is not just breath. It is our harness of universal energy into our own being. 

The parts of any Pranayama practice contain regulation of the inhalation (puraka), exhalation (rechaka), and retention (kumbhaka) over time (kala), within space (desa), and in number (samkhya) (YS II.50). Just as with asana, the different schemes to regulate the breath, when we first begin them, are going to be effortful. Because Pranayama can begin to touch on deeper elements of our emotional and psychological states, they may first seem to create the poison first created by the churning of all the elements within the ocean. But with practice, this effort to perform it becomes effortless and the poison becomes the elixir of life! BKS Iyengar unpacks this sutra in more detail in the chapter “Pranayama” in Tree of Yoga.

The inhalation draws our internal awareness out to the surface. The exhalation moves our awareness from the external distractions back inward toward the internal Self. In between each of those movements is a pause that acts as the “frontier between the material and spiritual worlds”. There can be no force in that space, just a rest into our own “being”. We must be cautious not to bring the pride of achievement into the subtle work with prana. 

The process of inhalation and exhalation churns the prana within the Ida and Pingala nadis. This effort builds the kundalini sakti (prana) within the susumna, it gets stored within certain chakras, and ultimately gets distributed throughout our being. This balance of ida and pingala is like the balance of the sun and the moon within our own individual solar system, like the balance of good and evil within our psyche and consciousness. An imbalance of either creates havoc to the world and to our own embodiment. As we are normally pulled to distraction on the pendulum of extremes, through the acts of Pranayama we remove the veils of distraction that hide our internal light of consciousness (YS II.52).

This pure consciousness is our Divine Self. We may catch glimpses or maybe we can settle in for a while. But, BKS Iyengar reminds us that no matter what, we must be diligent in our awareness to catch any moment that may appear! This is the spark that keeps us looking for our own divinity. It does not have to be encountered ONLY through the hard work and efforts of our Pranayama. Maybe we feel it in other realms, through other experiences, but either way, we must hold onto that spark, keep churning the ocean in order to benefit from the elixir of life!