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Part 1: An Introduction to Prāṇa Oṁ asukhadam kevalaṁ jñānam uratim dvandvātītaṁ gaganasatrasaṁ tattvaṁ syādilakṣyam ekaṁ nityaṁ vimalam acchalaṁ sarvādhiṣākṣī bhūtaṁ bhavātītaṁ triguṇarahitaṁ sadguruṁ taṁ namāmi. Nāhaṁ kārataḥ prabhūdīp, kārataḥ māḥ prabhūdīp, kārataḥ hi kevalam. This is an introduction to a workshop on prāṇa, breath, and prāṇāyāma. From the very beginning of yoga, we learn about prāṇāyāma, a word that contains "prāṇa." But what is prāṇa? It is not something that can be simply translated; Western science does not truly know it. Honestly, prāṇa is a secret we can only slowly understand through practice. This evening, we will try to get a little feeling for what it actually is. Prāṇa in its subtle form is in the whole universe. You could say it is energy, life, consciousness, or even the Divine Mother. There are many ways to approach prāṇa, and they may seem contradictory. At first glance, it seems to be the breath, but this is just one aspect. When I first started this type of workshop, I searched for a good definition of prāṇa. The best I found was in Swāmījī's book, which is currently only available in German. It is a recording from a summer seminar where he gave a lecture on prāṇa. Because it is so essential, I extracted some passages, which you have on paper. I will read the English version, and you can follow with the Slovak translation. Swāmījī offers a short definition. In every atom, there is prāṇa, life energy. Prāṇa is not to be identified with oxygen, electricity, or vitality; these are only its qualities or aspects. We can see the effects of prāṇa and experience it in various forms, but we still do not truly know what it is. It is like electricity: a lamp gives light, a fan creates wind, and a machine produces movement. Many different effects come from electricity, yet what electricity truly is remains unclear. Prāṇa is above the elements. Elements require space, but prāṇa does not. It is distributed throughout the entire cosmos, always searching for an object in which to accumulate. Even in the tiniest atom, it begins to flow. In its subtle form, prāṇa is everywhere. When it hits an object, something happens, depending on the object's quality. If it hits a stone, likely nothing happens; it just passes through. If it comes to a plant, it concentrates there. Because plants have a lower, quite neutral level of consciousness, the prāṇa remains in a pure form. That is why plant-based, vegetarian food is best for us: we get pure prāṇa. When prāṇa enters an animal body, it takes on the qualities and consciousness of that specific animal. For us as humans, it is not beneficial to take this level of consciousness into ourselves. Eating meat means we ingest this consciousness. When prāṇa enters a human body, it depends greatly not only on human nature but on the individual—their qualities, lifestyle, and personality. This prāṇa radiates as an aura. Even if we cannot see it, we feel it. We might say, "I don't like this person; I don't feel comfortable," but why? For example, you stand in a queue at a shop. One person stands close to you, and you don't mind. Another person comes and stands close, and you step away. If asked why, you likely cannot give an intellectual reason; you simply feel uncomfortable. This is the radiation of prāṇa, which we receive all the time. What exactly happens with prāṇa in the human body? We will come to that later. Now, another aspect of prāṇa, which may be quite astonishing. Swāmījī says—and this is originally from the ancient Upaniṣads—our ātmā is prāṇa, and prāṇa is God. This is not an easy, digestible statement. Our ātmā, which in Western terms we might call our soul or essence, is prāṇa, and that is God. That which gives us life, the divine spark within us, is Prāṇa. Swāmījī says the Ātmā is an abundance of concentrated Prāṇa. Besides this concrete, chief, or main ātmā, there exist in our body millions of various small souls, or prāṇas, like thousands of bees assembled around the queen in a beehive. In the same way, the human body dissolves after death. Swāmījī speaks of two aspects of prāṇa within us. Prāṇa is everywhere, in every cell of our body—the many bees in the symbol. But the soul or ātmā is like a huge ball of energy, prāṇa. To die means this chief ātmā leaves the physical body. It is like the magnet is gone; there is nothing holding the iron filings together. That is why Swāmījī says it gets scattered, life departs, and the physical body slowly begins to dissolve. A third quotation from Swāmījī: When God manifests in physical form, a huge amount of prāṇa accumulates from a certain region of the cosmos, builds a body, and in this form God incarnates. This personality possesses all abilities in perfection. It is a God incarnation. Every word spoken by such an avatar is pure, genuine truth. His presence brings about a strong radiation of prāṇa into the world. Each of his movements radiates prāṇa. Each of his words, each of his thoughts carries a huge amount of prāṇa. Prāṇa is one aspect, one appearance of the divine. Just as sound is an aspect of the divine, everything in the universe is pervaded by prāṇa and by subtle vibration. We cannot truly understand or analyze prāṇa because it is too fine and subtle. But we can experience it, and we can even work with and control it because there is one very practical aspect: the breath. The breath is a gross appearance of prāṇa, the vehicle through which prāṇa comes to us. Let me explain further with help from Swami Sivananda's book Science of Prāṇāyāma, where he also speaks of this secret. He says, "He who knows prāṇa knows the Vedas." This is an important declaration of the holy scriptures. In the Vedānta sūtras, you find the statement, "Prāṇa is Brahman." Brahman is God, the formless God. This is exactly what Swāmījī said: our ātmā is prāṇa, and prāṇa is God. Swami Sivananda says Prāṇa is the sum total of all energy manifest in the universe. It is the sum total of all the forces in nature. It is the sum total of all latent forces and powers hidden in man and lying everywhere around us: heat, light, electricity, magnetism—these are all manifestations of prāṇa. Whatever moves, works, or has life is an expression or manifestation of prāṇa. Then comes an important statement: he says prāṇa is the link between the astral and physical body. Western science speaks of one body. In yoga science, we are more refined, speaking of five bodies: the physical body (Annamaya Kośa), the body made of food; the second, important one, the prāṇa-maya-kośa, the body consisting of prāṇa; and then the finer bodies: mano-maya-kośa, vijñāna-maya-kośa, ānanda-maya-kośa. These represent the lower and higher functions of our mind and psychic system. Ānandamayakośa is our causal body, where our karmas reside, giving us motivations and desires. Let us look again at Swami Sivananda's statement: Prāṇa is the link between the astral and the physical body. The physical body is the first level, Annamaya Kośa. Prāṇa is in the second, prāṇa-maya-kośa. What he calls the astral body comprises the further, finer bodies. When this prāṇa level is removed, the two parts fall apart, and the physical body is just matter—dead. He says when the slender, thread-like prāṇa is cut off, the astral body separates from the physical body, and that means death. He makes another statement: you see, hear, talk, think, feel, make decisions, and perform all other functions in life through the help of prāṇa. Therefore, the holy scriptures declare, prāṇa is Brahman; prāṇa is God. I think you now have a little impression that it is not easy to declare or understand what prāṇa is. But it is definitely clear that it is not just breath or oxygen, but something much deeper. The good thing for us is that we can experience and work with it. We get prāṇa primarily through breath. But there is a second way, which we mentioned when speaking about energy in plants and animals: food. We eat for one single purpose: to get prāṇa. That is what we really need. All that happens on our tongue, the taste, is just a by-product, though in our reality it often plays an important role. We think more about taste than the essence of our food. All discussion about nourishment can be brought to the point of prāṇa: Do I get good, fresh, pure prāṇa? For example, old food has hardly any energy left, though it might still be tasty. Afterwards, we realize we have no energy or not good energy. We can analyze prāṇa from the perspective of the three guṇas: tamas (energy leading to laziness, not fresh), rajas (energy awakening desires, often making one hyperactive), and sattva (balanced energy). We need sattva for our life and even more for our yoga practice. But perhaps that is enough speaking about prāṇa for now. Let us do a small exercise to get a little feeling for prāṇa, so it is not just theory. Please come into a standing position. Use the whole space; you need room for your arms. If you have any metal on your hands or wrists, please remove it. There are four points in our body with strong prāṇa concentration: the two palms and the soles of the feet. The energy in the feet is connected with the earth, a harder energy. The energy in the hands is softer and gentler, connected with the heart and the air element. We will work with our hands. Bring your arms up and stay in this position, relaxed. Observe what happens in your hands. Bring the arms down. Observe your palms. Make a fist, press, and open again. Now, bring your arms to the side, horizontal, palms facing forward. Observe the energy in your palms. Very slowly, bring your hands more forward until they are about shoulder-width apart. Bring them closer, but do not let them touch—maybe within one centimeter. Feel the energy in both palms. Now, separate the arms slowly again, a little. Bring them closer again, about three centimeters apart. Now, move one hand forward and one backward, as if rolling something between your hands. Again, separate the arms. Make a fist once more and relax. Let's sit down. Could you feel something? Heat? Concentrated matter? A mass of something? What did you feel when your palms were about one centimeter apart? A concentrated or dense matter? Others? Let us collect your feelings. Some felt a kind of pressure or tension, or a stroking sensation during the movement. When they were close together, what feelings did you have? Some felt as if ants were walking on their hands. This is a very typical feeling when you begin to feel prāṇa. In yoga relaxation, when you lie down and go through the body, concentrating on a part, you can feel prāṇa—heat in the feet, for example. What more? A light feeling? Actually, it can be both heavy or light. Sometimes you can feel a strong vibration. I remember many years ago doing exercises with a Tai Chi master. What we call prāṇa, they call chi. It is the same. He was very good; I felt not just energy in my hand but a whole energy ball. When we made the rolling movement, could you feel that? This is one of Swāmījī's exercises to get a little feeling for what it really is and to bring awareness to the fact that in yoga practice we often feel it but are mostly not aware. You can feel it during conscious relaxation, focusing on one finger, during prāṇāyāma, or when concentrating on a certain cakra. Just a few days ago, a boy told me he always feels these ants on his Sahasrāra cakra. It is exactly that. Try to bring more awareness to these subtle sensations in your practice. Now, let us go into more detail about the different types or functions of prāṇa. Swami Sivananda mentioned many different effects of prāṇa around us. Similarly, when prāṇa enters the human body, it takes on different functions. It is like workers entering a factory in the morning; they go to different departments and do different types of work. The prāṇa we inhale takes on different functions within our body. There are ten functions, of which five are most important. As Swāmījī always said, "Yoga means balance, harmony." One aspect of this is the balance and harmony between these different prāṇa functions. If some are very strong and others are blocked, we cannot be happy or healthy. Through the right exercises—relaxation, āsanas, prāṇāyāma, meditation—we balance ourselves. Sometimes, if there is a specific problem, it is good to know which exercises can help. For many years, there were secret texts for yoga teachers explaining this. It was a rare source where I found not only a proper explanation of the different prāṇa functions but also which exercises are beneficial. This text, previously only for teachers, is now in our yoga book in the chapter on prāṇa. Please study it seriously; it is a valuable source. The five main prāṇa functions are called: Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Vyāna, Udāna. This is really important to know. Let us go a little into them. "Prāṇa" is used in a double sense. It is the title for all these prāṇas, but one of them is itself called prāṇa. The prāṇa that is in the whole universe, when it enters our body, is also called prāṇa. We can say it is what we inhale. The inhalation is connected to receiving oxygen. This is the most important prāṇa. If the workers do not enter, they cannot go in different directions. This prāṇa is situated in the upper part of the body, mainly in the heart. Part 2: The Five Prāṇas and Their Activation What we inhale is of great importance. In our modern world, there is a problem I am quite sensitive to: I enter rooms, trains, and airplanes, and there is no prāṇa. There is air, but no prāṇa because it is air-conditioned. Whenever possible, open a window for fresh air. Also, the quality of prāṇa is quite different if you are inland or by water—a river or the ocean. This relates to our lifestyle. If we sit only at a computer indoors, we do not get that fresh energy. For our health and vitality, it is essential to go out into nature. Every aspect of yoga ultimately relates to our lifestyle. This vital prāṇa is influenced by three main prāṇāyāmas: Bhastrikā, Nāḍī Śodhana, and Ujjāyī. Let us consider our yoga system. Kṛiyā and Nauli are excellent; they work on the Maṇipūra Cakra, activating the fire of digestion, Agni. You can feel the warmth. The other two techniques are for the anal muscles: Aśvinī Mudrā and Mūla Bandha. Aśvinī Mudrā is a short, quick contraction and immediate release of the anal muscles, which has a relaxing effect. I have observed that when I am tense, I unconsciously contract these muscles. Many people may keep them more or less contracted all the time. It is good to consciously check and release tension there. This is also used in Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and Kṛiyā Yoga to work on tension, helping to release it. Which energy? Prāṇa. But here, that prāṇa has a special name: Kuṇḍalinī. Kuṇḍalinī is also prāṇa, its most spiritual aspect. In Mūla Bandha, we contract for a longer time. Let us try Agnisa Kṛiyā for a moment. We cannot practice Nauli now, as it is a strict rule to practice only on an empty stomach in the morning. But we can try Aśvinī Mudrā and Mūla Bandha a little. Concentrate on your anal muscles. Try to contract them briefly and release immediately. Do this a few times. Observe what you feel immediately afterward; it is a very fine movement, only in the anal muscles. Can you feel something? Try to describe where and how you feel this energy. Which direction? Going upwards. Yes, this is actually a technique to awaken the energy. Now let us try Mūla Bandha: contract and try to hold for a few seconds, but only as long as you can really feel it. Can someone feel this? Good. Aśvinī Mudrā is perhaps easier. You cannot hold it too long; I can physically hold it, but it loses its effect. Mūla Bandha is not so easy. Ensure you relax these muscles again afterward. When I lead a relaxation, I often include this, saying, "Shortly contract and relax the anal muscles," to ensure they are truly relaxed. So we have prāṇa and apāna: inhalation and exhalation, what comes in and what you let go. Yoga is a principle of balance and harmony, meaning there needs to be balance between these two contrary forces. As a yogī, we should adopt the holistic attitude of seeing everything interconnected. A disturbance in the relation between inhalation and exhalation may indicate a disturbance on other levels. For example, in yoga classes, when we observe the breath and ask which is longer, inhalation or exhalation, many are astonished to find their inhalation is longer. This introduces another aspect: inhalation and exhalation mean taking and giving. This is about the balance in our whole attitude toward life. We must be careful not to use this to judge others, but to analyze ourselves. Now, what is the balancing prāṇa between prāṇa and apāna? Is it breath retention? No, we speak of the five prāṇas. I ask for the third one, which balances between prāṇa and apāna. To make it easy: between eating and excreting, there is digestion. That is in the middle. Prāṇa is in the upper body, apāna in the lower body. The third one sits in the center, connected with the Maṇipūra Cakra, the center of digestion. That is Samāna. Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna. Samāna, as I said, is situated at the Maṇipūra Cakra. Swāmījī says it connects the energies from Anāhata to Maṇipūra, so it is here in the center. It is connected with digestion and the distribution of energy from food. If energy only goes in and out, there is no purpose; the point is that we assimilate it. Again, we consider the exercises that work on Maṇipūra: the same ones we already mentioned. Agnisa Kṛiyā and Nauli activate the Maṇipūra Cakra and the Samāna Prāṇa. There is another technique Swāmījī mentions, which is a heating exercise. Think of the fire element. It is a special exercise we do not practice in regular yoga classes: Kṛiyā Yoga. Swāmījī says, "Kṛiyā Yoga warms the entire body," due to the rising of Samāna Prāṇa. A very aware person can observe the aura of a Kṛiyā practitioner becoming brighter and stronger with every round. We have three prāṇas: prāṇa, apāna, samāna. These three are closely connected. Then we have two special prāṇas: Udāna and Vyāna. Let us start with Vyāna. Vyāna is not in a specific body part but pervades the whole body. It is the prāṇa connecting all the prāṇas, the prāṇic infrastructure. It is closely connected with our nervous system. Prāṇa in the body does not flow chaotically but through certain channels called nāḍīs. It is said there are 72,000 nāḍīs in the body. We must be careful: nāḍī is often translated as "nerve," which is not quite correct. Nerves are physical, made of cells, and can be physically cut. If a nerve is cut, information stops flowing, like a cut electric cable. But prāṇa is not physical; that is what we emphasized from the beginning. A nerve can be cut, but a nāḍī cannot. I give an example: one of my school teachers lost a leg in the war. When I had him as a teacher, 15-20 years later, he sometimes had strong pain in the middle of class. When asked, he said, "It's my leg"—the leg that had been gone for 20 years. How is that possible? Because the physical level is gone, but the finer levels are still there. This makes us aware of what we are talking about. Vyāna is an exception, as it is closely related to the nervous system. When we lack nervous resilience, feel easily irritated, cannot stand stress, or are close to a nervous breakdown, it indicates a lack of Vyāna energy. One technique is excellent to activate it: Kumbhaka. Kumbhaka means to hold the breath. Naturally, between inhalation and exhalation, there are very short breaks. Kumbhaka means purposely extending this pause. This technique releases blocked energy. We will come to this point this weekend: Kumbhaka is the essential technique of prāṇāyāma. Every classical prāṇāyāma includes Kumbhaka. Where there is an energy blockage, you apply pressure until it opens. Think of Nāḍī Śodhana Prāṇāyāma, the purification of the nāḍīs. In Level 4, the real Nāḍī Śodhana, there is a very strong Kumbhaka. How does it work? Simply: where there is a blockage, you need pressure to open it. We apply this naturally in daily life. For example, when a toilet is blocked, you use a plunger; gentleness does not work. You need pressure, and then it flows again. So Kumbhaka releases blocked energy and strengthens the nervous system. Let us do a Kumbhaka exercise. This is not a specific prāṇāyāma, but to experience consciously what it means. Everyone can do this except those with high blood pressure, as it raises blood pressure. Relax, sit straight. Take a slightly deeper breath: inhalation, exhalation. After inhalation, hold the breath for some time, as long as is comfortably possible. Then exhale, and after exhalation, again hold the breath for some time. Use some effort, but not too long; do not reach the point of an urgent need to inhale or exhale. Do it within easily manageable limits. Do four or five breaths together. If it is too exhausting, finish earlier. Finish after the next exhalation, then relax. Resume normal breathing and open your eyes. How was that? Who would like to share? "Great heat." First it became warm, then the whole body became quiet. Who else observed something? "In the heart." She can still feel it. Pleasant? We must be careful, as it puts pressure on the heart; for heart patients, it could be unpleasant. Who else felt something? A little tension in the beginning, then relaxation or released tension? Yes, the tension is part of it. As with the toilet example, there is some effort, but when it opens, there is peace and quiet. So we go through a little effort to find relaxation and calmness. But Kumbhaka is a stronger technique; we should not play too much with it. In our yoga system, we do not start straight away with Kumbhaka, and there is a purpose. The most important thing is fine awareness. Often, for certain diseases, certain exercises are said to be not good. For example, for back pain, some exercises are to be avoided. But I know many people who say exactly these exercises help them. That can work only with really fine awareness: how much is good, how much I can do. For me, developing this fine sensitivity is perhaps the most important aspect of the whole yoga practice—not practicing with ego: "I am advanced, I can do it." Always feel how much is good, and stop when you feel it is enough. Now, the last prāṇa: Udāna. Udāna is an energy that moves upwards, connected with the awakening of Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. Our body acquires an upward movement; it feels lighter and becomes lighter. This is the yogic scientific background for certain siddhis: people who can walk on water, sit comfortably above the ground (levitation), or, like Fakirs, sleep on a bed of nails. They have very strong Uḍāna Śakti. If you put a feather on nails, it is not hurt. When your body becomes very light, this is no problem. For us, the most important aspect is the spiritual one: awakening the Kuṇḍalinī. Swāmījī mentions certain exercises that activate Udāna. One āsana from Level 3 is called Viparīta Karaṇī Mudrā. Because of this special effect, it is not called an āsana but a mudrā. It is one of the inverted postures. Two prāṇāyāmas also activate it: Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma and Brahmārī Prāṇāyāma. Brahmārī Prāṇāyāma is not difficult and is very relaxing. It has the ability to lower blood pressure and is good for those who talk a lot. In India, I sometimes taught politicians who talk all day. Chanting, like Oṁ singing, and Brahmārī Prāṇāyāma are very helpful for them. We should not confuse Brahmārī with Brahm or Brahman (God). Brahmārī means a black bee, so called because we make a sound like a humming bee. We will not do too much, but we can try a little. We have to close the ears. There are different ways; we will do it simply with the index finger. Do not do it yet, so you can understand me. Place your index fingers in your ears. You can press on the side or gently insert the fingertip to close the ear better. The point is to exclude outside sounds. Then make a humming sound like a bee. The sound goes around in your head. Our head is like a musical instrument; the main part is the empty space in the middle—the sinuses and mouth cavity. Make this humming sound, not too gentle, and listen to it. We will do it just five times. Afterwards, keep the ears closed for some time and observe the very gentle vibrations and inner sounds. After about a minute, when your arm becomes heavy, lower it. Then we will finish by singing OṂ once. Let me demonstrate first. The sound should come from the belly; the belly needs to be relaxed. Now, everyone try once. Was it gentle? How was it? Pleasant? Any problems? It is very relaxing. Is everyone ready? Let us do five times, but those who know I have a long breath may do only four. We will start now and finish by chanting OṂ once. Inhale. Hari Oṁ. How was that? Relaxed. That was an overview of the five main prāṇas and the exercises that influence them. If you look, you will find all this integrated into our yoga system. Mostly, we do not even need to know all these details; just follow the system, practice patiently, and you will get all the effects. The important thing is not to make too many experiments and jump from one level to another. We will come to this point in the prāṇāyāma workshop this weekend, which could be troublesome. I always say, Yoga in Daily Life may not be the quickest or the "best" yoga system, but I am quite sure it is the safest. Swāmījī is deeply concerned that not a single practitioner should come to harm—but only if you follow the system. In this evening's workshop, I tried to bring a little awareness to how much knowledge this system is built upon, particularly regarding prāṇāyāma. That was the overview on prāṇa. Are there any questions? "I would like to ask whether, during practicing Kumbhaka, asthma is a contraindication." I guess, for you, it is more important to learn to relax and let go. Also, I think some of the Haṭha Yoga kriyās would be good. From my feeling, I would not advise doing Kumbhaka. Asthma feels like not getting enough air, but it is actually the opposite: you do not relax and exhale enough. It is a kind of imbalance between inhalation and exhalation, accepting and letting go. So I would put a lot of emphasis on achieving a relaxed, deep, natural, harmonious breath. Also, explore the psychic background, as asthma often relates to an allergy. What is the reason? Am I safe? I actually had allergies and asthma, so I went through this process of self-analysis—a question of self-inquiry. I am not 100% sure, but spontaneously, I would not advise Kumbhaka. Does anyone have specific knowledge about that? Okay, so this is my provisional answer. Any other questions? Good. We have a whole weekend together; if questions arise, that is fine. I thank you for your interest. I hope we will have a nice weekend together. Good evening to everyone, and also to those with us via webcast. Good evening, good morning, good afternoon, whatever time you have at home. Okay, Hari Oṁ.