Breathe Prana Into Your Nadis

Nadi Sodhana pranayama purifies the subtle channels in the body that carry prana, causing your energy levels, sense of well-being and state of mind to rise.

- Saraswathi Vasudevan

Of the Purifiers, I am the wind…” says Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (BG 10.31) affirming the supreme role of breath in purifying the body and mind.

Pranayama, therefore, is the best tool for cleansing. Like asana, pranayama practice includes a range of tools, techniques, ratios, mantra, bandhas and visualisation, making it both interesting and effective in its application at many levels.

The breath is the bridge between the gross body and the subtle mind. The yogis found that if we can control the breath, we can control the bodily functions – both voluntary and involuntary – as well as the mind and its many layers and faculties. Yogis, therefore, could even control the external universe, just with breath and mind control.

While most of us are not interested in controlling the stars and the waves in the ocean, we are definitely interested in learning how to stay healthy, strong and calm in the face of disturbing forces within and without.