प्राणायाम
Pranayama
Breath control for life energy
📜Understanding Pranayama
Pranayama is the science of consciously regulating the breath to influence prana—the vital life force that animates all living beings. The word combines "prana" (life energy) and "ayama" (expansion or control), indicating that this practice expands our vital capacity while bringing the life force under conscious direction. As the fourth limb of Raja Yoga, pranayama serves as a bridge between the physical body and the subtler dimensions of mind and spirit.
🕉️Related Shlokas(15)
Gita 4.27
→Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 4
When knowledge kindles the fire of self-mastery, even breathing becomes a sacred offering—the whole organism transforms into living prayer.
Gita 4.29
→Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 4
The breath you take and release is itself a fire ceremony--each inhalation offered into exhalation, consciousness riding the subtle current home.
Gita 4.30
→Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 4
When eating becomes offering and digestion becomes fire, even the body's necessity transforms into an altar where impurities are consumed.
📖Related Stories(15)
Dhruva Becomes the Pole Star
→Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 4, Chapters 8-12
Five-year-old prince Dhruva, humiliated by his stepmother, performed intense austerities guided by sage Narada. His meditation with the mantra 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya' was so powerful that Vishnu appeared and granted him an eternal position as the Pole Star.
Raikva the Cart-Driver
→Chandogya Upanishad 4.1-4.3
King Janashruti learns from passing swans about a humble sage named Raikva with greater knowledge. Despite offering wealth, Raikva initially dismisses him. Only when the king approaches with humility does Raikva teach the Samvarga Vidya - that Air and Prana are the ultimate absorbers.
💬Related Dialogues(15)
Bhima and Hanuman - Brothers of the Wind
→Bhima & Hanuman
Rage is fuel, not weakness—the question is what you burn with it. Patience compresses anger into focused power. Even the strongest need to learn timing.
Arjuna and Ulupi - The Underwater Kingdom
→Arjuna & Ulupi
Sometimes the most honest relationships are the ones that claim nothing. The freedom to be no one can be more valuable than the glory of being someone. Not every connection needs to become permanent to be meaningful.