AHYMSIN NEWSLETTER, ISSUE - July 2018 | ||||||||
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Mind and Pranaby Swami Rama[This passage has been taken from the book Science of Breath, pp 72 - 73, by Swami Rama (Rama, S., 1979. Science of Breath. Himalayan Institute Press.)].
All aspects and principles that constituted the universe, or macrocosm, are embodied in all the microcosmic forms that constitute the universe, just as the mighty ocean is completely represented in a single, small drop of water from that ocean. The human body is sustained by the same prana that sustains the universe, and it is through the manifestation of prana that all body functions are possible and coordinated. According to the ancient manuals of yoga, the cosmic force of prana in the human body is recognized and subdivided on the basis of the ten functions it performs. Of the ten pranas, there are five major and five minor ones. The major pranas are udana, prana, samana, apana and vyana. Although the word prana is applied to all ten pranas, one of the five major pranas has also been given the name prana for reasons which will soon become clear. Udana rules the region of the body above the larynx and governs the use of our special senses. Prana rules the region between the larynx and the base of the heart. It governs speech and the vocal apparatus as well as the respiratory system and the muscles associated with it. Samana rules the region between the heart and the navel and governs all the metabolic activity involved in digestion. Apana has its abode below the navel and governs the functions of the kidneys, colon, rectum, bladder, and genitals. Vyana pervades the whole body and governs the relaxation and contraction of all muscles, voluntary and involuntary, as well as the movement of the joints and the structures around them. The energy of prana is subtle in form. Its most external manifestation is the breath, and of the five major pranas in the human body, prana is the energy that governs the breath. It is through the control of respiration that the yogi proceeds to control the other subtle energies of prana, which may explain the use of the same word for the universal energy as well as for the specific prana governing respiration. The importance of this specific prana in allowing us to access the subtler energies of the cosmic prana is also seen in the fact that what we call death results from the cessation of respiration.
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