Glossary · Practice
Pranayama
प्राणायाम
What does Pranayama mean?
Pranayama joins 'prana' (life-force, breath) and 'ayama' (extension, control). By slowing and regulating the breath, the practitioner steadies the nervous system and prepares the mind for meditation.
The Gita refers to breath regulation in verses 4.29 and 5.27-28, describing yogis who offer the incoming breath into the outgoing and vice versa, turning the senses outward-inward and fixing the gaze between the eyebrows.