Sutras 2.49 & 2.50

Sutra 49, Potanix now starts to define the next line the 4th, pranayama. So this initial definition of Pranayam, it says in that state, in that state, which was he talking about? Stidos Locum Arsenum, that state of deep, steady, sustainable, easefulness, when in that state of awareness of the breath and life force moving in and out. Guti, its movements, when they are cut. When they are suspended. This is pranayama.

So this is the initial definition. Pranayama occurs when in that state of the seat of awareness being established in a state of deep, steady, easefulness, the movements of the life force through the breath in and out of the body are suspended that is pranayama. So pranayama means when it's like we stop breathing, it's like the breath becomes suspended. It's like when the movements of the breath and the life force become so subtle, it's as if they are suspended. They become super refined.

This is Pranayama. Literally Pranayama means the extension of the life force. It's very beautiful how this Sutra emphasizes the link between all of the limbs. When asana becomes established, pranayama naturally arises. And when Arsenal becomes established, when the seat of awareness is very steady and useful, then the life force can move in a very easy way.

So it can become as if it's almost not moving at all. And then what happens? Samadhi also results So we see this beautiful interrelationship between Asana, Pranayana, and Samadhi, and we'll see this between all of the limbs. When the awareness comes into a state of Samadhi, well, it's not gonna get there unless we're feeling steady and useful, And similarly, when Samadhi arises, then how is the breath and the movement of the life force gonna be? It's gonna be serene and peaceful. Then potentially continues the definition in sutra 50.

So how else is this pranayama? It is when the movements well, it is when, yeah, the movements and of the life force become, which means long, and, because they are. They are monitored, if you like, according to whether they are Boag here, which means outside, which means whether they are inside. Whether they are steady like a pillar, Vritti, whether they are moving in a cyclical way, and they can be monitored according to Deisha Place, Carla, time, or Sankia number. So this state of the movements of the life force and the breath becoming more subtle, more refined, to the degree that eventually is as if it's suspended, This can be cultivated and invited by monitoring the movements of the breath according to place time and number whether it's internal, external, whether it's steady like a pillar, or it's moving.

So in other words, what we're seeing again a polyvalon sutra, a sutra which is valid in so many dimensions and encodes literally thousands of possible ways of inviting pranayama practices. So if one is working with the breath, for example, One can monitor the long and steady movements of the breath. According to place. So one could, for example, feel the life force, feel the gross movement of the breath, in certain places in the body. One can time the breath in.

The pillar like pause. And the breath out. One can time the cycles, the frequency of the in breath, and the out breath, the pause, the retention. And one can work with certain numbers. So there's lots of ways you can do it.

Notice that though the importance of means subtle. Yes. There are some pranayama practices that are not particularly subtle. They're very vigorous, relatively speaking, they're gross, but the aim is always to invite that situation. So if one does a, for example, Capalabati breath or a breath of fire thing, or something like what VIMHAF does, which there is a long retention There is some vigorous breathing, and then there is pillar like steadiness.

The idea is that if one uses those vigorous forms, one balances them with that pillar like steadiness, And the next result is that the overall breath pattern becomes more digger and more sukshma, more long, and subtle. And one thing I think it's worth emphasizing is that do not force the live force. The in order access the deepest states of Pranayama, the bodily force and the mental will need to be in a relaxed state. At an initial level of practice, certainly one can do things to rehabilitate or invite. Let's say, like, one thing that I some of my teachers have said is the body is an expert breather.

Just let it breathe. When we start to move naturally and fluidly, the body will find its own sweet way to breathe. This is what we really want to cultivate. So if we are working with place time number in out pillow like steadiness and cyclical motion of the breath and the life in the body. We need to also do it in a description and description. We need to think about this as a long term steady, subtle practice that will become a subtler.

So, yes, certain types of vigorous practice can kind of tune up or reactivate our breathing apparatus. But want the apparatus to just serve us in an easeful way. And throughout the traditional literature, And if one meets teachers in India, one who work with Pranayama, they will nearly always flag up that it's much, much better to proceed subtly, steadily, Don't force the life force because if we do, it's quite easy to traumatize the system, and inflict upon it, an experience which has an influence, which is not so conducive. To the breath being able to become more relaxed, more steady, more subtle, and longer. Remember, Pranayama literally means the extension of the life force.

So the aim in yoga is to breathe less. They say in the tradition that our life is measured in heartbeats and breath cycles. So if we can make our breath more efficient, more easeful. Let the body breathe in its own sweet way. Then the ID will have more energy, more time, more space, more power of awareness to actually investigate ultimate reality and save a life more richly.

So when we're working with prana, prana is the force of the universe. So let us be very respectful when we work with Remember, this is a lifelong practice, and we're always aiming to access that subtle around so we can infuse the gross level of our day to day with that subtle power of crisper, cleaner, more efficient vitality and awareness.