Pranayam: Nourishment for Our Journeys

One of the unique aspects of a yoga session in contrast to other workouts is the special attention paid to breath. Pranayam (lit. ‘rules of life’) involves mindful breathing that nourishes one through the challenges of a difficult asan. In a broad sense, we associate the fourth limb of yoga (pranayam) with energy and nutrition from any source.  Pranayam provides additional important sources of energy for our life journeys. Maintaining this principle, here are some sources of pranayam:

Breath: In a yoga class, pranayam is associated with the breath we take. The yogic breath involves pressing the belly button out (expanding the diaphragm) slowly and mindfully inhaling, filling up the lungs, and then exhaling the breath slowly and mindfully. Mindfulness is a key element of pranayam. In a sense, pranayam allows our mind to become connected to our body.

A number of different styles of breaths are taken during yoga classes ranging from very slow (up to 15 or even 20-second cycles) to fast (3 or 4-second cycles). The breath we take should nourish us and make us mindful. Inhaling chemicals (fumes, tobacco, drugs, etc.) are counter to healthy pranayam. When we take an asan, the role of the breath becomes extra important, since it allows us to stay calm and observant so we can come to our limit, where we are neither comfortable nor are we hurting.

Nutritious food and drinks: A nourishing diet is an important component of pranayam. Food and drink provide us the calories and the nutrients needed to keep our body and mind fit. With the number excellent sources available, one can easily become informed about good nutrition. Some of us may be allergic to certain foods (e.g., lactose, gluten, seafood, etc.), and need to ensure we have other sources of food that benefit us. If we choose to be vegetarian or vegan in a culture that is mostly meat eating, we need to make sure we have access to complete meals (i.e., we get our needed quota of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc.).

Most people know that eating junk food and drinking junk drinks (too much of soda, alcohol, etc.) are counter to healthy living. People often seek out sugary and fatty foods and drinks as a quick ‘fix’ to boredom, nervousness, depression, lack of energy, or longing to fulfill other emotional needs. Avoiding junk food and junk drinks in the diet can be very challenging if you have no other healthier substitutions for the needs it fulfills.

However, one can learn to find satisfactory replacements. Instead of reaching for that afternoon soft drink, seek out a hug from a loved one. Before eating that third cookie, try taking three deep, 13-second breaths. If you still have the urge for the cookie, take more deep breaths. Yoga retrains us to slow down. Just as yogic breathing is very slow and mindful, eating and drinking should also be very slow and mindful. Through practice, we can learn to eat slowly, observing what is going into our body.

Touch and love from others: We are nourished through our interactions with others. Words others say to us can nourish us. Touch and hugs from others can nourish us. Relationships that are healthy nourish us. Just like junk foods, relationships that are toxic to you need to be avoided.

Communing with Nature: Time spent in Nature is nourishing to our body and our spirit. Looking at the Milky Way, wandering by a beach, and hiking among the Redwoods are all nourishing activities. Nature gives us a sense of the infinite qualities of our own being. Nature uplifts and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, to forgive ourselves. The experience of being in nature can be greatly enhanced if we are with a good friend.

Wealth: While thinking of entities that nourish our life-journeys, it is important to keep wealth in mind. Money is an important component of our “fuel,” in addition to breath, food, relationships and Nature. It allows us to participate in society and provide for us and others. Of course, like toxic fumes and toxic food and drink, money can also become toxic if it is not used for wellness.

Examine your own sources of pranayam to see if you are getting the full benefit for your wellness:

• Do you eat mindfully?
• Do you enjoy nature mindfully?
• Do you have mindful loving relations?
• Do you have a healthy relationship with money?

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