Contd from Knowledge Sheet 84
tasmin sati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ ॥49॥
तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥४९॥
Having done that (asanas), breaking the flow of inhalation and exhalation is called prāṇāyāma.
- Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.49
After having practiced the āsana, obstructing the flow of breath that is natural is prāṇāyāma. You are obstructing the natural flow because your flow is not natural at all. We have made our breath so unnatural. So, whatever is natural is now unnatural. We have to go backwards. How do you go back? It’s not just by accepting what is. “However the breath is going, I accept it”. No. Gati vicchedaha – break its movement. Break the movement of the breath by consciously breathing long, subtly, and with counts and having attention at different places.
The next sutra:
“Bahyabhyantarastambhavruttirdeshakalasankhyabhihi paridrashto dirghasukshmaha’’ (II Sutra 50)
बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसङ्ख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः ॥५०॥
bahya - external; abhyantara - internal; sthambha - total restraint; vrittihi - movement; desha - place; kala - time; sankhya - number; paridrishtaha - regulated; dirgha - long; sukshmaha - subtle.
Internal and external breath and total restraint of breath is regulated by place, time, and number and thus the breath becomes long and subtle.
- Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.50
This one sutra has described all the prāṇāyāmas, just one sutra. Breathe in, hold, and breathe out with different counts; while paying attention to different parts of the body. In one sentence, in one sutra, all the prāṇāyāmas are summed up.
There is one more prāṇāyāma which happens automatically. When all the thoughts, ideas in the mind and the objects are cleared, there is a natural prāṇāyāma which starts. It throws out all the impurities from the mind. That is the fourth prāṇāyāma.
“Bahyabhyantaravishayakshepi chaturthaha’’ (II Sutra 51)
बाह्याभ्यन्तरविषयाक्षेपी चतुर्थः ॥५१॥
bahya - external; abhyantara - internal; vishaya - regions; akshepi - going beyond; chaturthaha - fourth.
The fourth type of prāṇāyāma happens when the regions or spheres of internal and external breaths have been gone beyond of.
- Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.51
In prāṇāyāma again, learn with proper guidance. Do not just do it on your own, but with proper guidance. The prāṇāyāma, which happens all by itself without any effort, is the fourth prāṇāyāma. As you go deep, the prāṇāyāma begins to happen and it breaks the routine way of breathing. It assumes a form of its own, a different rhythm. This is the fourth prāṇāyāma. What is the effect of prāṇāyāma?
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(This is part of a series of knowledge sheets based on Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's commentaries on Patanjali Yoga Sutras.)
