Ashtanga Yoga: Pranayama 1 (Patanjali Yoga Sutras 100) Nithyananda Satsang 2011 Jan 21

I welcome you all with My love and respects. Today is, 100th Sutra of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

In second chapter, 49th verse, “Pranayama” - Cessation of breathing.

Please understand, I am not translating Pranayama as, “Control of Breathing”. All the orthodox translation say, “Control of breathing”.

I am translating, “Cessation” means completely stopping.

You may think, “Wow, then should we die or what?” No! I am not asking you to die. When I say the word, “Cessation of Breathing” - I mean Breathing which you experience every day, every moment which awakens the thought also along with the air movement, should be stopped.

Cessation of air movement with thoughts is what I call Breathing; that should be stopped.

You see, what you understand as Breathing is, air movement with thoughts also being awakened; that should be stopped; that is what I call, “Pranayamaha”.

So, I don’t want to use the word, “Control of Breathing”. Prana and Breathing is not equivalent words. Please understand, it is not translation. Breathing means air movement with thoughts. Prana means air movement without thoughts.

So, “Cessation of Breathing” is what I call Pranayama. Cessation of air movement with thoughts is what I call Pranayama. Only air movements, no thoughts is what I call Pranayama.

So, let Me enter into the Sutra, what Patanjali describes let’s understand. In this Sutra, he just introduces the Pranayama.

तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वास्योर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥

tasmin sati śvāsa-praśvāsyor-gati-vicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ ॥

Swami Vivekananda translates this Sutra as, “Control of the motion of the exhalation and inhalation follows after this”.

Swami Prabhavananda translates as, “After mastering posture, one must practice the Prana... by practice control of the Prana... Pranayama, by stopping the motions of inhalation and exhalation”.

Swami Sachidananda translates this Sutra as, “That firm posture being acquired, the movements of inhalation and exhalation should be controlled. This is Pranayama”.

I will translate this Sutra as, “After achieving the firm posture, means balance, steady and comfortable posture, as I taught you yesterday, through the technique of balancing; you should learn the practice of Breathing without thinking, without thoughts being awakened, that is what I call, Science of Pranayama”.

Please understand along with the air movement if the thoughts are also awakened you are not inhaling pure Prana, the life energy.

Please understand these few things, Air is not life energy. There is a subtle energy goes inside along with air, that is what is called Prana.

Air is like a lorry and Prana is the object goes inside the lorry; like a how lorry comes here and unloads what we bought the objects and goes back. Same way, the life energy is carried by the air, it goes inside and the life energy gets unloaded into the body, stays inside and lorry comes out means the air comes out.

If there is more thought, less life energy will go inside. If there is less thought, more life energy will go inside.

If lorry itself is too heavy and only less products can come inside, then what is the use? Lorry should be less weight and more product should come through the lorry; otherwise like our story of we buying vegetables. Only lorries and lorries and lorries will come. In each lorry, two potato, one brinjal will come.

If I ask, “What happened? Why only lorries are coming? No vegetables?”

“No Swamiji we paid only for lorries. We forgot to pay for vegetables”.

So almost all of us are doing the same thing; too much of air is going inside but no Prana is going inside. No life energy is coming inside. So understand only life energy should come inside, no air. Only life energy, no air, is the ideal situation.

We are supposed to be having no thought but only breathing. So we are supposed to now learn the Science of Breathing without thinking.

Please understand let Me translate this Sutra,

तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वास्योर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥

tasmin sati śvāsa-praśvāsyor-gati-vicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ ॥

After mastering steady, comfortable posture - Asana, through the balance technique which I taught you yesterday; now you should learn the science of exhaling and inhaling without thoughts, that is what is exactly Pranayamaha. It is not just controlling the exhalation and inhalation. It is controlling the exhalation and inhalation without thoughts, that is what I call, “Cessation of Breathing”.

Cessation of Breathing is Pranayamaha.

Let us learn the technique in next, next Sutras. This is the essence of this Sutra, essence of this Sutras’ message.

I bless you all to achieve, experience, live, express, radiate and share the eternal bliss.

Nithyananda.

Thank you.