Information on COVID-19 India Relief
Have you been wanting to start practicing yoga? Have you wondered what prāṇāyāma is or why sūrya namaskārā is good for one’s overall well-being?
Join Ami Ganatra for Session 2 of a 6-week beginner-friendly study of prāṇāyāma, yoga, sūrya namaskārā starting Saturday, May 8, 2021 from 7:00am-8:00 am PST/10:00am to 11:00 EST via Zoom.
The fee is $35/person or $55/family for the 6-week session. All proceeds benefit Sankara Healthcare Foundation.
Registration and payment
Ami completed her Bachelors of Engineering in Computer Science from Mumbai University and went on to graduate with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA)
Ami has been an ardent Yoga practitioner for over a decade. She is a Certified Yoga instructor from Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Centre, India and continues to be a lifelong student of Sanskrit and Indic knowledge systems.
From her personal blog https://dharmorakshtirakshitah.wordpress.com/
In the second chapter Hath Yoga Pradipika says
चले वाते चलं चित्तं निश्चले निश्चलं भवेत् ।
योगी स्थाणुत्वं आप्नोति ततो वायुं निरोधयेत् ॥ २.२ ॥
When the breath is disturbed (चले वाते, the same dhatu as for चंचल), the mind is disturbed and when the breathing is steady, so is the mind. Hence, to achieve mental stability, one must first achieve control over her breathe.
It further says,
यावद्वायुः स्थितो देहे तावज्जीवनं उच्यते ।
मरणं तस्य निष्क्रान्तिस्ततो वायुं निरोधयेत् ॥ २.३ ॥
As long as Prana resides in the body, it is said to be alive. Death is when Prana leaves the body – hence one should control her breathe.
Hence, Prana, life and body are interlinked, controlling the former can help tame the other. How does one achieve this control though? “Pranayama” is the way to go. It literally means expanding the Prana or deepening and lengthening our breathing.
Read more at: