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Article: Pranayama: Stephanie Keach shares the ancient art of yogic breathing.
- Article from:
- New Life Journal
- Article date:
- February 1, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 New Life Journal Media LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Breathing in, I calm body and mind.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know that this is the only moment."
--Thich Nhat Hanh
The Sanskrit word pranayama consists of two parts: prana and ayama. Ayama means "stretch" or "extend," and describes the action of pranayama. Prana refers to "life force" or "the energy that is infinitely everywhere." So in practicing pranayama, we are extending our life force.
The way we move prana through the body is by our breath and our intention. When we experience pain or tightness, it is considered a blockage of energy, and by focusing our intention to breathe into those ...