| By Harmke, The Netherlands
Table of Contents
My journey into the subtle power of Pranayama
It all started with a set of Yoga postures and a deep interest in the authentic Indian philosophy behind them. As a student, balancing the pressure of academic life, I sought moments to pause, and reset myself allowing my body to relax & my mind to find peace. That is where Yoga helped me.
Years later during a Yoga Teacher Training programme at Yoga Gita Ashram, I was introduced to the practice of Pranayama. New doors opened. Almost immediately, I experienced a different dimension of life, one I had never encountered before. Yoga Postures helped me, but Pranayama revealed something mysteriously vast.
I integrated the techniques I had learnt into my daily life and they remain a steady practice to this day. Each time I connect with the layer of life energy, it centers me. Had I known this practice earlier, perhaps as a student, choices might have been different. There lies a very deep connection behind these practices that is truly worth exploring.
In fact, Pranayama is something I wish the entire world could experience. Its transformative power not only uplifts individuals but also holds the potential to guide our planet towards a more peaceful war-free existence.
Let us now discover how something so subtle and simple can hold such power and how it can transform one’s life.
What is Pranayama?
The Sanskrit word Pranayama translates as “being in the state of Prana”. Yama refers to a state or dimension, and Prana stands for life energy. Through dedicated practice, one can enter a state where the individual energy and the energy of existence get united. There is no difference between you and existence, it is a complete union.
While the body is gross and tangible, Prana is subtle, formless, invisible: something truly new waiting to be explored. Pranayama is not about what you see or feel; it is about merging with the all-pervading energy. With consistent practice, breath itself can come to a full stop, revealing an expansive stillness that lies beyond.
Breath: the key to unlocking life energy
A connection with the breath is essential for the proper happening of Pranayama. Nonetheless, for most people, breathing is inefficient. Due to traumas, shocks, or suppressed emotions, much energy is held in the belly region, causing breath to become shallow, restricted to the (upper) chest. The lower lungs remain unused, and the breath does not reach its full potential.
Have you ever noticed how a newborn baby breathes? Their belly moves freely up and down as they breathe fully and naturally. This is how breath should function: open, effortless and complete. But as life unfolds, stress, emotions and habits will have an impact on breath, causing it to become shallow.
When breath is disrupted, it restricts the flow of Prana. Energetical blockages can lead to mental and physical imbalances. This is why Pranayama is so vital, it restores our natural breath, strengthens our link with prana and keeps us healthy and centered in life.
Relearning how to breathe fully is the first step. Even the simplest practice can bring important changes nurturing overall wellbeing. Before diving into advanced techniques, try this basic belly breathing exercise to reconnect with your breath and experience the awareness that it gives firsthand:
Steps for a basic belly breathing exercise:
- Sit on a chair, close your eyes. Sit with your back straight yet relax your body
- Put one hand on the belly and observe its movement
- Guide your breath gently to expand and contract the belly (forward with inhalation, and backward with exhalation)
- Continue for five minutes, then let breath flow naturally
This brings a state of expansion to your breath. Just taking a few minutes to consciously breathe can do wonders. If you practise this at any moment of your day, especially when held by stress or tension, this awareness gives your breath gentle guidance. In turn, space is created for it to return to its natural state.
How Pranayama transforms your life
Across the world, Pranayama is gaining popularity, an interest is rising for something beyond the physical; a bridge to expanded states of being. While many people know its benefits for stress relief and holistic wellbeing, the impact of Pranayama lies far beyond.
An authentic daily practice can make a shift in:
- Food Choices
- Meditative states
- The field of Karma
- Establishment of ego
- Transcending body identity
Before diving deeper into how this practice becomes a gateway for transformation and spiritual evolution, let’s look at one of the most tangible shifts many people first encounter.
Food choices & sensitivity
Pranayama naturally refines your food habits. You become more sensitive to what you consume and how it affects you. It will become unnatural to treat the body as a machine that simply requires fuel. You begin to recognize the subtle impact of different foods.
When I started with Pranayama, I was mostly vegetarian, but still occasionally ate fish. One afternoon, after a lunch of salmon, I felt so ill that I had to leave work early. My body had rejected the food completely. That was the last time I consumed another sentient being.
The body becomes attuned to its needs, warning against unhealthy food combinations or overconsumption. With continued Pranayama practice, your naturality starts speaking and you will feel in the moment what to consume or not, guiding you towards nourishment that supports vitality and balance.
A gateway to meditation
Continuously, for everything that we see and do, we use language. Even when looking at a tree, most people instinctively name or describe it. This constant stream of thoughts does not give space for stillness in the mind. When you sit for meditation, you may notice that becoming thoughtless does not simply happen.
Pranayama creates an opening beyond language and descriptions. As you tune into the field of Prana, there is no form and identity, and the mind is introduced to a state of pure being. In this space, there is nothing to name or conclude. This naturally prepares the ground for meditation to arise effortlessly.
Freedom from the Karmic cycle
Karma is like a wheel without an exit, that keeps individuals bound to repetitive patterns; preferences, dislikes, emotions and all struggle that comes with it. This is why astrology can often predict one’s destiny: life follows set patterns.
However, when Pranic channels open, unconscious tendencies have been released, fears are dissolved and life can flow freely. Being freed from karma, the future cannot be predicted, it’s a field of all possibilities. True freedom means that your future is no longer bound by past impressions and what needs to be manifested becomes a possibility
Breaking the ego
Pranayama dissolves the ego-based identities. In the vast ocean of Prana, where are you? Your name, roles, and concepts begin to lose their hold. You cannot cling to any particular identity once you truly enter the zone of Prana. What once felt like “I” or “my life” begins to soften. An expansion takes place, an ease. This is the surrendering to the totality of this creation.
That is why after deep practice, you feel energized and peaceful. For some time you are lifted beyond memories, thought patterns and identities.
Transcend body identity
For moments in deep Pranayama, you are “nobody” for a while. You transcend physicality and enter a more subtle state beyond the borders of the body. In this realm, life is not based on the material reality that we are used to, but instead it reveals a dimension beyond forms.
Pranayama is a way to cross this border that the body makes us identify with.
Concluding words
Pranayama can have positive effects on anyone’s life, influencing food choices, meditation and the ability to live life freely rather than staying entangled in life’s forms and identities. It introduces you to who you really are and from there the journey will take you ahead.
For those on an evolutionary path, some meaningful questions to reflect on:
- Is my practice bringing presence?
- Am I more easy and peaceful every day?
- Are my food choices more aligned with my body’s needs?
- Is meditation becoming more natural?
If more people practised Pranayama, the world’s food culture would shift towards fresh nourishment full of prana and away from fast food trends. More peace would arise among neighbors, politicians, companies and nations. The world would become a shining, vibrant place. Just ten minutes a day in connection with life energy can enhance wellbeing and bring the awareness of the Self, a remembrance of our pure consciousness. Harming others becomes unthinkable, because the other is simply another expression of oneSelf.
About the author
Harmke is a writer, photographer, and coach in conscious living, connecting her background in Psychology and Learning & Development to Yoga. Through her reflections, she shares Yogic methods, insights or understandings to inspire self-discovery and connect with the true Self. She is dedicated to serving the mission and vision of the Yoga Gita Ashram, under the guidance of Sage ViGo.
