SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ
prāṇe ’pānaṁ tathāpare
prāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā
prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ
apare niyatāhārāḥ
prāṇān prāṇeṣu juhvati
‘Others, the practicers of prāṇāyāma[1. The controlling and regulation of breath. See Yoga Sutra I-34, and Haṭha-yoga-pradīpika and other works on Yoga. Prāṇa is not mere breath, but life-breath, or vital energy having intimate relation with mind, nerve-force and all forces which direct organic processes. It is called by various names, animal magnetism, aura, odic force etc.], observing food-restrictions, sacrifice prāṇa in apāna, apāna in prāṇa, and restraining both the currents, prāṇa and apāna, sacrifice prāṇa in prāṇa.’
Other karma-yogis devote themselves to prāṇāyāma[2. The controlling and regulation of breath. See Yoga Sutra I-34, and Haṭha-yoga-pradīpika and other works on Yoga. Prāṇa is not mere breath, but life-breath, or vital energy having intimate relation with mind, nerve-force and all forces which direct organic processes. It is called by various names, animal magnetism, aura, odic force etc.]-practices. They consist of three parts, called Rechaka, Pūraka and Kumbhaka.
‘Sacrificing prāṇa in apāna‘ is Pūraka or breathing in.
‘Apāna in Prāṇa‘ is Rechaka or breathing out.
‘And restraining both the currents, prāṇa and apāna, and sacrificing prāṇa in prāṇā, is Kumbhaka or stopping (or holding) the breath.
The practicers of these require regulated diet[3. Cp. Bh: Gī: VI 16; XVII-7.].
archived in http://githa.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org