Pranayama: Natural Breathing, Ujjai, Sama Vrtti, Viloma/Dirgha Pranayama

Prana:

Excerpt from the Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra 

Commentary By Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati (Introduction):

“The third manifestation of prana is the breath which you involuntarily breathe 21,600 times each day for the entire span of life, thereby oxygenating and energizing all the cells and tissues of the body. 

The link between body and mind can be established very easily through awareness of the breath, which is the gross medium of prana. 

The pulsation of prana within the breath emits the subtle sound of ‘So’ during inhalation and ‘Ham’ during exhalation. As this sound accompanies each breath, it is the ajapa japa mantra, or the spontaneous mantra, which never ceases. (VBT sl. 155b) 

The mantra of the breath can be perceived at varying levels, ranging from the audible to the inaudible, unstruck sound. Dharana can be done on the mantra of the breath at all of these levels.”