The word Prāṇāyāma is made up of prāṇa+āyāma, prāṇa : air, breath ; āyāma : full control. The word prāṇāyāma thus means full control over the breath. Breath has inhalation (śvāsa) and exhalation (praśvāsa). The process of breathing is very natural, no external effort is needed, but to gain complete mastery over it requires immense effort
" tasmin sati śvāsa praśvāsa yogarti vicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ ".
For this it is necessary to know how exactly air moves within the body. This requires a thorough understanding of the channels/nerves called as naḍis that spread all over within the body. These tubular channels have to be purified for undertaking prāṇāyāma.
There are seventy two thousand naḍis in the body. Among them twelve are important. They are iḍā, piṅgalā, suṣumnā, sarasvatī, kuhū, payasvinī, varuṇā, yaśasvinī, viśvodarā, hastijihvā, gāndhārī, śaṅkhinī, alambuṣā and pūṣā. Of these suṣumṇā, iḍā and piṅgalā play a dominant role. There are six cakras (these cakras are mentioned in śākta works as well) in the form of a lotus within the body. They are mūlādhāra, svādhiṣṭhāna, maṇipūra, anāhata, viśuddha and ājñā placed one above the other, the first one being below the navel and the last one on top of the head. The suṣumṇā nāḍi connects the mūlādhāra with the ājñā. There is a śakti called kuṇḍalinī lying in the mūlādhāra like a coiled serpent. It moves through suṣumṇā nāḍi. It passes through all the cakras up to Brahmarandhra with its eight mouths, each representing one aspect of prakṛti. Air, which is generally of five kinds ; prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna and samāna has another five kind of forms which are - nāga, kūrma, kṛkara, devadatta and dhanañjaya (among these nāga causes upwords emission of gastric air, kūrma moves the eyelids, kṛkara causes sneezing, devadatta relaxes, dhanañjaya circulates the blood). The channels are to be purified by filling the body with air through iḍā and keeping it held for a duration of time and let out through piṅgalā and vice versa. This is to be done twice during each of the three sandhyās for three months in order to purify all nāḍis. Kuṇḍalinī lies in a wheel with twelve spokes situated in the navel.
Prāṇāyāma consists of three parts : pūraka, recaka and kumbhaka.
Recaka is the expulsion of air through the right nostril. Air has to be inhaled through the left nostril and is called pūraka. Retaining the air within is called kumbhaka. By practicing prāṇāyāma for three years it is said that one would perceive Brahman located in the lotus of heart.
The fifth component of yoga is the pratyāhāra/withdrawal of senses from sensory objects. When the senses are withdrawn from their objects they will act in the nature of citta
"sva viṣyā saṁprayoge citta rūpānukāro ivendriyānāṁ pratyāhāraḥ ".
Pratyāhāra consists of withdrawing senses from their objects by effort and placing mind on Īśvara. As per Pādma-saṁhitā pratyāhāra consist of retaining the mind in eighteen marmas of the body.
The sixth limb of Yoga is dhāraṇa. It is defined as steadily fixing mind upon the wheel of navel, tip of the nose and other parts of the body. This will stop mind from coming in touch with other objects. Ahirbudhnya-saṁhitā describes at this stage mind to be fixed on Paramātman. Pauṣkara saṁhitā speaks of two and five dhāraṇas separately.
The seventh limb is dhyāna. Patañjali defines it as being completely fixed in one notion
"pratyaikatānatā dhyānam".
As per Pāñcarātra the adept, must fix his mind upon Janārdana, who is in the form of His Cakra.
The last component is Samādhi. Samādhi is defined as the stage where the object meditated upon shines forth so powerfully that the consciousness of self will become as good as lost
" tadevārthamātra nirbhāsaṁ svarūpa śūnyam iva samādhiḥ ".
At this stage the adept becomes tanmaya. As per Pādma saṁhitā this is the stage where ātman and Paramātman become one. The meditation then take the form "I am one with the Supreme Brahman". The individuality disintegrates and his mind becomes fixed in Vaikuṇṭha.
In Pāñcarātra the goal of yoga is Brahma-prāpti, while in Patañjali Yoga sūtras it is aloofness. Pāñcarātras also do not discuss samādhi as savikalpaka and nirvikalpaka. Ahirbudhnya saṁhitā says the ātman becomes very Brahman at samādhi.
🙏 Namo Narasimha 🙏