Pranayama - the Art of Breathing

Prana is a subtle invisible force. It is the life-force that pervades the body. It is the factor that connects the body and the mind, because it is connected on one side with the body and on the other side with the mind. It is the connecting link between the body and the mind. The body and the mind have no direct connection. They are connected through Prana only and this Prana is different from the breathing you have in your physical body.

Swami Chidananda Saraswati

"Doing" yoga – exercising the asanas and learning how to master the flow of positions in sequence - is great fun and physically rewarding. My evening class focuses on its complementary aspect; on "un-doing“ the purely physical aspect with yoga techniques that enable us to experience deep relaxation and strengthen our mental focus.

Pranayama, the yogic art of breathing plays a central role in this. The Sanskrit word means "lengthening of the prana or breath". Pranayama, as it will be taught here, is a cleansing method for both beginner and advanced students, as well as a tool for increased concentration and thus finally for meditation.

The class includes a thorough introduction of pranayama exercises, the bandhas, short readings of Patanjali´s Yoga Sutras, and basic asanas. At the end of each class we will experience deep relaxation techniques, including Yoga Nidra.