Prana Vikshana or Breath awareness meditation is the practice of observing your own breath, where Prana means vital energy or exhalation and Vikshana means observing your own breathing closely.

Prana Vikshana gives the mind something to focus on and thus the mind stops generating new thought patterns. It requires observing the rhythmic flow of life-giving air as it enters the body with each breath.

The subtle life energy known as prana is what keeps our entire being in motion. Through delicate energy pathways (nadis) and energy centers, prana moves throughout our body (chakras). In humans, there are countless nadis and chakras. Each person has a tremendous amount of energy. Kundalini is the name for the latent energy that is kept at the base of the spine. The state of the other chakras and nadis affects how much energy rises from this energy center. We can open these chakras by meditating on the Hari Om. Breath awareness meditation is a practice of observing breathing. It is a practice of observing breathing as a tool for quietening the mind.

Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, and yogis have long understood that breathing properly is the key to living a long and healthy life. Everyone has access to the breath and can profit from its many advantages. By starting a mindfulness meditation practice, you may lower your stress in one of the easiest ways possible. 

A type of mindfulness meditation called breath awareness meditation involves teaching your mind to be present at the moment without criticizing or shaping your experience. By consistently practicing, one can develop the clarity, composure, and calmness necessary to face life’s most difficult situations. Beyond the typical benefits of mindfulness meditation, breath meditation has advantages. Recent studies from Yale University demonstrate the significant negative effects of SKY on your health including:

• Reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression
• Increased feelings of social connectedness
• An increase in positive feelings and emotions
• Greater mindfulness or awareness of the present moment

BREATH AWARENESS IN MEDITATION 

Breath awareness meditation is an excellent approach to entering a deeper state of meditation because it focuses your attention on the entire intake and expiration cycle of the breath. An openness to inner sensations is created by the straightforward act of noticing the breath, which is often overlooked in daily life. The breath serves as a conduit for letting go of tension and provides information about where stress is stored inside the body. 

You gradually become more conscious of your breathing patterns, and the breath creates space so that you can respond to difficulties in life from a position of clarity and confidence rather than uncertainty and fear. There is a sense of empowerment to get rid of items that no longer serve you, which also lowers stress levels.

BENEFITS OF PRANA VIKASHANA

Intentional breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing, yogic breathing, and other breathing exercises, have been shown to have a variety of positive effects on health and wellbeing as well as on the quality of life. Breath exercises may: 

• Reduce stress and help with conditions like anxiety, depression, and substance misuse that are brought on by stress. 
• PTSD can be lessened, according to research published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress. 
• PLoS One research suggests ways to enhance immune response. 
• minimize the effects of asthma. 
• Reduce adult hypertension. 
• aid in the treatment of COPD. 
• According to a study published in the January 2021 issue of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, yoga can help persons with type 2 diabetes maintain good glycemic control. 
• Enhance the quality of life for those suffering from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Breathwork has proven to lower anxiety, improve memory, alleviate depression symptoms, encourage deeper sleep, and even improve heart health, according to numerous recent research, including a comprehensive review that was published in September 2018 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 

Breathwork isn’t brand-new, by the way. While some people have been using breathwork for millennia, Western science is taking itself too seriously, as Hawkes observes.

Okay, but the main question is how to do it!

We have made it concise into 5 steps for you!

1. Start by finding a cushion, bench, or chair and sitting up straight in comfort. Spend some time relaxing your body by closing your eyes. Soften the abdominal wall and the sidewalls of the lower rib cage. This will make it possible to breathe deeply. 
2. As you breathe in, feel a nourishing sensation, and as you breathe out, a cleansing sensation. Breathe normally, without stopping. Allow your breathing to gradually smooth out as you breathe in a calm manner. You won’t probably feel that it is effortless for some minutes. This indicates that you are prepared to go ahead.
3. Next, take a moment to unwind from your head to your toes and then back up to your head. Slowly move your focus throughout your body to relax and release tensions. 4.
4. When you are back at the top of your head, feel your complete body and breathe as though it were doing so. Once more, observe your breath’s simple flow without making any plans. Just keep paying attention to your breath as the minutes pass.
5. Finally, focus your attention on the sensation of your breath touching your nose. It will take a few minutes to go from breathing as if the entire body were breathing to breathing with awareness in the nostrils, but it is natural and comfortable. Whenever your thoughts stray, gently bring them back to the touch of your breath. Train yourself to stay focused throughout a period of practice sessions, keeping your awareness and breathing constantly. Your mind won’t stop thinking, so don’t expect it to. Just keep your breath in mind.

Note- Let your thoughts come and go as they like. Don’t make them the center of your attention, but also don’t make them your adversaries. Don’t just offer them any energy. Rest your mind on the feel of the breath in your nostrils with a calm determination. Your awareness of your breathing will deepen as you go on. You’ll notice changes in the quality of your consciousness and profound relaxation of your breath. These little shifts help you focus and serve as a clue that the inner effort of breath awareness is almost finished.

Follow our very easy tutorial for Prana Vikshana-

We have virtually reached the destination after following our map. Stillness and breath awareness quickly fade into nothingness. Once they are established, intuition is the finest tool for tracking them because they have their own logic. 

The words of Saint Hesychios, “Watchfulness is the heart’s stillness and, when free from mental images, it is the guarding of the intellect,” seem perfectly appropriate. Desires do inevitably return as reminders of the value of consistent practice. However, when they are absent and the imagination is calmed.

Check out our playlist for Mindfulness Meditations!- 

• 112 Tantra Meditations – Breath Awareness & Kundalini Awaken
• Meditations of Kundalini Awakening
• Three paths of Yoga – Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga & Raja Yoga

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 REFERENCES

• https://yogainternational.com/article/view/breath-awareness-a-step-by-step-guide-to-this-simple-yet-profound-practice
• https://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/living-with/ways-practice-breath-focused-meditation/
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-32046-5