5 Curious things to know about pranayama:

There are things that perk my attention every time I read about pranayama, here are 5 that I found interesting while reading Path of Fire and Light:

1.- When it comes to the food we eat and how we eat, pranayama is a very specific science that requires specific foods and habit changing, for example, says Rama:

"The practice of eating between meals musts be strictly eliminated in order to involve oneself in the effective practice of advanced yoga"

What is favored for a diet includes sugar, ghee (clarified butter), milk, fruits and grains. Wheat over rice.

2- Retention of breath is the KEY, and what brings one closer to samadhi, or enlightenment, but never mind those higher states, for starters just consider the definition of an "adept"

When one can suspend his respiratory movements for five minutes and twenty four seconds, she is considered to be an adept at pranayama, then she can perceive the existence of the universal life force within

3 - If that was just an adept, the next level is the attainment of the next limb in yoga, prathyahara, the suspension of the senses, where you do not see or smell or hear or feel or taste anything...

"senses become suspended when one can retain the breath (perform kumbhaka) for a period of 10 min. 48 sec."

4 - Kind of guessing what you may be thinking he goes on to clarify:

"Although this may seem physiologically impossible, with gradual training the body can function with dramatically less oxygen"

5- And finally, once all is said and done, what does it take to become a sage, an enlightened master?

"When a yogi can suspend the breath for about 1.5 hours, there is very little in this world that is not possible for her"

One and a half hours, OK, well,  I see, he does say "about", hmmm.   How many years of practice do you think it might take you to get there?

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