“The word pranayama can be broken down in two ways: prana and ayama, or prana and yama. Prana is energetic life force and breath. Ayama is to extend and lengthen. Therefore, pranayama is the practice of extending and lengthening the energy in the body. Yama means to control or harness, so pranayama could also be explained as the practice of controlling the energy in the body. Prana is also breath, so we must learn to control and extend our breathing patterns. Pranayama exercises can be used as an individual practice or in asana practice.”