Prana, Nadis and Pranayama — The Science of Breath in Yoga

  Quick answer: Prana is the vital life force that moves through the body, most visibly through the breath. Traditional texts describe it flowing through subtle channels called nadis (72,000 is the most commonly cited number, with Ida, Pingala and Sushumna as the three main ones). Pranayama is the practice of extending and regulating prana through the breath to steady the mind. Is prana just oxygen? No, and yoga has never claimed it is. Oxygen is chemistry. Prana is the animating energy of life, and breath is its most visible carrier. Two people can breathe the same air and feel completely different, because the quality of the breath changes how we think, how we feel and how we sleep. Modern science does not measure “prana” as such. What it...