So many yoga terms, so little time.

So take a deep breath in, and now take a deep breath out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Throw in a yoga mat and essentially now you've defined Pranayama - a yoga term meaning "control of the breath."

The word is two parts: Prana and yama. Prana represents life force and energy, while yama represents the ability to control and lengthen that breath / energy. Though it's often associated with rapid breathing, Pranayama is all about control of the breath.

Published 08.30.09 at 12:00 AM