Yogasutra – Part 2 – Sādhana-pāda – Yoga and its Practice – Verse 2.49   «   »

Yogasutra – Part 2 – Sādhana-pāda – Yoga and its Practice – Verse 2.49   «   »

तस्मिन्सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥ २.४९॥

tasminsati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ .. 2.49..

49. Controlling the motion of the exhalation and the inhalation follows after this.

Commentary on Sri Patanjali Yogasutra by Swami Vivekananda

When posture has been conquered, then the motion of the Prana is to be broken and controlled. Thus we come to Pranayama, the controlling of the vital forces of the body. Prana is not breath, though it is usually so translated. It is the sum total of the cosmic energy. It is the energy that is in each body, and its most apparent manifestation is the motion of the lungs. This motion is caused by Prana drawing in the breath, and it is what we seek to control in Pranayama. We begin by controlling the breath, as the easiest way of getting control of the Prana.


Yogasutra – Verse 2.49 – Yogasutra-2.49-tasminsati – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Translation, Meaning and Commentary by Swami Vivekananda – Yogasutra-2-49