What's in between Meditation and Yoga? Pranayama

For the best night's sleep, do pranayama (breathing exercises).

According to B.K.S. Iyengar, “Pranayama is a conscious prolongation of inhalation, retention and exhalation.”

Pranayama night at our ashram always draws the biggest crowd. We start by sitting in a circle and chanting OM three times. Then we go through a series of breathing exercises that have multiple and immediate effects on the body.

Liz McCollum Ford puts it like this: "To understand pranayama it’s helpful to understand prana. Yogi Bhajan said “Praana is the most powerful and most creative thing God ever created, because out of praana came life.” So what is prana? Classical yogic texts describe prana as the energy of the universe. This energy is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer, and because it permeates everything in the universe it is considered the breath of life."

For those who are new to this, I recommend trying it the next time you see it offered at your nearby yoga studio, ashram or community center. Out of the many health benefits, you'll definitely sleep better that very night.