Reading: Pages 99-120
Live Session: March 15, 2026 8am UTC
This section presents the fundamental techniques of prฤแนฤyฤma as conscious artistry rather than mere breathing exercises. Iyengar describes inhalation (pลซraka) as receiving cosmic energy and exhalation (rechaka) as surrendering individual energy to unite with universal consciousness. The art of retention (kumbhaka) is presented as the pause where transformation occurs โ both sahita (intentional) and kevala (spontaneous) forms are explored. The grading of practitioners from beginner (adhama) to advanced (uttama) emphasizes that quality and subtlety matter more than duration or force. Bฤซja prฤแนฤyฤma introduces the use of sacred sounds, particularly AUM, as vehicles for focusing the wandering mind and connecting with divine consciousness. The chapter on vแนtti prฤแนฤyฤma distinguishes between sama vแนtti (equal ratios) and viแนฃama vแนtti (unequal ratios), with warnings about the dangers of advanced ratio work without proper preparation and guidance.
Questions to Guide Your Reading
Read these before you start the assigned pages. They’ll help orient your attention.
What is the unconscious mantra that every being naturally breathes according to the text
What are the four types of sahita kumbhaka and their Sanskrit names
According to the text, what is the ideal ratio for viแนฃama vแนtti prฤแนฤyฤma?
What are the three syllables that emerged from the three Vedas when Prajฤpati brooded upon creation, and what do they represent?
How does Iyengar describe the difference between sabฤซja and nirbฤซja prฤแนฤyฤma?
Reflection prompts
Read these during or after you read to connect the teachings with your embodied experience.
How do you experience the difference between mechanical breathing and conscious prฤแนฤyฤma?
What is your relationship to retention (kumbhaka) โ do you approach it with curiosity, fear, or ambition?
How do you balance the desire for progression in prฤแนฤyฤma with the need for patience and gradual development?
These will be made available 24-48 hours after the session
These will be made available 24-48 hours after the session
This session is part of the Light on Prฤแนฤyฤma Study Pack โ a complete resource for those who want ongoing access to all the recordings, study questions, and materials from this cycle.
The Study Pack includes all session recordings (watch and rewatch at your own pace), the complete Study Companion PDF with reading schedule, focus questions, reflection prompts, and practical tools for teaching, key Sanskrit terms with explanations, and a curated bibliography for further exploration.
Agi Wittich is a yoga practitioner since two decades, and is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Wittich studied Sanskrit and Tamil at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, completing a PhD with a focus on Hinduism, Yoga, and Gender. She has published academic papers exploring topics such as Iyengar yoga and women, the effects of Western media on the image of yoga, and an analysis of the Thirumanthiram yoga text.
