{"product_id":"0636943468227","title":"The Best of Opera, Vol. 4","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat is \"Pranayama?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Pranayama\" is yogic breathing, a great variety of practices. \"Prana\" refers to a Vital Energy, an Energy not yet often recognized by Western science but which some Eastern thinking believes to be pervasive. \"Life-Force\" might be one acceptable interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus to think of Pranayama as merely \"yogic breathing exercises\" is an oversimplification that omits the most important aspects of the practice. With Pranayama you may harness Universal Energy by regulating your breath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is of course an extremely important assertion. You can test its validity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy Should You Practice Pranayama?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn one level: Pranayama can make you Feel Great: utterly calm and quiet, light yet grounded, and confident and empowered, and it is a wonderful lead-in to Meditation. It opens the body for improved progress in Yoga poses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is all nice, yes - but relatively minor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a higher level: Pranayama is Life-Transforming. It links you up with the Universe. You trend in the right direction. Things start to knit together, to slot into place more easily. Your day and your life can flow more smoothly. You can become open to becoming more purpose-full.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt first hearing all this can sound incredibly mystical, otherworldly. But Tom Abrehamson's personal experiences are in harmony with those of others, over the centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith Persistent Practice\u003cbr\u003eYour life will change for the better.\u003cbr\u003eSpontaneously, effortlessly and permanently.\u003cbr\u003eYou are becoming whole. Becoming what you should be.\u003cbr\u003eYou are forging an instrument of Will.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Big Question\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy is \"just\" working with our breath so hugely spiritual?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause it Enables us To Connect. To Yoke Up (\"Yoga\").\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow does it do that?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt strips away intervening blockages.\u003cbr\u003eIt Purifies us.\u003cbr\u003eIt allows Connection and Flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBreath is a Key that Unlocks us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYour Study Manual\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecrets of Successful Pranayama is not a quick-fix handbook. It is not an executive summary with bullet points. It is not \"Yoga-Lite.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a study manual. It is a reference book you can chew on productively for years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePranayama is not about instant gratification. It is not like a pill you pop for an instant fix. It is like a cream that you rub into your skin each day for long-term self-betterment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book consists of four helpful sections:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe FIRST section introduces you to Pranayama and to the Guidebook.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe SECOND tells you how to set up your own practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe THIRD tells you what to do during your practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe FOURTH tells you some benefits to expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Living Teacher or a Guidebook?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are a myriad of cautions about progressing into Pranayama without being instructed in it by a living teacher. Tom agrees, in large part. More important, to his mind, however, is the question: Why should the wonderful benefits of Pranayama be available only to those fortunate enough to live close enough to an experienced teacher?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe aim of the Guidebook is to make Pranayama accessible to anyone, anywhere.\u003cbr\u003eGive someone a Yoga Class, feed their Day.\u003cbr\u003eGive someone a Yoga Guidebook, feed their Life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEverything you need to know to practice beginning Pranayama is set out here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(And in coming years you will find guidance for Intermediate and Advanced practices in Volumes II and III.)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat said, Tom is firmly convinced, from experience with the students in his classes, workshops and private lessons, that instruction from a living instructor is the very best way to insure you are on the right track. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd, with that in mind, he has tried to make the Guidebook as crystal clear as possible. There is a tremendous amount of gobbledygook out there. Your Teacher should be able to answer with clarity two questions:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat are we doing? and Why are we doing it?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNamaste.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NAXOS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47088217063664,"sku":"0636943468227","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/0636943468227_p0.jpg?v=1763496755","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/0636943468227","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}