Pranayama

(“restraint of breath”) In the ashtanga
(“eight-part”) yoga first codified by
Patanjali (1st c. C.E.?), pranayama is
the fourth of the eight constituent
elements of yoga practice. Pranayama
requires a conscious control of respiration, specifically halting one’s breathing before inhaling and exhaling.
When both of these actions have
become automatic, this is described as
“total” restraint. This practice is supposed to weaken and destroy the practitioner’s unwholesome karma, and
render the mind fit for concentration.
Removing karma is necessary for liberation of the soul, since all karma (both
good and bad) ties one to the cycle of
birth and rebirth.