1
CHAPTER
DYNAMICS OF BREATHING
T
his chapter explores breath anatomy from a yogic perspective, using the cell as a start-
ing point. This most basic unit of life can teach us an enormous amount about yoga.
In fact, we can derive the most essential yogic concepts from observing the cell’s form and
function. Furthermore, when we understand the basics of a single cell, we can understand
the basics of anything made out of cells, such as the human body.
YoGa leSSonS froM a Cell
Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life, from single-celled plants to multitrillion-
celled animals. The human body, which is made up of roughly 100 trillion cells, begins as
two newly created cells.
A cell consists of three parts: the cell membrane, the nucleus, and the cytoplasm. The
membrane separates a cell’s internal environment, which consists of the cytoplasm and
nucleus, from its external environment, which contains the nutrients that the cell requires.
After nutrients have penetrated the membrane, they are metabolized and turned into
energy that fuels a cell’s life functions. An unavoidable by-product of all metabolic activ-
ity is waste, which must get back out through the same membrane. Any impairment to
a cell’s ability to let nutrients in or let waste out results in death by starvation or toxicity.
The yogic concepts that relate to this functional activity of the cell are prana and apana.
The concepts that relate to the structural properties of the membrane that support that
function are sthira and sukha.
prana and apana
The Sanskrit term prana is derived from pra-, a prefi x meaning before, and an, a verb mean-
ing to breathe, to blow, and to live. Prana refers to what nourishes a living thing, but it has
also come to mean the action that brings the nourishment in. Within this chapter, the term
will refer to the functional life processes of a single entity. When capitalized, Prana is a more
universal term that can be used to designate the manifestation of all creative life force.
All living systems require a balance of forces, and the yogic concept that complements
prana is apana, which is derived from apa, meaning away, off, or down. Apana refers to the
waste that’s being eliminated as well as the action of elimination. These two fundamental
yogic terms—prana and apana—encompass the essential functions of life on every level,
from cell to organism.
Sthira and Sukha
If prana and apana are expressions of function, what of the structural conditions that have
to exist in a cell in order for nutrition to enter and waste to exit? This is the function of the
membrane—a structure that must be just permeable enough to allow material to pass in
and out (see fi gure 1.1, page 2). If the membrane is too permeable, the cell loses integrity,
causing it to either explode from pressures within or implode from pressures without.