Prana can be translated to mean breath, though in subtle terms it is also associated with ‘life force’, ‘vital energy’. Ayama means control. Together, Pranayama means control of breath.
The claim that meditation is good for you and can help improve or enhance one’s mental and physical health is quite a remarkable claim. How can sitting still and paying attention to one’s breath have such an enormous impact on so many conditions we suffer from?
When I ask people asked what they think it means to be healthy, I often get responses like: “It’s when you’re not sick” “To be fit” “When all your parts are working properly” These definitions seem focused on one’s physical body and see health as a state in which going to a doctor is not necessary.