Yoga is the ancient Indian mind-body-spirit discipline, said to have originated in the 'sutras' (philosophical verses) of sage Patanjali, millennia ago.
The word is from the old Sanskrit, and means 'union'. While there are many different forms of Yoga, the purpose of all of them is the same - to achieve oneness with the cosmos. For the serious Yogi, the ultimate aim is to attain 'moksha', or liberation from the karmic cycle of birth and death. "Pranayama is control of Breath". "Prana" is Breath or vital energy in the body. .
As people have attraction towards Yogasanas, similarly they have attraction to Pranayama. In Patanjali's "Ashtanga Yoga", Pranayama appears at the fourth stage.
