My book: “Pranayama Lost in Translation” will appear in July 2025

My book “Pranayama Lost in Translation” is my attempt to remind Yoga teachers and practitioners that Pranayama is not a respiratory practice with health benefits but “Prana” (Life) – “ayama” (expansion), unblocking the aliveness within and as such a deeply spiritual process, a process of a much subtler nature that takes place in the pranic, not physical body.

We humans are restricted in our comprehension of the truth, but it is in our nature to attempt to comprehend. Each culture chooses angles for exploration, and each culture comes to different insights, all incomplete but all valuable. The way the West understands existence and the universe has its origins in ancient Greece, and has spread all over the world over the last centuries. It has, unfortunately, suppressed other ways and categorised many of them as false or superstitious. The Western way is one way, but there are many others, and each way leads to realisations. They differ; none is right and none is wrong. The Western way uses analytic thought and observation via our five senses to gain deep insights concerning the material form. However, there is more than just the material form, which was of little interest for the Indian Yogis. Their focus was directed to the invisible, intangible, unthinkable realms. Indian Yoga set out to discover consciousness - Jnana Yoga -; the structure of mind and the methods of controlling it - Raja Yoga -; also the fluctuating, invisible, intangible process of life (Prana) - Hatha Yoga -. The West gained insight of details of the physical body that India never achieved, but could not formulate a concept of the phenomenon “Life” as it cannot be touched, cannot be seen or heard or measured and so is out of reach for Western methods. The West decided not to ask the question what “Life” is, but Life is, no question. India experienced Life by directly perceiving it with an undistracted focus. India observed Life, understood its nature, found methods to expand (ayama) it and gave the experience a name: “Prana”. What distinguishes a dead from an alive body? Something is missing, something has departed, something which entered at the beginning of life and its departure marks death. During a lifetime it is present, it is a phenomenon within all living beings, all have Life and this Life is neither ample nor too little, there is no need to replenish it. It exists in our inner body, the pranic body. However, this pranic body is blocked and Life cannot fully expand. The Yogis found methods to unblock the inner, pranic body to help Prana to expand into its full potential.

“The nadis are full of impurities...therefore practice pranayama daily to purify the nadis from impurities.” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2, 4+6)

Not having a concept of what “Life” is made it difficult for the West to understand the concept of “Prana” and the method to bring it to its full potential, “pranayama”, which led to the misuse of the practice. Prana was understood to be breath and pranayama a manipulation of the respiratory system. There is a link Prana-breath, some pranic forces (not all) share the same rhythm with respiration; their structure nevertheless, their purpose and location are of entirely different nature.

Modern Yoga describes Pranayama using terms such as: diaphragm, lungs, oxygen, nostrils, gas exchange and points out that the practice increases lung capacity and leads to respiratory health. None of these terms can be found in the Indian Yoga tradition, but the following words are: Prana (life), vayu (the movement of Prana), apana, prana, samana, udana, vyana (subforms of vayu), nadis (prana conductors), chakras (pranic whirling centres), kanda (the origin of all nadis), sushumna (the central spiritual nadi), mala and granthi (impurities in the nadis), kundalini (a dormant power to be awakened by pranayama). Pranayama is a process in the pranic not in the physical body. The scriptures point out that pranayama leads to the cessation of breath, not an increase of lung capacity, with the aim of reaching an enlightened state, not respiratory health. The scriptures talk about something other than breathing therapy.  

My book “Pranayama; Lost in Translation” attempts to recover the original meaning and practice of pranayama. This book is the result of decades of personal pranayama practice, teaching pranayama and research of classical Indian scriptures. Early in my research I began to doubt whether the translations and interpretations were correct. My Sanskrit studies confirmed my doubts, and I found that the original understanding of pranamaya has been “lost in translation”.

There are countless enthusiastic Yoga practitioners in many countries of the world, some are fascinated by the mystery of the discipline and the opportunities it offers to transform lives, the opportunities it gives to gain insight, inner peace and happiness. These opportunities are overshadowed by modern stretching and breathing exercises. I hope that my book enables Yoga practitioners to gain a clearer understanding of the mystery of Yoga and offers them instructions they can use on their own spiritual journey.

I opened my “Gift of India Yoga School” in 2021, after having taught for the British Wheel of Yoga for 30 years, with the mission to show that Yoga is a sacred, old, Indian, spiritual path rather than a form of exercise as it is offered in sports centres. My book is part of this mission. I have presented these insights in many classes and workshops over the years, and many students were fascinated and found that the approach opened new doors for them, as the following testimonies indicate:

“Your session this morning will, I feel, be life changing for me.  I finally 'got it', after years of teaching, starting with Krishnamurti's autumn gatherings, various Buddhist teachers, great yoga teachers, BWY Diploma, to name but a few.  But as you so rightly demonstrated, understanding intellectually isn't enough, it needs to be practised.  And you provided that opportunity so skilfully this morning.  So my heartfelt thanks.”

“Thank you so much for a wonderfully enlightening workshop. I've taken away so many new insights from today and there's lots of things to explore further.”

“I enjoyed exploring the authentic experience of pranayama and felt I was able to drop into the practice quite readily. I am excited to continue exploring this further. “

“What can I say?!! I have just watched the first session of your course - it was absolutely revolutionary. Thank you so very much. “

“Thank you very much for a really interesting workshop yesterday. I really enjoyed it and am fascinated by the mistranslation of the texts and how this has been mistaught over the years. Thank you for your dedication and curiosity in unpicking this through learning Sanskrit. I enjoyed the mixture of movement and practices to help embed the learning This is what helps me learn best to put it into practice. “

The book includes personal stories from my Yoga path, anecdotes from my teaching experience, quotes and references of many Yoga scriptures from different ages (all translated by myself), text interpretations, practical instructions and references to the spiritual history of India.

I will present my book at the World Yoga Festival in London August 2025; at the OM Yoga Show October 2025 in London, at several BWY CPD days and at other in-person and zoom workshops organised by myself.

I am happy to be contacted with requests for Zoom sessions and workshops. I am happy to travel to give training days and workshops within the UK, Netherlands and Germany (I can teach in German).

Contact me if you are interested:

Angela Andrea Ashwin

The Gift of India Yoga School

231A Exeter Road

Exmouth, Devon, EX8 3ED

United Kingdom

info@angela-ashwin.co.uk

www.angela-ashwin.co.uk