Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 22
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
औदरं रेचयेद्वायुं तथायं रेचकः स्मृतः । बाह्येन मरुता देहं दृतिवत्परिपूरयेत्
audaraṃ recayedvāyuṃ tathāyaṃ recakaḥ smṛtaḥ | bāhyena marutā dehaṃ dṛtivatparipūrayet
Man soll den Wind aus dem Bauch ausstoßen—dies gilt als recaka (Ausatmung). Dann soll man mit der äußeren Luft den Körper ganz erfüllen, als wäre er ein Blasebalg.
Suta Goswami (continuing the Vāyavīya teaching on yogic discipline as transmitted in the Shiva Purana tradition)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Prāṇa mastery is framed as a sādhana that refines the paśu’s instrument (body-mind) so it can receive higher Śaiva knowledge and grace.
FAQs
It frames breath-discipline as a Shaiva means of inner purification: regulating vāyu steadies the mind and loosens pāśa (bondage), preparing the seeker (paśu) for grace-oriented realization of Pati, Shiva.
Prāṇāyāma supports Saguna Shiva worship by making japa, dhyāna, and Linga-upāsanā steady; a purified breath and mind become fit instruments for devotion that culminates in Shiva’s liberating grace.
A practical prāṇāyāma instruction: perform recaka (expelling abdominal air) and then fill with external air (puraka), like a bellows—ideally alongside Shiva-japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and meditative focus.