Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
सन्नियम्येंद्रियग्रामं नातिनीचोच्छ्रितासनः । मध्यमं चोत्तमं चाथ प्राणायाममुपक्रमेत्
sanniyamyeṃdriyagrāmaṃ nātinīcocchritāsanaḥ | madhyamaṃ cottamaṃ cātha prāṇāyāmamupakramet
Matapos mapigil nang mabuti ang pangkat ng mga pandama, at umupo nang hindi masyadong mababa ni masyadong mataas, saka simulan ang pagsasanay ng prāṇāyāma—una ang katamtaman at pagkatapos ay ang higit na mataas na paraan.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A yogin seated in a balanced posture on a simple mat near a Kāśī ghat, senses withdrawn, beginning measured breath-control; distant silhouettes of temple spires and the Gaṅgā.
FAQs
True prāṇāyāma begins with self-restraint and balanced posture, then proceeds step-by-step toward higher discipline.
The instruction belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework, implicitly grounded in Kāśī (Varanasi) as the sanctified setting for liberation-oriented practice.
A yogic prescription: restrain the senses, sit properly (neither too low nor too high), and begin prāṇāyāma in graded stages (moderate to superior).