miracles of the moon ☽

Prana means breath or energy or life.
Ayama means expansion or extend of life.
Yama means etics or a kind of practice.

Pranayama is life force expansion, breath expansion or breath ethics.

Within pranayama there are some competent like inhale, exhale and holding. The Sanskrit words for these terms are:
Puraka – inhale
Rechaka – exhale
Kumbhaka – expansion / holding

You have internal (antar) and external (bahin) holding of the breath. Internal means when you inhale and hold the breath and external means when you exhale and hold the breath.

You do pranayama after asana practice and before meditation practice.