pranayama
Pranayama is the art of turning the most mundane act—breathing—into a sacred ritual. With every exaggerated inhalation, practitioners convince themselves they are communing with the cosmos, and with each exhalation, they believe they are purging worldly distractions. Ultimately, it is a collective self-hypnosis that dresses up ordinary respiration in mystical garb, ensuring everyone feels a little wiser without actually changing their day-to-day existence.