Pranayama is for the most part the conscious control of breath so as to achieve a calming of the mind and aid in obtaining an optimal level of health.
Pranayama is a Sanskrit term composed of two parts: prana (which means "life energy") and yama (which means the control and/or expansion thereof).
Pranayama is the control and/or expansion of one's own life energy through a series of appropriately chosen rhythmic breathing exercises and practices appropriately combined with select meditation techniques.