top of page

Pranayama: A How to Guide...

Writer's picture: LauraLaura

I mean we all know how to breathe right, inhale and exhale. Pretty simple. But then we go to a yoga class and suddenly there's a ton of new ways to breathe that are much more complicated than that. Perhaps it's overwhelming or maybe it's inspired a curiosity to know more. Let's break it down.


 

Sama Vritti Pranayama:

English name: Equal Breath What is it?: In short this breathing technique asks you to breath in equal counts, for example inhaling for a count of 4, then exhaling for a count of 4. Progression includes increasing the counts, and the repetitions.

How do I do it?: Start by taking a comfortable seat ensuring the chest, neck and belly has plenty of space to expand. Next start to become aware of the breath. Notice the inhales and exhales, the feel; sound; length of the natural breath. After a few rounds of breath awareness, start to bring a uniform count to the inhale and exhale. Ensure the count is comfortable to maintain and you are able to keep the body relaxed. A good place to start is between 3-5. For the purpose of this we'll start with a count of 4. Inhale for 4, exhale for 4. Repeat this 4 times. You can keep count on your fingers to help keep track. Option to keep the original count and work here as much as needed, or increase the count and repetition by 1. So inhale for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 5, repeat 5 times. This entire process can be repeated to increase the length of inhalation and exhalation over many practices.

How does it affect the body: Equal breath develops awareness and improves concentration by balancing the mind. It also is a great technique for those with anxiety as it takes the mind off of busy thoughts and anchors the student in a very simple but involved process for breathing. As with most breathing techniques, an increase in oxygen will calm the nervous system creating a calm body and a readiness to continue in the practice.


Nadi Shodana Pranayama:

English name: Alternative Nostril Breathing

What is it?: Just as the english name suggests, this breathing technique instructs breathing through one nostril at a time. By sealing off one nostril and inhaling, switching nostrils and exhaling, then repeating the process. An great way to remember this is to repeat "seal, inhale, retain, switch, exhale" in your mind as you practice.

How do I do it?: First bring your fore and middle finger up to the third eye, between the eyebrows. Next gently place your thumb on one nostril, ring finger on the other. Take a couple of deep breaths through both nostrils here. Then gently press down with your thumb to seal off one nostril. Inhale deeply, retain the breath and seal off the other nostril. At this point both nostrils are sealed. Then, release the thumb to open the alternate nostril and exhale. Repeat the process starting from the nostril you just exhaled out off. Repeat for up to five minutes.

How does it affect the body: This pranayama technique includes pairing movement with breath and requires concentration. Designed to purify the nadis (subtle energy channels) by balancing the hemispheres of the brain. As well as bringing fresh oxygen into the body, it is a deeply meditative technique when the individual gets into the rhythm of it.


Ujjayi Pranayama:

English name: Ocean Breath.

What is it?: Ujjayi breath is a fantastic breathing technique for newcomers as it has a tangible element to it that helps you keep track of the breath. By gently restricting the back of the throat (called the glottis) the inhale and exhale is made far more audible. The sound is often likened to the sound of waves at a beach, hence its name 'ocean breath'. This audible sound creates a relaxing atmosphere and another tangible link to the breath which can help in linking breath to movement in asana practice.

How do I do it?: As mentioned above the practice is pretty simple as all it involves is a gentle restriction of the back of the throat. Find a comfortable seat and start by bringing awareness to your natural rhythm of breath. After several rounds of this, start to inhale through the nose and out through the mouth for a couple of rounds. Next, bring your palm up to your face and imagine it is a mirror, on the next exhalation try and fog up the 'mirror'. Notice the soft restriction in the back of the throat. Keep this stage going for a couple of rounds of breath, playing with the restriction - softening or intensifying - find what works for you. Next we'll remove the 'mirror' bringing the hands to rest in the lap. Next we'll try closing the mouth and keeping the soft restriction as we inhale and exhale through the nostrils. Notice the sound the breath makes. This is ujjayi breath.

How does it affect the body: Ujjayi breath is a wonderful technique for all levels of experience within yoga. This breath actively energises and relaxes the body at the same time. By bringing fresh oxygen into the body we are calming the nervous system, by having a soft restriction of breath we warm the breath thereby energising the body. The sound and sensation of the breath makes maintaining awareness of the breath more accessible as well as calming the nerves and creating quiet in the mind.


Kumbhaka Pranayama:

English name: Breath Retention.

What is it?: This breathing technique focuses on maintaining and lengthening the natural pause between the inhale and exhale. This practice should be developed slowly and mindfully, to ensure the body is relaxed and unstrained by the practice. This particular form of Kumbhaka focuses on the retention of breath between the inhale and exhale and is called Antara Kumbhaka.

How do I do it?: Take a comfortable seat and bring awareness to the breath before transitioning to equal breath. After a few rounds begin to bring in ujjayi breath. When comfortable and the mind is quiet start to focus awareness on the slight pause between inhalation and exhalation. Notice how the body, mind and space around you feels at that moment of pause. Start to hold the retention for a two to three seconds longer than normal. Follow this with several rounds of ujjayi. Holding the breath should require minimal effort and exhalation should be as controlled as the inhalation. If the breath rushes out on the exhale reduce the time of retention. Continue and when comfortable begin to increase the length of retention as long as there is no strain. This increase can be done over several sittings.

How does it affect the body: Within this pause the mind and body become still and clear. This process involves training the neuromuscular intelligence of the diaphragm as well as other respiratory muscles. As with other breathing techniques this increases concentration in the mind as well as linking breath and the body.


Kapalabhati Pranayama:

English name: Fire Breath

What is it?: This breathing technique energises the body by making the exhalations active and the inhalations passive. The opposite to natural breathing. This technique requires concentration and linking of mind, body, and breath.

How do I do it?: First take a comfortable seat and begin with several rounds of ujjayi breath to prepare. Once ready inhale halfway then rapidly and repeatedly expel air out the nose. The sound of this breath comes from the nostrils not the throat. When empty of breath allow a slight pause to bring more breath into the body. Start with up to 25 of these rapid and forceful exhalations before inhaling deeply, retaining the breath and then releasing. With each round of kapalabhati notice the sensations in the body, particularly the head. Does it feel calm and clear? Over time kapalabhati practice can be sustained for several minutes.

How does it affect the body: Kapalabhati helps reduce stress, improve brain function as well as respiratory health. The increase of oxygen in the blood supply as a result of this technique also creates a feeling of exhilaration.


Sitali Pranayama:

English name: Cooling Breath

What is it?: Sitali means 'cooling'. This breathing technique is designed to help cool the body down and calm the self. It can be done after a vigorous asana practice, kapalabhati pranayama or during a hot day.

How do I do it?: Take a comfortable seat, close the eyes or adopt a soft gaze and relax. Extend the tongue curling* both sides up and in towards the centre to create a channel. This channel holds a lot of moisture. Inhale slowly and deeply drawing air into the tongue channel and sense the cooling effect as the air passes over the moisture of the tongue. Close the mouth and exhale from the nose with control. Repeat ten times and then relax. Over time sitali practice can be built up to 15 minutes duration.

*if you have difficulty curling the tongue you can extend the tongue flat outside the mouth and take the same steps.

How does it affect the body: This technique cools the air as it enters your body, creating a cooling effect in the mouth and down the throat. Helping to cool the body down from the inside.


Linking Pranayama with Asana:

One of the best ways to further your yoga practice is to link movement with breath. This can be really challenging at first but with continued practice can become almost second nature. Start by practicing pranayama at the start of your asana practice, drawing attention to the breath. As you begin to move try and link the speed of movement with the speed of your breath. Another great tip is to link movements that extend away from the centre of the body with inhales and movements that come back into the centre with exhales. Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) is a particularly excellent flow to practice linking movement and breath. Play around with different breathing techniques and see which ones suit you and your body, remember ujjayi, awareness of breath, and equal breath are particularly good for the linking of movement and breath. Good luck!


Any questions or want to chat about yoga? Contact me here!


Interested in a private one to one class to work on pranayama and asana, check out my online 1-2-1's!


By Laura Carey

4 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page