How to Practice Pranayama in Yoga

Pranayama fosters ease in mind and body.

Pranayama is one of the 8 limbs of the path of yoga described by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga-Sutras. It is the practice of control of energy (prana), usually through conscious meditative breathing.

Instructions

1. Find a comfortable seated or lying down position. Pranayama is usually done in a seated position, but if sitting up straight is difficult for you, a lying down position can work to.

2. Close your eyes and just notice your breath. Notice the rhythm, temperature of the inhale and exhale and sensation of your breath moving through the nostrils, down the throat and into the lungs and then back out. Just take a few breaths to notice and feel.

3. Ujjayi breath. There are many different breaths practiced in yoga, each with a different aim or use. We'll do ujjayi breathing, also known as ocean sounding breath. Ujjayi is often used in yoga asana practice as it tends to extend and deepen the breath, and provides an internal focus - you can really hear your breath.

4. Bring one hand up in front of your face, and exhale as if your hand were a mirror and you were fogging the mirror. Notice the configuration of your throat as you do that. Now, close your mouth, and inhale and exhale with your throat in that configuration, with the glottus gently pressing toward the back of the throat. this makes a soft 'ha' sound at the back of the throat.

5. Focus on a nice easy rhythm of the breath in ujjayi. Invite the breath to deepen and lengthen, but let it happen naturally rather than pushing. Continue this breath for 5 minutes or so, gradually working up to longer practice. Pranayama is a lovely compliment to meditation practice or yoga practice.

Tips & Warnings

• Never strain - stay relaxed. Finding a good yoga teacher that you like can be very helpful in developing a rewarding pranayama practice. If ujjayi was confusing, you can simply observe the breath and it's energy, and you are practicing pranayama. Descriptions of additional pranayama techniques are described in the links below. There are a growing number of wonderful books on pranayama practice - simply doing a search on Amazon will give you many options.

• If you have a health or medical condition that impacts your breath, always check with your health provider before undertaking this or any other new practice. Working with a professional is a great idea for getting started. If you are just beginning your yoga or pranayama, and find instruction on some of the more advanced techniques, please be wise and give your self plenty of time with the simpler techniques first - jumping in too fast can have unexpected results!