How to Begin a Pranayama Yoga Breathing Practice
Pranayama yoga breathing exercises are used in conjunction with yoga asana to control breathing. These ancient breathing techniques help yoga practitioners increase oxygen intake, detoxify the body and perform yoga postures more efficiently. Most people are in the habit of breathing shallowly, and when they feel anxious, they take rapid, short breaths. Pranayama exercises train people to breathe more deeply and completely. Changing your breathing habits can increase energy and decrease stress.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Begin with a gentle three-part yogic breath. This beginning exercise is also called dirga pranayama. Sit in a cross-legged position and rest one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Close your eyes. Inhale deeply and draw air into your abdomen. Release with an exhale. Inhale and fill the belly, then take another sip of air so that you can feel the chest expand. Exhale completely, letting the air out of the chest and then out of the abdomen. Repeat for a few inhalations and exhalations. Next, inhale to fill the belly, take another sip of air to make the chest expand, and then take a third sip of air to feel the collarbones rise. Exhale, releasing the air out of the collarbones, the chest cavity and finally the abdomen. Repeat for a few minutes until you can maintain a comfortable, steady rhythm.
-
2
Energize with ujjayi pranayama. This stimulating pranayama prepares you for challenging vinyasa poses, and it sounds like an ocean. You can practice ujjayi breathing while seated or when flowing from one yoga posture to the next. To practice ujjayi breathing, close your mouth and inhale deeply through your nose. Then lift the muscles in the back of your mouth as if yawning with your mouth closed. Keep your mouth and throat muscles active as you exhale. If your breath sounds oceanic, you are successfully performing the pranayama. Continue the ujjayi breath for a few minutes, or practice integrating it into your yoga asana practice.
-
-
3
Relax with alternate nostril breathing. The nadi sodhana pranayama, or alternate nostril breathing, may feel complicated at first, but the calming affects are worth the effort. Sit in a cross-legged position and use your right thumb to gently press your right nostril closed. Inhale through the left nostril and hold at the top of the inhalation. Uncover the right nostril and use your ring finger to close the left nostril. Exhale through the right nostril and pause. Inhale through the right nostril, then shift the hand to release the left nostril and close the right nostril. Exhale through the left nostril, pause, and inhale through the left nostril. Release the left nostril, close the right nostril with your thumb, and exhale. Continue, alternating in the same pattern for one to two minutes. After finishing, sit quietly and observe the results of the pranayama exercise; you should feel calm and relaxed.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit meditation 1 image by pdesign from Fotolia.com
