Pranayama Practices- Yoga Breath

Yoga is the way to our breath among other things and not just a bunch of physical postures. One of the most important parts in yoga is Pranayama — which means extension of breath or more accurately breathing exercise. In this article, we touch on different Pranayama practices that can put control in your hands through the power of Breath.

What is Pranayama?

Pranayama is the ancient yogic practice to control our breaths. It acts as the connection between body and mind, inducing relaxation but also ensuring focus with emotional equilibrium. The idea of implementing regulation over our breathing patterns is to create a positive impact on how much energy we have, and bring piece into our surroundings.

Benefits of Pranayama

Benefits of doing Pranayama techniques are :-

• Decrease Stress: Deep breathing helps lowering stress and anxiety levels which creates a sense of calm.
• Enhanced Concentration: It has been proved that paying attention to the breath can improve your concentration levels and mental clarity, thus making it easier for you to deal with everyday tasks as they come.
• Increased Lung Capacity: Pranayama exercises helps in increasing the lung function which promote better respiratory health.
• Smarter Emotions : Control of breath allows to control emotions and helps manage tough times.

Popular Pranayama Techniques

Following are the popular Pranayama technique in practice which you can include as part of your routine

1. SOUNDS Ujjayi Breath (Victorious Breath)

Ujjayi breath a light constriction in the back of your throat giving it that oceanly sound. This helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing relaxation and focus.

How to Practice:

• Sit or lie down comfortably.
• Take a deep breath in through your nose, squeezing the throat.
• Constrict the back of your throat as if you were fogging a mirror, and begin to inhale through your nose. Exhale smoothly (and silently) through your noise while still constricting in that same way.
• Do this for a few rounds, simply focusing on the sound of your breath and its rhythm.

2. Nadi Shodhana / Alternate Nostril Breathing

Creates a balance point between the left and right hemispheres of the brain; facilitating harmony and clarity. This is an excellent way to prepare calming of the mind and allowing for meditation.

How to Practice:

• Be seated and obstruct your right nostril with tantric_theory
• Take a deep breath in through the left nostril.
• Completely close the right nostril and unblock left.
• And exhale right.
• Breath in through right, Close it exhalation from left.
• Alternate for a few minutes

3. Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath)

Another technique, more vigorous in nature includes Kapalabhati where passive inhales are replacing rapid and sharp exhales. It is an invigorating practice that drives away the cobwebs and it centres the body.

How to Practice:

• Relax and sit up straight for better posture.
• Breathe in deeply through your nose.
• Push your breath through the nose and tighten up all those abdominal muscles.
• It also helps me remember to actually inhale on the next available breath!
• Do this for 30 seconds to a minute
• How can you include pranayama in your practice?
• Practicing Pranayama daily can have great benefits. Again, just do a few minutes of breathwork each day and work your way up to longer sessions. Combine these things with asanas (yoga poses) or meditation for a holistic sense of well-being.

Conclusion

Yoga breathing through Pranayama techniques is one of the simplest ways possible to get all those things — improved mental clarity, emotional balance and your health. These breathing techniques are perfect for any level yogi, whether you're advanced or at the very beginning of your yoga journey they will take your practice to a whole new place and help bring more presence in alignment with inner peace. So take a breath, and let the miracle of self awareness begin to unfold.