Pranayama: 3 Yoga Breathing Exercises for Beginners

As we saw in our last post Pranayama: A Beginners Guide to Yoga Breathing, Pranayama involves breathing techniques and exercises to the control the life force (prana)  within our body. This is practiced in thousands of different ways and is known as the types of Pranayama. While breathing is normally an automatic process, the conscious regulation of air in and out of the lungs in the form of inhalation and exhalation both in respect of speed and time has a beneficial effect on the mind and the body. This is the aim of Pranayama. Of the various types of Pranayama, here’s a look a few types of pranayama (breathing exercises) for beginners which can be practiced anyone, anywhere, where distractions are minimal and if you have few minutes to spare.

Bhramari
Bhramari is a large bumble bee. This pranayama is named so because of the humming sound you make when exhaling. It has a very calming effect because of the vibration the humming causes and it helps in lengthening the breath.

• Start off in a comfortable seated position- padmasna, sidhasana or Vajrasana
• Close your ears with the balls of your thumbs and cover your eyes with your middle fingers applying a little pressure, elbows straight out. All sound from the outside should be closed off when you press your ears.
• The position of your index fingers is along your eyebrow bone and the other two fingers lightly covering the rest of your eye and just below the eyes.
• Take a deep inhalation.
• Slowly exhale, releasing air through your nose all the while making a humming sound that resonates in your head. You should feel the vibrations.
• Repeat 3-5 times and end with three simple breaths before releasing your ears and uncovering your eyes.

Kapālabhāti Pranayama (Cleansing Breath)
This exercise is known as the cleansing breath as it clears blocked nasal passages. It emphasis on exhalation leaves inhalation up to the natural reflex. It uses only abdominal breathing, that is breathing into the diaphragm. (*This exercises should be approached with caution for people with Blood Pressure as if it is done incorrectly one may feel lightheaded )

• Sitting upright in Vajrasana, place hands on your thighs.
• Gently exhale all of the air from the lungs then take a regular inhalation.
• Exhale through the nose, mouth closed with force rapidly in a short burst (like a sneeze) so your stomach squeezes in.
• Repeat twenty times, keeping a steady rhythm paying attention and emphasizing on the exhalation each time. Let the inhalation happen automatically. You should use your stomach muscles to exhale completely.
• Perform 8 to 12 Kapalabhati inhalations and exhalations for starters. This is one round. Slowly build up the Kapalabhati breaths taken in each round with practice to 30 times or 1 minute and then to 5 mins minutes.
• Repeat for 3 rounds.

Anulom Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
This Pranayama technique that directs the flow of Prana (life force) between the two sides of the brain and balances the body. It is a simple exercise for beginners that makes you feel balanced, relaxed and calm.

• Sitting in simple crossed leg or any comfortable seated position, fist your index and middle finger of one hand leaving the thumb, ring finger and pinky sticking out.
• Where the bridge bone of the nose ends close one nostril with the thumb. If you closed the right nostril, inhale deeply through the left nostril and count the time of inhalation.
• Closing the other nostril (left in this case) with the middle and pinky finger hold the breath for a few seconds
• Keeping the left side closed, release your thumb and exhale slowly through the right nostril. The exhalation counts should be higher than the inhalation.
• Once you completely exhale, inhale through the same nostril (right)
• Close both nostrils, hold breath and then release through the left side. Repeating this pattern.
• Continue alternating 5 to 10 times.

*Photo credits: photos by lululemon athletica, Bindaas Madhavi on flickr.

Pranayama: A Beginners Guide to Yoga Breathing

The Basics of Yoga Breathing and Pranayama

Pranayama is the practice of breathing exercises, one of the many parts of yoga. ‘Prana‘ translates into “life force energy” and ‘Yama‘ translates into “control or mastery of”. In other words, Pranyama is used to control, cultivate, and modify the art of breathing and energy balance. Pranayama involves breathing techniques practiced in thousands of different ways.

Most of the Yoga Pranayama exercises consist of 4 parts:
1. Inhalation – Puraka
2. Lungs full retention – Antara Kumbhaka
3. Exhalation – Rechaka
4. Lungs empty retention – Bahya kumbhaka

Many of the breathing techniques in pranayama vary the use of these 4 parts and in the earlier stages of learning the retentions are done lightly.

It is only through proper breathing that oxygen is supplied to the various parts of the body and vital organs. Since Pranayama with regular practice improves your breathing technique, it helps your organs which rely on oxygen function better.

Here’s a Short Guide to Pranayama for Beginners:

Traditionally Pranayama is practiced in the full Lotus Pose (left image). For beginners though this position is not easy to hold and it can make you stiff or uncomfortable. Since the basics of Yoga calls for concentration and to remove all thoughts especially distractions from your mind, it’s best to start your pranayama exercises on a chair, till you learn the lotus position and are completely comfortable holding it for long periods of time (for which you need to do some stretching exercises before taking the seated position).

Choose a nice seat that prompts you to sit upright. Since most seats naturally make you slouch, put a cushion behind your lower back so that your spine curves forward pushing your shoulders back. Allow a little looseness in your posture so that the muscles around the chest and torso have plenty of room to move and expand. Pay attention to your sitting position during the exercises as it’s very easy to start slouching and loose the right posture. Remember there should always be space between the front of the belly and below the navel.

This is the first step to Pranayama. Your Inhalation must be slow and controlled. When inhaling listen to the sound. Keep it smooth and harmonious so that the air enters at a steady rate throughout the inhalation.

Try to inhale deeply but stop when your chest or mind feels any strain. In fact your should try to stop just short of your deepest boundary because of tension or too much pressure. Never forcefully try to deepen your intake. Respect your limits and know when to stop. Your capacity with gradually increase with regular practice.

Antara Kumbhaka means full container. It refers to the part of the breath when the lungs are full of air. It can be done passively or with a positional lock called Jālandhara Bandha. It is done by raising the rib cage up and placing the chin down thereby cutting off the flow of air and energy from the base of the neck.

Introduce the technique after your inhalations have been mastered and harmonized rhythmically. Once the lungs have filled with air cease forcing it in. When the lock is performed the air is trapped and gripped. This causes more pressure as the expansion is decreased by the lock. It sometimes feels as though you are still taking in air.

Antara kumbhaka is essentially holding the breath and allowing time to pass as the lungs change direction. These again like everything in Yoga becomes easier to do with practice.

There is quite an art to exhalation. When exhaling listen to the sound. Like finely tuning a musical instrument the sound is carefully adjusted so that its vibration is perfect throughout exhalation.

If you feel strain at any time during exhalation relax and break the breathing technique. Take easy breaths until you feel relaxed then continue.

Just as in inhalation this process must be slow and controlled. You could even keep count in your head if it helps.

Bahya Kumbaka refers to the time after exhalation and before inhalation. It is the time when the lungs have little or no air. In advanced yoga the lungs are completely emptied but for beginners it is much more fruitful to allow a little air to remain in the lungs.

During Bāhya kumbhaka a lock can be performed called Uddīyana Bandha. In this lock after exhalation the lower abdomen and diaphragm are then drawn upwards in a vacuum. The rib cage is raised creating a little space around the heart.

These 4 parts are the basic of any Pranayama exercise. It’s important to practice each part carefully paying attention to your position of both your outer body and posture and as bizarre as it may sound, your inner organs as well. Be aware of your organs their capacity and if you concentrate and are focused you’ll understand this is possible.

With practice your capacity will increase gradually. You’ll notice your inhalation deepen, your retention will be easier and longer with out the need of any locks and your exhalation will lengthen.

*Photo Credits: photo by odysseyfx on flickr.