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.