Breathing is the foundation of all life. Every human who has ever lived or will ever live will take approximately 500 million breaths. The interdependence of our bodies, brains, and breathing is fundamental.
Breathing deeply affects our mental and physical health, and how we breathe influences how we feel about ourselves. Supposedly, a deep breathing practice improves one’s concentration and physiognomy.
Practicing pranayama is an ancient method of restoring health and balance through breath control. It dates back thousands of years ago and was originally found in the traditional yoga texts known as the Vedas. Yoga became one part of Hinduism that separates from Brahmanism. This ancient art may help you lower your blood pressure, increase your energy levels, and decrease anxiety and stress without any medical treatments. Many yoga teachers view pranayama as a significant facet of yoga.
How to Do Yoga Breathing
In some yoga practices, breathing plays a large role in guiding movements. For example, you will inhale when you extend your arms up towards the sky or bring them to an upright position. When practicing Ujjayi Pranayama- also known as ocean sound- you breathe deeply with puffs of air coming out through slightly parted lips while filling and emptying your lungs rapidly back and forth between inhalation and exhalation, respectively.
You can apply the same principle of buoyancy to your breathing. If you are inhaling, see yourself as inflating a balloon and see the balloon floating upwards. When you exhale, see yourself deflating the balloon and sinking downwards. This will help coordinate your breathing with movement in yoga poses.
A general rule of yoga breathing is to focus on the movement. The inhale can be seen as preparation for the movement – taking deep breaths and filling your lungs before starting the exhale, which prepares you for what comes next. When in stillness, it is important to breathe in deeply and hold onto those deep breaths before finally letting them out while stretching or moving into another pose. This will give you strength while also supporting your next position.
Yoga isn’t something you can do without effort – it takes time and dedication to learn how to do it properly. Without putting in the work, you’ll never find peace within yourself through yoga; no matter how many people tell you, it doesn’t take much effort.
Yoga Breathing Names
1. Ujjayi Breathing
This breathing exercise can help calm and focus your mind if you’re feeling irritable, frustrated, or even angry. Close your mouth and contract your throat musculature to make an ocean wave sound or ocean breath while inhaling deeply but not too deeply. Alternatively, you can make the hah sound while exhaling through your open mouth. Remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, making a similar audible sound.
When performing Ujjayi breathing techniques, you will take a deep breath through your nose and then out just as slowly and gently. Please only perform this technique for short intervals of time because too much may cause side effects such as dizziness or fatigue. Although this practice can be beneficial when performed under supervision, please consult with a licensed physician before beginning to make sure it is appropriate for you.
2. Siitkari Kumbhaka
This practice is similar to shitali in its effects. Breathe in through your nose, hold in the breath for six to eight seconds, then breathe out while your tongue rests on the roof of your mouth and make a hissing sound. Besides reducing pitta dosha, it purifies the sense organs and is contraindicated in the same situations as shashtiyaaraha. (Hindi).
A Shiite or Sitkari practitioner should not practice pranayama before or after meditation. Pranayama generally shouldn’t be practiced more than once.
3. Bhastrika
Please only perform this exercise under the guidance of a competent teacher. Breathing in and out incredibly rapidly may cleanse your thoughts, emotions, and body. Begin by inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right. Then shift to your right side, breathing through your right nostril and expelling through your left. Repeat this process 20 times.
4. Chandra Bhedana
To reduce pitta, one should take deep breaths through the left nostril while exhaling through the right. Doing this at least six times could help alleviate some symptoms of high pitta levels, such as anger and inflammation. People with mental health issues (such as depression or anxiety) should not use this technique since it could worsen these conditions.
5. Nadi Shodhana
Breathe in deeply through your left nostril, then close off your right nostril by pressing it between your thumb and forefinger. Switch to breathing out smoothly from the other side, inhaling from your right nostril and then releasing from the left side of the nose. Repeat until you feel completely relaxed.
With your left index finger, close off your right nostril. Inhale fully through your left nostril, then close it off with your left thumb. Exhale fully through your right nostril, then close it off with your right index finger. Continue alternating between each side of the nose and practice for three to five minutes, ensuring that you are effortlessly inhaling and exhaling without interrupting the pattern of change.
6. Shiitali Kumbhaka
To relieve a headache, inhale and close your mouth around your folded tongue. Take a deep breath and count to eight before exhaling. Repeat this procedure at least eight more times until no pain sensations remain. In addition to enhancing concentration, this approach can exacerbate asthma and bronchitis.
7. Brahmari
The breathing technique of Brahmari is comparable to the Deep Ujjayi Breathing practice detailed earlier. For this method to work, one only needs to make a humming sound like bees do when they buzz after collecting honey from flowers. This technique causes vibrations in the heart and head area, which result in enhanced benefits and an enhancement of these resonances. Breathe deeply while closing your ears while taking ten deep breaths.
8. Surya Bhedana
Immediately after inhaling through your right nostril, exhale through your left nostril. Take six to ten deep breaths and repeat for at least five minutes. As well as reducing tension and anxiety, this can also balance Vata dosha in the body. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should visit a doctor before continuing with this procedure.
Final Thoughts
As you might have seen during a regular practice, practitioners flow through poses and hold them for a set duration. At first glance, it seems like the sole objective of yoga is to manipulate your body to increase strength and flexibility. However, while these are some of the benefits of practicing yoga, there’s also an untold benefit: breathing deeply.
One simple breathing exercise to calm your anxious thoughts is when you breathe out longer than you inhale. This lowers the tone of your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight reaction) while increasing the tone of your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Take at least five minutes before feeling the difference in how much lighter and happier you feel. Anyone can accomplish this without consulting an instructor.