Pranayama: The Power & Art of Breath Control (With 10 Exercises)

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Prayanma, or breathing exercises, is an integral part of Yoga (along with asanas), which helps us regulate our breath. It’s a Sanskrit-derived word where “Prana” means life force and “Yama” means control.

So, by daily inhalation and exhalation, we begin to govern and manage our life force. A life force that we start from the moment we arrive in the world to taking our last breath.

Throughout our lives, we are connected with our life force.

Moreover, it also includes our emotions, how we respond to different situations, and everything we do and think.

I have been a regular practitioner of it for the past few weeks, and I have noticed it has made me tranquil and self-aware.

For me, Pranayama is amazing because it amplifies and optimizes our breath.

Enabling us to harness its full potential.

Breath is something that we do every second of our life. So, as we make our seconds better, it will get compounded and start to make our days better, too.

Steps to do Pranayama:

Practising Pranayama is simple; anyone can practice it. However, remember that certain Pranayama, though beneficial, might not be suitable for you if you have any underlying diseases like hypertension, diabetes, etc.

So it’s best to seek the counsel of a doctor or Yoga teacher before you start doing it.

When it comes to practising Pranayama, they consist of different types, but all boils down to following a simple three-step process.

#Step 1: Pooraka (Inhalation)

#Step 2: Rechaka (Exhalation)

#Step 3: Kumbhaka (Retention): This step is where you hold your breath after inhalation and exhalation.

Types of Pranayama or Breath Exercises:

1. Kapalabhati (Skull Shining)
2. Bastrika (bellows breathing)
3. Murcha (The retaining breath)
4. Ujjayi (The hissing breath)
5. Sithali (Cooling breath)
6. Alom Vilom (also called sukkah purvoka or easy breathing)
7. Sitkari
8. Brahmari
9. Lion’s breath
10. Jalandhar bandh

As you start daily practice of Pranayama, you will start realizing that every moment of your life counts.