"How do i breathe... without you here by my side??" Does anyone else remember that R&B song by Mario.... no, just me then?? Well, unlike the terrible, cheesey lyrics of a noughties R&B Z-lister would suggest, our anatomy is actually quite smart when it comes to breathing - and it doesn't require our teenage crush to be 'by our side'!
The breath is such a fundamental part of yoga, it often saddens me to see how little it is represented in modern day yoga. The breath in our body is the life force that keeps our organs and bodily functions working at an optimum level. The more we can increase our intake of oxygen, the more healthy blood we have to pump around the body to help fight off infections, strengthen our skeletal structure, repair muscle damage, increase concentration... the health benefits of just breathing are endless! And it all comes from a simple inhale and exhale - that's quite incredible really!
What is yoga breathing?
The breath in yoga, is just as important as breathing is for the body. Yoga breathing is what establishes the mind and body connection, it's how we centre ourselves and draw focus inwards to listen to our body and take note of what it is telling us.
I've mentioned previously in my Yoga for Stress Relief blog that by slowing down the breath, we are able to activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (the rest and digest response in our brain) which allows the mind to slow down, encouraging the body to relax. Through certain yoga breathing exercises, such as 3 part breath, observing the natural breath or counting the breath, we are able to slow down the chattering mind and engage that relaxation response - and let's face it, we all need to relax a little more right! So why not start with something as simple as the breath!
Breathing in Yoga is what allows the body to flow and move in particular ways. Have you ever noticed in your yoga class sometimes that you'll be in Paschimottonasana (seated forward fold) and you're struggling to bring your hands toward your feet, and then your teacher queues you to hone in on your breath... you focus on a deep inhale and a nice long exhale... then suddenly you feel you can walk your hands down your legs a little further, the hamstrings release and lengthen that bit more and you suddenly feel a lot more flexible? Well that is the yoga of breathing at work! By engaging with the breath, bringing your focus to that lengthening exhale, your muscles are able to release into the pose allowing you to relax into your posture. It's like magic really!
So not only are we using our yogic breath to manipulate the relaxation response from our nervous system, with particular breathing techniques we can also work with the breath to deepen our physical practice, in asanas to build stamina, flexibility and strength.
What is Pranayama?
Pranayama is translated from Sanskrit to mean 'breath control'.
After mastering posture, one must practice control of the prana (pranayama).
Patanjali, 2.49
From studying the historic scriptures and manuscripts of the Early Yoga era (1500 - 500 BCE), from the likes of The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali the word 'prana' takes on another meaning as well as the breath. This is also a common theme in more modern day manuscripts too, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama of the 15th Century; 'prana' is considered to be the subtle energy that lies within the body.
The practice of Prana-yama can literally be interpreted as breath control with intent, to contain the essential life force. So, by following various breathing exercises, techniques and disciplines, we are able to retain, restore and nourish those subtle energies within our own bodies.
By retaining the energy, the yogis believe that we are able to keep a clearer mind, and keep focus on a particular object in readiness for mediation. And by becoming steady in our meditation practices, we are able to proceed on the journey of reaching the Divine, the state of oneness or also known as, Samadhi.
The practice of pranayama is sometimes considered more difficult than basic yoga breathing, however with the right tutorial I believe that everyone can practice pranayama and learn to develop their techniques in their own time.
So, what's the difference between yoga breathing and pranayama?
Yoga breathing is the gentle practice that we adopt in order to focus on the mind body connection. We use yoga breathing as a tool to activate the relaxation response of our nervous system, allowing the mind to settle and the body to relax. We also use yoga breathing in conjunction with our asana to help deepen our practice and build strength, stamina and flexibility.
Pranayama is an outcome specific technique and discipline that develops breath control, with the intent to retain the subtle energy within our body. Some Pranayama introduce a method of breath retention, also known as 'kumbhaka'. By retaining the breath, the yogis believe that we are preserving our 'prana' in readiness for meditation.
Both methods of breathing techniques help to develop and deepen your experience in your yoga practice. I would encourage that you implement them as often as you can either in conjunction with your asana work or you can practice both breath work and pranayama separate from the physical yoga practice, for 10-15 minutes during a lunch break at work or in the morning before you start your day.
So, now you know the basics around breathing yoga, how the breath is used in yoga and the difference between yoga breathing and pranayama, here are the TOP 4 Yoga Breathing Practices, that will change your life for the better!
3 Part Breath
The 3 part breath is probably the most well known and commonly used form of basic breathing practice. Your yoga teacher will often begin your classes by teaching the 3 part breath method because it is the best practice to bring some awareness to the breath in the body. But until you try it, you'll not understand. So follow my guidance below and try out the 3 part breath method;
- Bring yourself into a comfortable seated position, allowing the backs of the hands to rest on your knees or thighs. Feel free to lie down with the legs extended out fully and the arms extended down by your sides.
- Notice your natural breath. Notice how it enters the body through the nose, and how it feels when it exits your body through your nose.
- Visualise your breath entering your body through your nose, down through your body, into your abdomen.
- Notice how the abdomen expands with the inhalation. You might want to rest a hand gently on your abdomen to notice the rise and fall as the breath expands and contracts this area, during the practice.
Starting to feel relaxed right??
Well, the abdomen is actually connected to the Vagus Nerve. This is the nerve that is responsible for the activation of the relaxation response in your brain. The Vagus Nerve starts off in the brain, runs down the spinal cord and connects to various organs on the way. As we direct our breath into the abdomen, allowing it to expand and contract with the inhalation and exhalation, we are gently pressing against the Vagus Nerve, sending a message to the brain that it is now time to relax. Isn't that clever!
This type of pranayama, doesn't stop there. We are then able to build our breath control, through the body noticing expansion into the ribs and lungs, up to the upper chest and collarbones...
- Bring yourself into a comfortable seated position again, or feel free to lie down, as long as you are comfortable.
- Begin by sending your breath into the abdomen for a few rounds.
- Then by lengthening your inhale, start to visualise the breath building through your torso...
- Notice the breath expand the abdomen and then expand in the ribs and mid-chest
- With an exhalation, feel a sense of release and contraction around the ribs, and then the abdomen
- Repeat breathing in this way...
- When you feel comfortable with the previous stage, begin to visualise the breath building up through the body even more...
- Lengthen the inhalation again, send the breath into the abdomen, then into the ribs and mid-chest and then notice the breath expand into the upper chest, noticing the collarbones lifting slightly...
- With a long exhale, release the breath from the abdomen, the mid-chest and upper chest. Notice how all 3 areas contract and relax with each exhale
- Repeat this practice for several rounds to build confidence in your pranayama practice
Counting The Breath
I love this breathing practice! For me, it's probably the most calming of all the breathing exercises out there. By introducing a count to the breath, it naturally begins to slow the breath down, which is ultimately what we want - slow breaths, slow down the heart rate, slow down the mind, allowing the body to relax.
The count doesn't have to be challenging either. The beauty of basic breathing practices and pranayama is the individualism that you can bring to your time on your yoga mat. If you feel inclined to challenge yourself more, you can begin to increase the count as you deepen your pranayama rituals. Or, if you simply want to slow down and relax then bringing a nice easy count of 3 to each inhale and exhale is enough. So for today, lets start with some easy breath counts;
- Bring yourself into a comfortable seated position, allowing the backs of the hands to rest on your knees or thighs. Alternatively, feel free to lie down with the legs extended out fully and the arms extended down by your sides.
- Observe your natural breath.
- Begin to lengthen the inhale. Notice how the breath enters through the nose, fills up the body with clean air and then notice how the air leaves the body with the out breath.
- Take your time with your exhale. Feel every last bit of breath as it exits your body through your nose.
- Focus on a long, slow inhale. This time, introduce a slow count, 1... 2... 3... - have you reached your maximum intake of breath? Just notice.
- Focus on a long, slow exhale. Initiate the same slow count, 1... 2... 3... - have you fully released all of the air from your body? Just notice.
- Repeat step 5, but if you hadn't reached your maximum inhale, slow down the breath even more to take up the full slow count of 3 for your in breath.
- Repeat step 6, but if you released all of the breath before the end count of 3, slow the breath down even more, slowly release the breath through your nose.
- Repeat inhale/exhale sequence with a slow count of 3, at least 10-15 times.
Bellows Breath (Bhastrika Pranayama)
Unlike our other breathing techniques detailed above, Bellow's Breath or Bhastrika is an energising pranayama. As explained previously, pranayama is the practice of creating and retaining prana or essential life force in the body to awaken our senses, awaken the mind and energise the body from within.
It can aid with digestive problems, as it sends oxygenated blood directly to the stomach, which helps those digestive enzymes do their job more efficiently, breaking down our food and increasing the metabolism.
Practicing bellow's breath first thing in the morning or during that mid-afternoon slump can wake up the mind and body effectively, without reaching for that double espresso! Try to avoid however, practicing this pranayama exercise before bed time as your mind will struggle to relax into a restless sleep.
Why not give this one a go in your next lunch break or first thing tomorrow morning after you roll out of bed, to start your day energised and awakened?
- Come into a comfortable seated position, sit tall ensuring you have a nice straight spine. Avoid lying down for this practice as the vigorous movement of the diaphragm could be restricted.
- Take a few rounds of breath through the nose, slowing down the inhalation and exhalation.
- With each full inhalation be sure to expand the belly and lower ribs, flattening out the diaphragm.
- To begin bellows breathing, exhale forcefully through the nose, notice the belly contract. Follow by inhaling forcefully. (1 rep = inhale + exhale)
- Notice the belly and lower ribs expand on the forceful inhale, and contract on the forceful exhale. Be mindful to keep the spine, neck and head still and relaxed, noticing movement only in the belly.
- Start with 10 Bhastrika breaths. Take a break and breath normally. As you begin to feel more confident with this method of pranayama, you can always begin to increase the repetitions, to 20 breaths, and then 30 breaths. Always be sure to take a break in between.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodana)
The last of our top 4 breathing practices that will help change your life for the better and some may consider this practice the most difficult, as there is a huge element of concentration required to engage. However, bringing some concentration into our yoga isn't a bad thing...
Concentration and focus, known as 'Dharana' is the 6th limb of Patanjali's 8 limbs of Yoga, on the path to Samadhi and sometimes there can be an overlap between Pranayama practices, helping the practitioner to experience Dharana. By developing an intense focus on something like a pranayama exercise or alternatively a physical posture, the practitioner begins to feel the sensation of allowing the mind to focus on just one object or in this case, focus on one practice.
We've all been there right, we're having a go at a headstand or shoulder stand in our yoga class and our entire mind is consumed by that one posture - we're not thinking about what's for dinner tonight or how that big meeting is going to go tomorrow at work, we're simply focusing on our body, in the posture. Being present.
So slightly more complex pranayama practices, such as Nadi Shodana are a great way of bringing our minds to the present. Focusing on just one thing. Which, quite frankly, we ALL need in this chaotic world we live in today, right?
- Come to a comfortable seated position, ensuring that the spine is long. Again, this method cannot be practiced lying down as we may come into some difficulties getting enough air into our alternate nostril breathing.
- Take a few rounds of deep breaths, slowing down the inhale and exhale.
- Gently, using your thumb, close of the right nostril by applying light pressure to the right side of your nose. Continue breathing through the left nostril for 5 reps. (1 rep = inhale + exhale)
- Release the right nostril and gently close of the left nostril with your ring finger, tucking the index and middle finger in. Continue breathing through the right nostril for 5 reps.
- When you feel confident with the above, start to alternate the closing of each nostril. Close off the right nostril, inhale through the left nostril. Close off the left nostril, exhale through the right nostril. Continue breathing in this way for 5-10 reps.
- Take a break and breath normally for a few rounds. Then begin on the other side. So, close off the left nostril, inhale through the right nostril. Close off the right nostril, exhale through left nostril.
Alternate nostril breathing is also brilliant for allergies, those suffering with hayfever or dust reactions, Nadi Shodana can help to expel any pollen or dust particles that get trapped in the nose.