6 deep breathing techniques in yoga that you should try

Breath control is an important part of yoga. If you practice yoga regularly and combine it with the right yoga deep breathing techniques, your body can get a lot of great benefits.

The breath is the bridge between the body and the mind. In yoga, the right breathing is the most important requirement to lay the foundation for the different types of movements that you perform throughout the practice. When breathing deeply, oxygen will circulate to all cells in the body and increase metabolism. If you are a yoga enthusiast, want to pursue the practice of yoga to improve your health, do not ignore the 5 deep breathing techniques below.

The method of breathing pranayama in yoga

Pranayama is a method of breath control in yoga. This is a Sanskrit word for breathing, where “prana” means breath and “yama” means control. Pranayama breathing mainly focuses on practicing deep breathing techniques and helps you better understand how to breathe for better control of your body.

Breathing is a natural human instinct, which means that you don’t have to think about breathing all the time, instead, your nervous system will direct you to focus on other things. The result of this is that most of us are not overly concerned with our breathing and tend to take short, shallow breaths.

This is not good for the body at all. Deep breathing works to heal the damage, the more air we breathe into the lungs, the better. And to do this, you need to know about 6 deep breathing techniques in yoga.

Fundamentals of Pranayama

A basic principle of pranayama yoga is to inhale through your nostrils. Your nose, with its stiff hairs and warming mucous membranes, is the protective filter for your entire respiratory system. If you breathe in through your mouth, nothing can remove impurities, germs, foreign substances, and colds that are inhaled directly into your lungs.

Your energy field will gain greater vibrancy, expansion, strength, and energy as you practice the pranayama exercises in this article.

6 deep breathing techniques in yoga that you should try

The pranayama method includes a variety of deep breathing techniques to help you change the way you breathe to bring the most health benefits to your body. Here are the 5 most representative deep breathing techniques you can try:

1. Bhastrika Pranayama – Breathing exercises

Bhastrika Pranayama is a very effective yoga deep breathing technique. This exercise will help you clear your nostrils and sinuses, and energize your body. So, if you feel tired, sluggish, instead of drinking coffee, try bhastrika pranayama. To do this, you should:

• Sit in lotus position, back straight, palms facing up and resting on knees, tips of thumb and ring finger pointing up higher than other fingers
• Take a deep breath as you can to fill your lungs with oxygen. Then exhale forcefully. Repeat about 5-10 times.
• Remember your breath must come from the diaphragm and abdomen, and must move in and out. As you breathe, the rest of your body must remain the same. As you breathe, observe the sensations in your body and mind.

Benefit:

• Enhance lung function, prevent asthma
• Calm your mind and prevent allergies
• Purify your breath and improve your heart health
• Supports the treatment of common colds and boosts the immune system
• Bring peace of mind.

2. Kapalbhati Pranayama – Breathing exercises to clear the frontal lobes

Kapalbhati Pranayama is a breathing technique that gives you alertness and mental clarity if practiced regularly. This breathing exercise works to remove harmful air from the body. To do this pose, do:

• Sit in a semi-lotus position and place your palms on top of your knees. Focus on the abdomen.
• Relax your abdominal muscles, inhale deeply through your nose to fill your lungs with oxygen, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
• If you put your hand on your stomach, you will feel your belly expand when you inhale and draw in when you exhale.
• Repeat about 20 times. Once you’ve done each exercise, close your eyes and observe your body.

Benefit:

• Improves liver and kidney function
• Remove dark circles and reduce eye fatigue
• Soothes the brain and rejuvenates the body
• Eliminate stomach problems and flatulence
• Improve memory and concentration

3. Bhramari Pranayama – Bee breathing exercise

The Bhramari Pranayama exercise is named after a species of black bee in India. This is a simple deep breathing technique that can be done anywhere to relieve stress. The exhalation in this exercise produces a humming sound, which is why this breathing exercise is named after a species of bee. To do this, you should:

• Sit up straight in the position that makes you most comfortable and put on a gentle smile
• Close your eyes and observe your body
• Use 2 thumbs to cover the ears, use the middle fingers in both hands to gently press on the eyes and close them.
• Using your index finger, gently press your temples. Place your ring finger and little finger on the bridge of your nose. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your nose while your mouth can mutter whatever you want.
• Repeat this breathing exercise about 5 times.

Benefit:

• Supports the treatment of high blood pressure and reduces anger and anxiety
• Relieve Migraine Symptoms and Build Confidence
• Regulating blood pressure and supporting the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
• Nerve soothing
• Gives you a good voice and reduces throat problems.

4. Anulom Vilom – Alternate breathing exercise

Anulom Vilom is a breathing technique that clears the mind and prepares the body for meditation. To do this, you:

• Sit in the lotus, semi-lotus or thunderbolt pose. Straighten your back and bring your chin slightly toward your chest. Close your eyes.
• Place your left palm on your left knee
• Use the thumb of your right hand to gently press the right nostril and inhale through the left nostril. Hold your breath while counting to 5.
• Then close your left nostril with the ring finger of your right hand and let the right nostril exhale air. Inhale through the right nostril while keeping the left nostril closed. Hold your breath while counting to 5, then exhale through the left nostril.
• Repeat about 5 times and then gradually increase.

Benefit:

• Enhance the health of the body
• Promote metabolism and control diabetes
• Relieves arthritis and sinusitis
• Solve eye and ear problems
• Helps treat allergies and asthma.

5. Bahya Pranayama – The “outside” breath

The Bahya Pranayama (or External Breath) breathing exercise refers to holding the breath after exhaling. When held, this breath will be called the “outer breath”. This exercise is an important deep breathing technique that includes 3 steps: inhale, exhale and hold the breath. To do this, you should:

• Sit up straight in lotus pose or thunderbolt pose
• Inhale deeply and exhale completely
• Hold your breath as you lift your belly and bring your chest toward your chin. Hold the pose for 5 to 10 seconds. Then, take a deep breath and relax your stomach and chin.
• Repeat this exercise for about 5 minutes

Benefit:

• Support treatment and prevention of stomach diseases
• Treatment of urinary and reproductive problems
• Improve concentration
• Prevent constipation
• Support the treatment of diabetes and prostate-related diseases.

6. Nadi Shodan Pranayama

Nadi Shodan consists of two words “Nadi” which means an energy channel and “Shodan” which means cleansing.

This breathing technique will help purify the energy that interferes with the respiratory organs in the body and ensure better blood circulation.

This is a simple breathing technique that opens the organs and provides oxygen to the body, removes toxins in the body, and helps your skin to be brighter.

Nadi Shodan is also the alternate breathing technique like Aulom Vilom.

The only difference is that Aulom Vilom needs to breathe harder, and Nadi Shodan Pranayam needs a light and thin breath.

How to perform Nadi Shodan Pranayam breathing:

• Sit up straight and relax
• Breathe deeply and focus on your breath
• Raise your right hand, place the index and middle fingers between the eyebrows
• Now, use your right thumb to cover your right nostril
• Breathe deeply and gently through the left nostril
• Use your right ring finger to cover your left nose and breathe through your right nose
• Breathe deeply through the right nose, close the right nostril and breathe through the left nose
• Repeat the operation about 20 times
• Repeat the cycle 3 times

Breathing is something that most of us rarely pay attention to and are not fully aware of its importance. However, the breath is life, the source of energy for the body. Therefore, try to practice deep breathing techniques regularly to wake up your body and have a great day at work.

If you are still wondering, do not fully understand these breathing techniques, do not hesitate to download easyhealthylive.com to your device, connect with a private yoga teacher for specific instructions.

Reference source:

5 Deep Breathing Exercises Of Pranayama https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/deep-breathing-exercises-for-you-to-try/ Accessed: 12/5/2020