"Without the breath there is no life, no strength and no energy flow."
If you've been to a yoga class at least once in your life, then you probably noticed how often teachers remind you to breath. Indeed, breathing (or pranayama, as it's called in Sanskrit) is very important part of each practice. We start our yoga classes by putting awareness and attention to our breath, it accompanies us through the whole practice, supports us in difficult postures and calms us down at the end of the practice. What are the most common breathing techniques which are used during yoga practice? And how to correctly use them for our benefit? I am happy to share my highlights with you!
Natural Breath
Meaning the one you are using on daily basis. Usually yoga class starts and ends with this breathing, Placing awareness on the air coming in and out through the nostrils, belly rising and falling and shoulders expanding naturally. There is no need to make your breath deeper or put a specific attention to any part of your body. Just be more aware of your breath here and now, as you don't really think about it on the daily basis.
Belly Breathing
Technically it is a diaphragmatic breath. For this one you would use your abdominal muscles to put belly out when you breath in, filling the belly with air, and tuck belly in when ypu breath the air out. You can put one hand on the belly to feel when its rising and falling.
Full Yogic Breath
This is basically an advanced version of your belly breathing. On an inhale, after expanding your belly, you keep inhaling deeply, filling your chest and your shoulders with air, and exhaling through your shoulders, chest and the belly. You can repeat it as a mantra in your mind while doing the exercise "belly-chest-shoulders-shoulders-chest-belly". Do not literally lift those parts of the body (maybe just slightly) but rather imagine them filling in and out with the air.
Ujjayi
Also called the "Ocean Breath", because of its sound. Ujjayi is often used at vinyasa classes because it accompanies active flows and complicated postures. It can be used as well as a warm up technique for the beginning of the practice. In order to breath with ujjayi you need to tuck your chin slightly in to your chest, put the tip of your tongue to the upper part of your mouth and start breathing straight from your throat. Ideally, you would hear the sound which reminds of the ocean waves or the wind 😊
These four are the most commonly used during the yoga classes. However, of course, there are much more than that! Let me introduce you some more advanced breathing techniques that are offered:
Nadi Shodhana/Anulom Vilom Pranayama
This breath is used for balancing out the two energies of our body - male and female. The left nostril is considered to responsible for feminine energy (including such qualities as creativity or contemplation), while right side is male energy (represents logic, energy, fire). To do this pranayam you are closing the nostrils one after another while repetitively taking one exhalation and one inhalation on each nostril. Remember to start and finish the exercise with the same nostril so that the both energies are balanced out in your body.
Kapalabhati Breath
Kapalabati is a warm, cleansing breath accompanied with passive inhalations and and active exhalations though both nostrils. For this breathing technique you would need to sit in a cross legged position trying not to move your body and try to slightly activate your abdominals for each exhale. It is recommended to clean your nose right before the start of this exercise!
Samavriti
Samavriti is a breath control technique associated with imagining the quadrilateral or a cube. You are making an inhale on one side of the figure while counting for four, then hold your breath for another four counts, exhale for four and then hold breath again for another four counts. You can keep doing rounds of inhalations, retention and exhalation for as long as you like. You do not necessarily need to imagine the geometrical figure but for some people its easier to visualise it this way.
Bhramari/Bumblbee Breathing
Bhramari is, as it's commonly being said, an effective calming down exercise. And it is also just fun 😊 For this one you would close your mouth so that your teeth are slightly touching each other while keep doing the "mmm..." sound with your voice on every exhale. At the same time you are expected to place all your fingers on a specific parts of your face, imagining to close all of your senses . With both big fingers you're closing your ears, your index fingers go on the top of your eyebrows, middle fingers on your eyes, ring fingers on the exterior part of your both nostrils and the little fingers on the outside part of your lips. Keep doing "mmm" sound enjoying the vibrations throughout your whole body!
While some of the breathing techniques are simple and easy to follow, others have lots of particular details. Some of them also correlate with mythologies, spirituality or even Hindu, or Buddhist religions. It does not means you have to follow any of them, neither it means you will be bounded with any believe if you practice the breathing. Just take these techniques as they are and use them for your own comfort and your own will. Maybe one of those exercises will help you to concentrate, calm down or lower anxiety level 😊
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