Natural Breath
The natural breath is, for the most part, effortless. This is the breath you take when you aren’t trying to breathe or change anything. Your real breath gives you clues into your mental, emotional and physical states of being. For a few moments, close your eyes and mindfully observe the nature of your natural breath, without trying to breathe at all.
Are your inhales and exhales shallow or deep?
Roughly how long are your inhales and your exhales?
What other physical sensations do you notice in the body? Give the body a scan here to find any points of tension or holding.
What is present in mind?
After observing your natural breath for 5 minutes, become aware of your overall state of being. Has anything shifted since you started to pay attention?
Observing natural breath can be an excellent tool for centring your body and mind before and after a yoga practice. It is also a form of meditation that you can use at any time to help you relax and release stress.
Dirgha Pranayama
Dirgha pranayama is the full yogic breath, also called “three-part breath”. It utilizes the three major parts of the lungs to breathe deeply and fully. When our bodies are infused with oxygen, our cells function more efficiently, and we can heal faster. Dirgha pranayama stimulates the sacral, solar plexus, heart and throat chakras.
This breath is especially useful for chest breathers who may be limiting their fullest lung capacity. In dirgha, it is important to expand the belly, ribs and chest as you breathe to create more airflow to the lungs. The goal in this breath is to expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale.
Dirgha breath calms the mind, releases tension throughout the whole body, and improves digestion.
Come into a seated position on your mat with your spine tall. Relax your abdomen and place one hand over the belly. Inhale through the nostrils and feel the belly press against the palm. As you exhale, bring the belly back into the spine and expel all the air out through the nose. Repeat several times to expand the lower lungs.
Next, place both hands on the right and left rib cage. As you inhale, expand the entire abdomen from the lower belly to the solar plexus. Fill both the lower and middle part of the lungs, then exhale out all of the air. Repeat several times.
Finally, place one hand on the chest right below the collar bones. Breathing in, expand the belly, ribs, and chest. Fill up the lungs completely, then gently contract the lungs on the exhale to squeeze all of the air out.
Dirgha breath should be practised for at least 5 – 10 minutes at a time to achieve relaxation and peace of mind.
The benefits of dirgha pranayama include:
Calms the mind and body, reducing stress and anxiety.
Promotes complete full breathing.
Increases oxygen supply to the blood.
Help keep the lungs healthy.
Releases muscular tension.
Prepares for deeper meditation.
Dirgha is a smooth and easy flow of air into and out of the lungs. For this reason, it has no contradiction.
Ujjayi Pranayama
Directly translated from sanskrit, ujjayi pranayama means “victory breath”. It is performed by slightly constricting the glottis muscle in the back of the throat to create a gentle hissing noise.
Ujjayi creates a peaceful sound, much like what you would hear if you were to put a seashell up to your ear. It’s almost as if you are echoing the ocean through your breath. This sound calms the mind and increases concentration. It is a great tool to use in any type of meditation.
To practice engaging this throat muscle, exhale through the mouth and pretend to fog up a mirror. Repeat this several times on both the inhale and exhale to feel the glottis contract.
When you are ready, come into a seated position on your mat and start with dirgha pranayama for several rounds. Continue to breathe through the nose, gently contract the back of the throat on both the inhalation and exhalation. As you repeat, explore making the sounds louder and softer. Concentrate on the sound and the sensation in the back of the throat.
Ujjayi breath should be performed slowly for several minutes. Pause after your pranayama practice and notice what has shifted inside you since the beginning. This breath is especially stimulating and cleansing for the throat chakra.
Similarly to dirgha, ujjayi pranayama should be practised for at least 5-10 minutes during a sitting period.
The practice of Ujjayi Pranayama comes with certain benefits which are mentioned below for a better understanding of pranayama. Below we list eight benefits of Ujjayi Pranayama.
Ujjayi Pranayama is said to help reduce stress and anxiety in the body by calming the parasympathetic nervous system.
This kind of breathing helps to reduce infections or allergies in the lungs, improving the lung capacity with full deep breathing.
Clearing the passage of the nostrils and the throat, it reduces the accumulation of phlegm.
Increases the supply of oxygen throughout the entire body, keeping the body active and fresh.
Ujjayi Pranayama is good for Blood Pressure.
The practise of Ujjayi Pranayama brings balance in all the chakras in the body, while activating them.
Strengthens the digestive system.
As Ujjayi Pranayama cools the body working on the Ida(left nostril) side of the body, the practice brings more benefit if done along with the practice of Moon Salutation (Chandra Namaskar).
They are a few contraindications to keep in mind while practising Ujjayi Pranayama:
Not to be practised when suffering from migraine.
Not to be practised when suffering from heart ailments.
Best to avoid if pregnant as if done wrong can put pressure on the fetus.
Kapalabhati Pranayama
Kapalabhati pranayama means “skull shining breath”. It is more active and fire inducing than dirgha or ujjayi, and you may feel like you have more energy afterwards.
Kapalabhati is excellent for toning the abdomen and clearing out the sinuses. It also stimulates the chakras of the face and third eye.
Begin in a seated position. Take a few clearing breaths to centre yourself. Place one hand on your solar plexus over the upper abdomen. Deeply inhale through the nostrils and expand the belly into your hand.
Exhale sharply through the nose and squeeze the belly button in towards the spine. Allow the lungs to fill up naturally and quickly on the inhale, then exhale sharply again. Repeat these quick inhales, and forceful exhales at a steady pace 20 times.
Make sure that you are taking in enough air on the inhale and squeezing out all the air on the exhale. If you feel light-headed, slow down and return to a normal breath for several minutes.
Otherwise, continue with kapalabhati pranayama for two more rounds.
This is an excellent breath to perform before a more rigorous yoga practice.
It is best to start with 1 minute of kapalabhati. Once you feel comfortable with that, you can slowly increase 1 minute at a time.
Understanding the importance of the practice of Kapalbhati Pranayama, requires one to know the various benefits it brings with the practice and given below is a detailed note on the same. Here are the 11 points of benefits.
Kapalabhati Pranayama helps to build strength and stamina with the lungs.
It increases the flow of oxygen in the body and mainly the lungs.
Kapalabhati Pranayama along with Ashtma Mudra and Bronchial Mudra practice has better benefits and helps to heal asthma and bronchitis related symptoms.
Reduce the stress and anxiety in the body and the mind, bringing more clarity.
Helps to detoxify the entire body of all impurities in a cleansing process, through the fast exhalations.
When practised, along with the basic yoga, poses daily, it keeps the body light and healthy, encouraging good eating habits and other habits.
Improves digestion while cleansing the internal organs.
With the practice of Kapalabhati the lungs are cleansed of carbon dioxide- the toxic end product of metabolism.
A great practice to balance the Root Chakra (Muladhara).
A great practice for women who are having symptoms related to menopause, or even during perimenopause to keep the body light.
This pranayama is good for those who have diabetes as it cleanses the body and encourages a good endocrine system.
It is best to understand certain contraindication that occurs with the practice of Kapalabhati Pranayama to avoid any kind of injury or harm. Some of these precautions are mentioned below.
This practice of Kapalabhati pranayama should be avoided by anyone suffering from viral infections.
Not to be practised by women who are either pregnant or are in their menstrual cycle.
Hypertension patients should practice Kapalabhati Pranayama with a yoga teacher’s guidance and care.
Not to be practised by anyone suffering from an injury of the neck, is pressure with the fast exhalation.
Not to be done or practised by anyone suffering from lower back pain or even slip disc.
Not to be practised by anyone with a weak digestive system.