The Pursuit of Yoga

HOW TO BREATHE USING PRANAYAMA BREATHING

Breathing the Life Force

Begin your journey into the scientific practice of Pranayama breathing. These Pranayama breathing exercises and techniques will help with grounding your feelings to maintain a sense of peace, relaxation and mindfulness.

 

STARTER COURSE:

 

TO BEGIN YOUR PRACTICE START WITH THIS SIMPLE BELLY BREATHING TECHNIQUE.

 

BELLY BREATHING:
  • With one hand on your belly, relax your abdominal muscles, and slowly inhale through the nose, bringing air into the bottom of your lungs. You should feel your abdomen rise. This expands the lower parts of the lungs.
  • Continue to inhale as your rib cage expands outward, and finally, the collar bones rise.
  • At the peak of the inhalation, pause for a moment,
  • Exhale gently from the top of your lungs to the bottom.
  • At the end of exhalation, contract your abdominal muscles slightly to push residual air out of the bottom of your lungs.
  • REPEAT

 

FEELING ANXIOUS, NERVOUS, REALLY STRESSED?

TRY SOME ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING FOR IMMEDIATE GROUNDING.

ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING:
 

  • Hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril.
  • At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your fourth finger, lift your right thumb, and then exhale smoothly through your right nostril.
  • After a full exhalation, inhale through the right nostril, closing it off with your right thumb at the peak of your inhalation, lift your fourth finger and exhale smoothly through your left nostril.
  • Continue with this practice for 3 to 5 minutes, alternating your breathing through each nostril. Your breathing should be effortless, with your mind gently observing the inflow and outflow of breath.

 

UPSET, ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED?

UJJAYI WILL CALM YOUR NERVES AND SETTLE YOU DOWN.

 

UJJAYI: 

 

  • Take an inhalation that is slightly deeper than normal. With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose while constricting your throat muscles. If you are doing this correctly, you should sound like waves on the ocean.
  • Another way to get the hang of this practice is to try exhaling the sound “haaaaah” with your mouth open. Now make a similar sound with your mouth closed, feeling the outflow of air through your nasal passages.
  • Once you have mastered this on the outflow, use the same method for the inflow breath, gently constricting your throat as you inhale.