If you are anything like me, you feel instantly overwhelmed when you switch on the news. We are bombarded with footage of war, devastation, natural disasters and viruses every day. This has disastrous effects on our mind, body and spirit. Take a deep breath right now, then exhale and drop your shoulders. Did they fall a few centimetres? How much tension were you carrying there?
Sometimes we fall out of touch with our Selves, and this leaves us in a tense and disconnected state. 1 in every 6 Australians is currently suffering from depression, anxiety, or both.
Fortunately, there are ways to combat this toxicity. As a dedicated yoga practitioner, I regularly engage in pranayama a method of controlled breathing performed as part of a yoga practice. But this doesn’t mean you need to stand in particular poses to practice pranayama. The exercises I’m about to give you can be performed anywhere and at any time. So, what is pranayama? Prana is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘breath’ and ‘life-force’. We breathe to stay alive, so it makes sense that they translate to the same word. Our breath is the movement that carries energy through our body and, importantly, connects our physical, mental and spiritual Selves. Yama means regulation and control. Put simply:
Pranayama = controlling breath = regulating life force.
Pranayama detoxifies the body and mind. B.K.S. Iyengar outlines numerous health benefits in his book, Light on Pranayama. He describes how pranayama can lower blood pressure, improve circulation, combat anxiety and depression, induce sleep, and improve well-being.
It’s best to practice pranayama on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. It’s much harder to inhale deeply and exhale fully when we have a stomach full of food. You can practice lying down or in a comfortable seated position. Make sure that whatever position you’re in, your back is straight, and your chest is free and open. While inhaling, you should expand and lift your chest without throwing off your posture. When exhaling, be mindful not to collapse the chest and slump down.
Deep and Even Breathing:
Breath consciously. Measure your inhalation and exhalation, making sure they are even in length. It sounds easy, but I found this exercise quite challenging when I started. I was used to naturally shorter inhalations and longer exhalations. After a few deep and even breaths, I would feel bloated and uncomfortably full of air. Nevertheless, with a bit of perseverance, I’m now quite comfortable with this technique!
Kumbhakas:
‘Kumbhakas’ involves holding our breath, retaining both the inhalation and the exhalation at different points. To start, inhale evenly, then hold your breath for a few seconds. Keep control of your posture, and don’t strain any part of your body. After you’ve held your breath for a short count, exhale evenly and with control. Follow this with a few normal breaths before attempting again. This exercise – retaining the breath after inhaling – is called Antara Kumbhaka.
To complement this, Bahya Kumbhaka is the practice of retaining the breath after exhaling. It follows the same principle as Antara Kumbhaka, except that you are holding your breath after you have released all the air from your lungs. Once again, make sure you take a few normal breaths after each Bahya Kumbhaka.
Slow exhalations:
This one is best practiced lying down with the chest open and expanded. Take a slow and steady inhalation until the breath has filled your whole body. Once you have reached your peak, start exhaling at a slower pace. Although the exhalation is not deeper than the inhalation, it is slower. It should take more time to empty your lungs than fill them. Control, my friends, control!
Violomas:
Begin an inhalation breath, then pause after a couple of seconds. Be deliberate and controlled in this retention, no straining! Keep inhaling and pausing after every couple of seconds until you have fully inhaled. For me, this means about four inhale-pause patterns. Once your lungs are full, exhale deeply and with control. Breathe normally for a few seconds before attempting another one.
The second Violoma is called Rechaka, which is (you guessed it!) an interrupted exhalation. Follow the same process as Puraka, but make your inhalation smooth and pause throughout your exhalation breath.
Bumble-bee breathing:
Yes, you heard me! Bhramara is the Sanskrit word for bumble-bee, and this exercise is called Bhramari. The name makes perfect sense because the idea is to hum quietly on the exhalation breath. The result: you sound like a buzzing bee. Block your ears with your thumbs, and use your index and middle fingers to close your eyelids softly. Take a deep breath in, then, as you exhale, make a smooth humming sound. This exercise is great for calming the body and inducing sleep.
These are just a few examples of pranayama techniques; there are plenty more exercises that range from beginner levels to advanced.
Don’t be discouraged if you struggle with these exercises at first. Many people (including myself) are surprised at how difficult it is to control breathing and eventually end up gasping for air! Stick with it; I promise it will be worthwhile. As with all yoga practices, the goal of pranayama is to empty the Self, quieten the mind and become aware of pure consciousness. In the words of B.K.S. Iyengar:
“The practice of Pranayama develops a steady mind, strong will-power and sound judgement.”
Marian Woods
Marian Woods is an energetic creative who is passionate about connecting with the world around her. As a student of Creative Writing and Philosophy, she values the power of words to build understanding between people Marian is an avid lover of meditation, yoga, and spiritual practices that help us connect more deeply to our global community.
- Marian Woods
