Pranayama or Breathwork is deep rooted in ancient yoga practices.
It is one of the fastest-growing trends in the health industry at the moment. With the many benefits it provides, it is clear why conscious breathing has gotten so popular…
Improving energy levels, strengthening lungs, boosting the body’s immunity along with blood circulation and our mood overall.
For something so simple, there are many different techniques that can help you tune into your breath with consciousness and intent.
For the purpose of this blog, I’ve chosen my top three techniques that I like to include in my Yoga classes and when practicing at home.
Breathing Techniques (Pranayama)
1.Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
This breathing technique focuses on solely inhaling & with the use of the fingers. This subtle energy clearing technique helps bring oxygen easily & evenly to the brain and throughout the body.
To practise Nadi Shodhana, follow the below steps:
- Get into a comfortable seated position, ideally legs crossed in Sukhasana
- Resting the left hand on your lap, place the right hand on your face with the index & middle fingers on the top of your nose
- Covering over the right nostril with your thumb, slowly breathe in through the left nostril
- Gently covering over the left nostril with your ring finger, releasing the thumb
- Breathing out through the right nostril, completing one round
- Repeat this process for ideally 10 rounds or at least 5-10 minutes.
2.Box Breathing (Sama Vritti)
Box breath is a quick and easy mindfulness tool to help re-centre and calm in times of stress. This method is called box breathing as its four steps align with the sides of a box or square, helping you pace your breathing in four steps.
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Inhale 2. Retain the breath 3. Exhale 4. Retain & repeat.
These four basic steps usually work with a number count of 4 seconds to begin with and can typically increase as you progress.
To try Sama Vritti, follow the below steps:
- Begin in a comfortable, supported position (closing eyes optional)
- Inhaling slowly through the nose while counting to 4
- Holding the breath at the top of the inhale for a count of 4
- Slowly exhaling out of the mouth again for 4 seconds
- Retain the breath, wait 4 seconds & repeat minimum of 5 rounds
3.Diaphragmatic Breathing
A favourite of mine also known as belly or abdominal breathing is an exercise that engages your diaphragm. The diaphragm is an essential muscle enabling us to breathe properly and is ideally where everybody should be consciously breathing from.
It can be a hard task to activate the diaphragm, give yourself time to get the hang of it!
Give it a go, follow below:
- As always get comfy, this method can be practised standing, sitting or lying down
- Place both hands on your tummy, this will help you fully connect with your breath
- As relaxed as possible, begin breathing in through the nose as much air as you can
- Whilst inhaling, your tummy & ribcage will begin to expand & balloon
- Focus on your hands rise with your tummy
- Slowly exhale through pursed lips & feel your hands fall & tummy deflate
Breathing consciously & purposefully is a hugely powerful tool that is readily accessible to all of us. It has helped me greatly in reducing my feelings of anxiety & worry which in turn has aided in regulating my mood and sleep routine.
A simple, free & overlooked technique that when practised regularly can assist in living a calm, well-balanced life!