Breathwork Techniques

Watch/practice the following breathing (pranayama) techniques that are instructed in the video below:
4-count breath;
2:1 breath;
Ujjayi, victorious breath;
Deerga swasm, 3-part breath;
Nadi shodhana, alternate nostril breath;
Kapalabhati, skull shining;
Bhramari, humming bee breath

Read Life Force Practices: Pranayama by Anna Ferguson

Four-Count Breathing, 1:1 Ratio

I recommend four-count breathing as a moderate pace for the breath during your asana practice; it also assists in maintaining awareness and rhythm. While it is deeper than the breaths we normally take throughout the day, it is likely not the deepest breath you are able to take, and its pace is moderate.

This breath utilizes a 1 to 1 ratio, meaning that your inhale is the same length as your exhale: this is sama vritti, thesame movement or equal action. Each breath of “Inhale 2–3–4” and “Exhale 2–3–4” may be paced by the practitioner (or the teacher, when you are guided in a class setting).

I like to set the pace by considering the amount of time it takes to snap the fingers four times without rushing. This approximates the preferred length, or depth, of a single inhale. Mentally counting each breath assists with keeping your mind focused; as your breath practice deepens, your count may increase. To make the practice more powerful, you may internally chant a mantra instead of mentally repeating the numbers. Often this four-count breathing is combined with ujjayi breathing (see the following section).

Ujjayi—Victorious Breath

Ujjayi breathing consists of inhaling and exhaling evenly, through the nostrils, creating a “hah” sound in the back of the throat. It feels like using your breath to warm your hands on a cold day or fogging up a pair of glasses to clean them. With ujjayi breathing, however, your mouth remains closed; this creates heat from the inside out.

The “hah” sound occurs during both the inhale and the exhale, which results in an audible breath that sounds like a soft whisper. Ujjayi, translated from the Sanskrit as “victorious,” assists with releasing internal and external distractions, generating heat in the body, and aids in loosening the muscles. It uses your prana or life force energy, which rides on the breath, to energize every cell in your body.

Deerga Swasm—Three-Part Diaphragmatic Breath

Deerga swasm is a deep breath that engages the diaphragm, completely filling and emptying the lungs in three parts. It utilizes your full lung capacity, which supplies more oxygen to your blood, increases awareness within your body and alertness within your brain. This breath practice also aids in relaxing and calming the mind.
            Breath Technique:

• Inhale, allowing your belly to expand; fill your lungs from the lower chest through the collarbones.
• Exhale, emptying your lungs; allow your collarbones to drop down; squeeze out all of the air from your upper chest, followed by drawing your navel in toward the spine.
• This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps and practice five more rounds of breathing for three to five minutes.

Nadi Shodhana—Alternate Nostril Breath

Nadi shodhana, also known as alternate nostril breath or sun-moon breath, literally means “purifying the energy channels.” The left nostril represents the moon, or yin, side of the body, which relates to cooling, receiving, and inward-focused feminine energy. The right nostril represents the sun, or yang, side of the body, which relates to warming, giving, and outward-focused masculine energy. This exercise cleanses and purifies the ida and pingala nadis (see Chapter 7 of World Peace Yoga book, The Subtle Body Made Simple); balancing the right and left sides of the brain, calming the nervous system, and drawing awareness within.

Preparatory Technique:

• To begin the practice of nadi shodhana, find a comfortable seat; hold your spine and head upright.
• Bend the first two fingers of your right hand into the palm.
• Use your ring finger to regulate the passage of air through the left nostril; use your thumb to regulate the passage of air through the right nostril.
• Exhale through both nostrils; make each breath slow and deliberate, ideally with little to no sound.
• Imagine there is a dandelion seed head placed directly underneath your nose: as you inhale, avoid breathing the seeds into your nose; as you exhale, avoid blowing the seeds away.

Breath Technique One:

• Practice this technique using your normal breathing; be aware of each breath.
• Relax; do not control your inhalations/exhalations or force them to go deeper than usual; your respiration rate is normal.
• Seal off your right nostril with your thumb; inhale through the left nostril.
• Exhale through your left nostril; repeat your inhale and exhale through the left nostril, taking five complete breaths.
• Seal off your left nostril with the ring finger; inhale through the right nostril.
• Exhale through your right nostril; repeat your inhale and exhale through the right nostril, taking five complete breaths.
• Remove your hand and relax it into your lap; take five more breaths through both nostrils.
• This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps and practice five more rounds of breathing for three to five minutes.

Breath Technique Two:

• Practice this breath with a 1:1 breath ratio; start with a moderate breath rhythm; use four-count inhalation and four-count exhalation.
• Seal off your right nostril with the thumb; inhale slowly through your left nostril.
• Seal off your left nostril with the ring finger; exhale slowly through your right nostril.
• Inhale through your right nostril.
• Reseal your right nostril; exhale through the left nostril.
• Finish each round by exhaling through your left nostril; beginning and ending your breathing practice this way neutralizes any excess heat that may accumulate in your body.
• This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps and practice five more rounds of breathing for three to five minutes.

Kapalabhati—Skull Shining

Kapalabhati literally means “skull shining” because this breath pulls energy upward toward the brain, from the solar plexus, to increase awareness. It is a rapid, vigorous breath with active exhalations and passive inhalations. This pranayama technique purifies the solar plexus, or manipura chakra, which cultivates a high level of self-esteem, empowering us to follow our gut reactions and instincts with a clear mind.

Breath Technique:

• Exhale forcefully; contract your abdomen; draw your navel inward (this is your active breath).
• Inhale naturally; use very little effort (this is your passive breath).
• This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps ten times; work toward gradually increasing your breath count to fifty.
  Contraindications include high blood pressure, vertigo, stroke, and pregnancy; please do not practice this breath if any of these conditions apply to you.

Bhastrika—Bellows Breath

Bhastrika is known as the “bellows breath” as well as the “breath of fire.” Just like a blacksmith blows a bellows—to create heat and purify iron—bhastrika creates energy and purifies the mind. Bhastrika consists of short, rapid breaths with equal inhales and exhales; it emphasizes both the inhalation and exhalation.

Your head, neck, shoulders, and chest remain still while your belly moves inward and outward. This practice refreshes and revives your brain, counteracting fatigue prior to meditation. It may also assist with increasing overall energy, improving digestion, and boosting metabolism. 

Breath Technique:

• Exhale forcefully; contract your abdomen; draw your navel inward (this is your first active breath).
• Inhale just as forcefully; make sure the breath is coming from your diaphragm (this is your second active breath).
• This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps ten times; work toward gradually increasing your breath count to fifty.
  Contraindications for this practice are the same as for the kapalabhati breath technique.

Bhramari—Humming Bee Breath

Bhramari is a breath that calms the mind through nada (the inner sound). The sound it creates is like a humming, or a bumble bee’s buzz. Bhramari tones the vocal cords and assists with releasing mental tension. This practice aids in sensory withdrawal: it directs your awareness inward to deeply connect with your intuition, or “sixth sense.” This practice assists with becoming aware of what we are taking in through the senses and ultimately upgrading the five senses to a more intuitive level.

When practicing bhramari, we may use three different hand placement options to increase our internal awareness. Note that the vibrational effect varies slightly for each technique. Before practicing these placements, begin by sitting comfortably with your spine upright.  

• Option 1: Plug your ears with your index fingers.
• Option 2: Cup one whole hand around each of your ears.
• Option 3: This hand placement is called shanmukhi mudra. Plug your ears with your thumbs and place your index fingers over your eyelids; position your middle fingers on the edges of your two nostrils; place your ring fingers above your upper lip and your little fingers under your lower lip; apply light pressure through each fingertip.
  
  Breath Technique:
  • Focus on the space between your eyebrows, which is the third-eye center of your intuition.
  • Take a long, deep inhalation.
  • Exhale through the nasal cavity while humming steadily, softly, and smoothly; you may feel vibration at the front of your skull, near the third eye.
  • Allow your hands to remain lifted on both the inhalation and exhalation; you may also allow them to rest on the inhalation.
  • This constitutes one round; repeat the above steps and practice five to ten more rounds; increase the number of rounds as it feels comfortable to you.

It is important to note that many of these pranayama techniques may be practiced with or without bandha activation, breath retention, longer counts, and increased rounds. For further guidance, refer to texts listed in the Recommended Resources section of the digital book of World Peace Yoga: Yoga for People Who Breathe.

Remember that, as with asana, our goals are not centered on achieving a certain form or aesthetic quality. When we practice pranayama, we are doing more than merely working to increase the length of our inhales, exhales, and breath retention. The goal of these practices is yoga, which is union with the divine self or our true nature.