A major part of yoga involves breathing. Many forms of yoga incorporate breathing exercises, Pranayama, as an important part of yoga technique. The ancient Yoga Sutras of Patanjali reinforces the importance of breathing during the practice of yoga. It is considered one of the eight major types of yoga.
Breathing exercises will help calm your body and prepare you for yoga exercises. Breathing practice can help not only your yoga experience; it can also make a difference in your everyday life.
Everybody breathes, so it may seem odd to have specific breathing exercises. The practice of yoga makes use of different forms of breathing to aid in relaxation. It is a major tenet of all yoga that breathing can affect health and well-being, both mentally and physically.
Pranayama exercises can be relaxing and calming. The Three Part Breath or Dirga Pranayama is a suggested yoga breathing exercise for beginners. It is a breathing exercise that encourages the use of complete lung capacity. Alternate nostril breathing or Nadi Sodhana is another calming breathing exercise. This breathing exercise encourages clarity and energy. One last calm breathing exercise is the Cooling Breath. Also known as the Shitali Pranyama, this breathing exercise uses simple breathing and is used after a yoga session.
There are also more intense Pranayama exercises. Ocean Breath, Ujjayi Pranayama, utilizes strong and deep breathing to keep a person focused while doing yoga asanas. Skull Shining Breath, Kapalabhati Pranayama, is a breathing technique practiced only by advanced yoga students. This type of breathing will cause the blood to become heated and helps keep sinuses clear.
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The beginning yoga student should practice breathing often. To begin, find a nice, low lit space. Sit up with good posture and begin to focus on your breathing. Notice when you exhale and inhale as you breathe. As you inhale think of the oxygen being carried throughout your body. When you exhale, think of the air leaving your body. Each time you breathe you will want to think of how air feels going into and out of your body.
As you become more adept at breathing practices and techniques you can incorporate breathing into your yoga routine. Vinyasa yoga uses breathing techniques with each pose. With this form of yoga you breathe in and exhale as you perform certain asanas. This yoga is known as flow yoga because the breathing techniques allow you to flow from one pose to another.
