In yoga, pranayama is the practice of breathing deeply and mindfully. The word is Hindu and means "breath." Different modalities of breath exercise result in a wide variety of benefits. Some help you relax; others support a certain set of postures. Yogis from different traditions approach pranayama in distinct ways.
Relaxation Breathing
In yoga, some poses are considered restorative, as their goal is to relax your mind and body. Props such as bolsters, blankets and benches are usually part of restorative yoga practice to give you physical support. Relaxation breathing is also part of this yoga modality. As you inhale, you become mindful of your belly inflating. On the exhalation, you let all your air out, feeling your stomach slowly collapse toward your spine. In relaxation breathing, your lower abdomen is engaged while your upper body remains still. Both your inhalations and exhalations take longer than your usual breathing, as you allow the air to completely fill and empty out of your lungs. Claudia Cummins, who wrote the article "Breathing for Relaxation" for "Yoga Journal," also instructs you to stop briefly after each exhalation before taking the next breath. This moment of no breath is a window into what stillness feels like.
Kapalabhati Breathing
Kapalabhati is also known as "rapid diaphragmatic breathing" because it involves repetitions of fast breathing. When you exhale, you contract your abdomen quickly to forcefully push the air out of your lungs through your nose. As a beginner, you start out by practicing a series of 15 breaths in this manner before you pause and do another set of 15. Your goal is to work your way up to taking several hundred breaths in this fashion between pauses.
Deep Breathing
In his book "The Little Book of Yoga Breathing: Pranayama Made Easy," Scott Shaw describes deep breathing as the most basic of all yoga breathing exercises. This is something you can practice anywhere in any position and without calling attention to yourself. Deep breathing involves inhaling slowly through your nose while being aware that your abdomen is inflating as it fills with oxygen. Once you're full of air, you hold it in for about a second before letting it out through your nose. The exhalation needs to occur at the same pace as the inhalation. According to Shaw, deep breathing cleanses your lungs and reenergizes you.
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