One of the most important aspects of yoga is its breathing exercises, also known as pranayama in Sanskrit. The ancient yogis realized how important an adequate supply of oxygen was thousands of years ago when they developed and perfected the various yoga breathing exercises that are designed to focus and balance the body and mind.
Significance
Breathing is important in yoga because it brings more oxygen to your blood and brain, which helps you feel clear-headed and calm. Breathing is also a way to eliminate toxins from your body. It's a purification process that is at the heart of yoga practices. Oxygen is vital because it purifies your blood stream and helps your nerves, brain, glands and other internal organs function properly. You can survive without water or food for days, but without oxygen, you will die in minutes.
Function
Besides aiding your body and mind through a purification process, another reason for practicing yoga is to find inner peace and happiness. Breathing is an excellent tool for your mind as the increased oxygen supply it provides helps remove your mental sluggishness and negative thoughts. Breathing deeply in yoga practice also helps you go deeper into the poses without feeling as much pain or discomfort.
Identification
Even though you breathe all the time without making a conscious effort to do so, breathing exercises are an important part of yoga practice because they help to slow down normal breathing, which is usually too quick and shallow. The reasons for quick, shallow breathing are the stress of modern living, getting emotional easily, being in a hurry and getting angry or excited easily. By slowing down and deepening your breathing pattern, yoga breathing exercises can help you take in the amount of oxygen you need to avoid premature aging, reduced vitality and poor immune system functioning.
Features
One key aspect of yoga breathing that differs from the way most people breathe is that yoga breathing occurs through the nose. Yoga breathing is often audible, which will indicate you are breathing deeply enough. The deep, audible yoga breathing accompanies each of the yoga poses, including the way you get into and out of these positions. For example, you inhale deeply as you enter into a forward bend and exhale as you come out of the cobra position.
Types
There are two main breathing exercises in yoga: kapalabhati and anuloma viloma. Kapalabhati, which translates to "skull shining," involves taking short, rapid exhalations through your nose while making your inhalations passive. This breathing exercise also involves you holding your breath for periods of time in between rounds. Anuloma viloma, alternate nostril breathing, is true to its name. You breathe in and out through alternate nostrils for a specific amount of time. In this breathing exercise, you only inhale and exhale through one nostril at a time.
References
- ABC of Yoga: Yoga Breathing (Pranayama): The Importance of Breathing
- Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Manual; Swami Vishnu-devananda; 2000
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