If you have ever seen a yoga class in progress, you will have seen yoga students moving through and holding various postures. At first glance, this may seem like the main objective of a yoga class: to manipulate your body through yoga poses to enhance your strength and gain better flexibility. Yes, this is certainly one aspect of the yoga practice, but one of the main unseen features of practicing yoga is breathing.
Breath is the foundation of any style of yoga practice. Whether you’re attending a Power Vinyasa Yoga Class or a Mindfulness Meditation Class, breath work is the essential component.
In this article, you will learn:
- The Concept & Importance of Yoga Breath
- 3 Yoga Breathing Exercises
- How to Breathe While Doing Yoga
The Concept & Importance of Yoga Breathing
The idea of breathing should sound pretty obvious, right? But in yoga, breathing is a primary concept that allows for a full and rich experience. Breathing, of course, is an automatic biological mechanism; we don’t have to think about breathing. It’s something that we do naturally.
What is Breathing?
Breathing is a respiratory process. It is the action of moving air rhythmically in and out of the lungs. Through muscle contraction, air can be inhaled into the lungs through the mouth or nose. When these same muscles relax, the air is then exhaled out of the body.
The function of breathing is to facilitate gas exchange with the environment. We breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Essentially, and it goes without saying, breathing provides us life.
The automatic function of breathing obviously occurs while practicing yoga. Yet yoga breathing in this ancient discipline takes on a deeper meaning and purpose. Not only do you breathe to exchange life-giving gases with the environment, but the function of breath is about cultivating the energy of life itself.
The Breath And Prana: The Life Force
As explained so far, there is a physical aspect to breathing. It involves muscle contraction and relaxation, the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and co-exists with providing blood flow throughout the body to sustain life.
There is another system that exists in the bodily system that is more subtle; in yoga, this is called Prana.
Prana is sometimes called “the Life Force” or “Life Energy.” It pulses through the body along a network of subtle body channels. (One such system is called the Chakras.) Similar to the nervous system, these channels of the subtle body connect your physical and energetic forms with all that exists around you. Prana is the common thread of life that pulses through every being and object.
Prana is a Sanskrit term (the language of yoga) and has references within the ancient Hindu traditions. The concept of the Life Force, though, is not unique to this single tradition. Other religious and philosophical beliefs also carry ideas of this Life Energy. In Chinese, it is called Chi/Qi, in Islamic culture, it is ruh, and in Christianity, it is the Holy Spirit.
The easiest way to initially understand the concept of Prana is through the breath. Although Prana is associated with the breath, it is not the breath itself. The act of breathing acts as a reminder of how life flows through all things and that we are all connected on a grander scale.
Pranayama: Intentional Yoga Breathing
The way in which to foster Prana is through a yogic exercise called Pranayama. This is the practice of breath control. Here is where we begin to understand why breath work is the foundation of all yoga practices.
Pranayama is comprised of two words: Prana (which we described above as the Life Force and related to breathing) and Yama which means the “action we give the breath.”
For example, taking long, slow, deep breaths, creating short pulsing breaths, or even holding your breath are actions you may do while engaging in a Pranayama practice.
Pranayama is a form of intentional and deliberate breathing. It is a collection of exercises in which one stimulates a deeper connection to self and all things. Pranayama also has other therapeutic and physical benefits. Some breathing exercises are designed to calm and ease the mind, produce energy in the body, cleanse the liver, in addition to many other functions.
It is important to remember that practicing yoga holds great value and meaning. One can access the benefits of yoga through the physicality of the discipline. That is, when we go to a yoga class and move through a series of poses, we are engaging in an entry-point to other wonderful benefits.
Yoga helps us to connect to ourselves on a deeper level. The practice provides a path to understanding not only our physical beings, but our energetic beings. Pranayama acts as a vehicle to connect these two energetic realms.
There is a wide variety of pranayama exercises that will help you with this elevated connection. Here are three practical exercises you can practice on your own or may use in a yoga class.
3 Yoga Breathing Exercises
- Victorious Breath: Ujjayi Pranayama
- Cooling Breath: Sitali Pranayama
- Skull Shining Breath: Kapalabhati Pranayama
#1: Victorious Breath: Ujjayi Pranayama
This is a typical breathing exercise that is practiced in a moving yoga practice. It is called Ujjayi Pranayama or Victorious Breath because of the power and energy it provides when you practice yoga. It involves the constriction and relaxation of your throat muscles to produce the breathing effort. Here is how it is done:
First, open your mouth and draw in a breath as if you were gasping for breath in slow motion. You may experience a coolness hit the back of your throat in addition to a light constriction. As you exhale, imagine fogging a mirror in front of your face. Here, you may feel a warmth leave your mouth as your throat muscles start to relax. This is the beginning of the Ujjayi breathing.
Next, close your mouth, but inhale as if your mouth was open. You will feel the same constriction in your throat muscles as the air enters your nostrils to help fill your lungs. Exhale with your mouth closed with the same light push and effort. Your throat muscles will expand as you breathe out. You may even produce a sound that resembles an ocean wave hitting the coastline.
Continue with a few more full rounds of breath. With time, you will notice that you are able to take longer, deeper breaths with this style of breathing. Not only does it provide you energy when you move through yoga sequences, but it also calms the central nervous system because of the slower breathing effort.
#2: Cooling Breath: Sitali Pranayama
As summer approaches and the need to manage the warmer temperatures, here is an exercise that will help cool down your body when it feels overheated.
To start Sitali Pranayama (the cooling breath practice,) shape your mouth as if you were sipping a drink through a straw, or roll your tongue up into a loop. Inhale slowly through this circular shaped opening of your lips. You may feel a coolness enter your mouth. Close your mouth as you slowly exhale.
Repeat this pattern of breathing for several minutes. (It is fine to take breaks every few seconds if you need to.) You will find that your entire body will begin to feel cooler when you practice this style of pranayama.
#3: Skull Shining Breath: Kapalabhati Pranayama
This may seem like an odd name for a breathing technique, but let’s take a closer look at this beneficial style of breathing. Kapalabhati Pranayama or “skull shining breath” is also known as “The Breath of Fire.”
It is an exercise designed to help cleanse, detoxify, and produce energy in your mind and body. Kapalabhati is made up of two Sanskrit words: kapala means “skull” while bhati means “shining” or “illuminating.”
As you practice this technique, it will certainly feel like the crown of your head is shining brightly. Give it a try.
Sit comfortably, preferably with your legs crossed and your spine straight. You can rest your hands in your lap. Inhale to fill your lungs. At the same time, allow your belly to expand. Let it push out as you fill yourself up with breath. The exhale is a forced action; you will pull in your belly quickly in order to release, the air. Repeat this for about 30 seconds.
Start this practice slowly. As you generate a good rhythm, you’ll be able to increase the pace of this breathing effort. You will find that after you forcefully exhale, the in-breath is an automatic action. If you’re a beginner to this practice, take several breaks every few seconds. It is easy to feel lightheaded when practicing Kapalabhati.
There are several advantages to practicing this pranayama. Due to the active breathing, it helps to clear your lungs and increases the oxygen supply throughout your system. It can improve your digestion as well as strengthen your abdominal muscles. Overall, it will also heighten and improve your mood.
Now that you know several breathing techniques, how do you apply your breathing practice to your yoga practice?
How To Breathe While Doing Yoga
Incorporating the practice of Pranayama into a yoga class sets the course toward a comprehensive and beneficial experience. When engaging in a moving yoga practice, like Power Vinyasa Yoga, for example, most of the transitions from pose to pose are coordinated with the breath.
Here are two simple rules you can follow to help you breathe effectively during a yoga class.
#1: Up & Down
In some moving yoga practices, breathing methods, like Ujjayi, are used. For example, when you raise your arms overhead, lift a leg, or bring your body to an upward position, you will inhale. When applying Ujjayi Pranayama, you use the muscles of your throat to fill your lungs with air. As you move yourself into a downward position, like bringing your arms down to your side, you will exhale.
To further explain, imagine filling a balloon with helium. As the gas enters the balloon, it rises and floats upward. When the balloon deflates, it goes down. You can use the same image to help you develop breathing coordination while practicing yoga.
#2: Prepare & Move
Another general rule that can help you with yoga breathing is concentrating on the bodily movement. The in-breath can be considered the preparation of a movement. While in stillness, you would take a breath in, fill up your lungs, and prepare your body to move. As you start the exhale, you engage your muscles so you have the strength and support to move into the next pose. The exhale acts as a way to brace the body as it is moving.
It is important to remember that yoga is considered a practice. It will take time, effort, and dedication to become proficient in a moving yoga practice. This includes learning and moving through yoga poses and sequences as well as coordinating these movements with breath.
Don’t worry if your movements do not match your breathing right away. That is a normal and expected circumstance when starting a yoga practice.
Take everything in stride and be patient with your progress. It won’t be long before you feel the rich benefits of your moving and breathing practices. You will generate a deeper connection to yourself. Your relationship with your entire being will grow beyond the physical to the subtle parts of your energetic self. Your new understanding of the yoga breath will guide you to a fulfilled life of gratitude and joy.
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