Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises

Pranayama is the yoga practice of working with the breath. These guides take one technique at a time: how to do it, how long to practise, and who should leave out the stronger ones.

All 12 guides, A to Z

Kumbhaka Pranayama (Breath Retention): How to Do It Step by Step

Kumbhaka Pranayama (Breath Retention): How to Do It Step by Step

Kumbhaka is the pause in the breath that pranayama trains on purpose: you breathe in, hold, and then breathe out, or breathe out, hold, and then breathe in. Holding after the inhale is antara kumbhaka. Holding after the exhale is bahya kumbhaka. Beginners start with a short hold after the...
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Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises
Pranayama Benefits: What Research Shows About Strength and Stress

Pranayama Benefits: What Research Shows About Strength and Stress

Pranayama is the yogic practice of controlling the breath: slowing it, lengthening the exhale, pausing, or breathing through one nostril at a time. Research on slow pranayama points to a calmer heart rate and slightly lower blood pressure after a few weeks of daily practice, and some studies...
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Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises
Bhramari Pranayama (Humming Bee Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Bhramari Pranayama (Humming Bee Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Bhramari Pranayama (Humming Bee Breath) is a yoga breathing technique in which you breathe in through the nose and breathe out slowly while humming with your mouth closed, like a bee. The hum makes the exhale long and steady and gives the mind a single sound to follow. Most people use it to...
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Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises
Breathing Exercises for Anxiety: 8 Techniques and How to Do Them

Breathing Exercises for Anxiety: 8 Techniques and How to Do Them

Breathing exercises for anxiety work by slowing the breath down and making the exhale longer than the inhale. A slow, long exhale shifts the nervous system toward rest, and a steady count gives a racing mind something to hold on to. Belly breathing, a long exhale, box breathing and the calming...
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Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises
Uddiyana Bandha Kriya: How to Do the Upward Abdominal Lock Step by Step

Uddiyana Bandha Kriya: How to Do the Upward Abdominal Lock Step by Step

Uddiyana Bandha (the upward abdominal lock) is a yoga practice where you breathe all the air out, hold the breath out and lift the belly in and up under the ribs. The lift comes from a fake inhale: the ribs widen, no air comes in, and the diaphragm and belly are drawn upward. Done in repeated...
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Pranayama: yoga breathing exercises
Bhastrika Pranayama (Bellows Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Bhastrika Pranayama (Bellows Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
Lion's Breath (Simha Mudra): How to Do It Step by Step

Lion's Breath (Simha Mudra): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing): How to Do It Step by Step

Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
Sitali Pranayama (Cooling Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Sitali Pranayama (Cooling Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath): How to Do It Step by Step

Pranayama Breathing
What Is Pranayama? Meaning, Prana and How to Practise

What Is Pranayama? Meaning, Prana and How to Practise

Yoga Traditions