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Pranayama

Pranayama or yogic breathing is one of the eight limbs of yoga. Generally defined as breath control, “prana” refers to life force or vital energy. “Ayama” means to extend or to lengthen. Performed regularly, pranayama can balance the mental, physical, and spiritual bodies.

Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force. Here, read up on pranayama exercises & poses, breathing techniques and sequences.

The benefits of dirgha pranayama include:

  • Calms the mind and body, reducing stress and anxiety
  • Promotes full and complete breathing
  • Increases oxygen supply to the blood
  • Helps keep the lungs healthy
  • Releases muscular tension
  • Prepares for deeper meditation
In yogabreathing exercises (called “pranayamas,” in Sanskrit) are an important component in developing your practice. … During Three-Part Breath, you first completely fill your lungs with air, as though you are breathing into your belly, ribcage, and upper chest. Then you exhale completely, reversing the flow.