Calming Breathing Practices We Recommend

by Nina

Field and Clouds by Melina Meza

Yoga breath practices (pranayama) allow you to self regulate. For those times when you want to reduce stress levels, need to be soothed, or just want to quiet your mind and nervous system, you can use the calming breath practices we’re recommending today. In addition, two of these practices, exhalation pausing and exhalation lengthening, can improve your ability to breathe, increasing your “vital capacity” (a large vital capacity is associated with excellent lung function).

With these breath practices, you are activating your relaxation response. So while these practices are good for times when you are looking for quieting or calming, if they make you feel too sluggish or heavy, you can use a balancing practice instead (see Breath Practices for Balance). And for anyone, if they make you feel agitated or even just unpleasant, just stop practicing. 

Caution: Anyone with active asthma should avoid all these breath practices, though if you are on medication and stable, you could give them a try, stopping immediately if they cause any breathing problems. And since all these practices require breathing through your nose, if you’re congested due to illness or allergy, you should skip the practices until you can breathe normally. 

You can practice these in any comfortable seated position on the floor (see Learning to Sit on the Floor, Part 2) or on a chair, or in a reclined position where your chest is supported, such as Savasana or Reclined Cobbler’s pose with a bolster. 

Exhalation Lengthening

With this practice, you gradually extend your exhalation, aiming for a 1:2 ratio breath, with your exhalation twice as long as your inhalation. If you can’t comfortably practice a 1:2 ratio breath at this time, you will simply practice an exhalation that is at your comfortable maximum. For this breath, always practice by breathing through your nose.

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes. Without changing your breath, count the natural length of your inhalations and exhalations in seconds to see which part of your breath is longer, your inhalation or exhalation. 

2. Now you’re going to lengthen your exhalation. If your exhalation is shorter than your inhalation, consciously make both parts of your breath last the same number of seconds, by making your exhalation as long as your inhalation. As an example, let’s say that your exhalation is naturally around two seconds while your inhalation is around three seconds. To practice an equal breath, you would make both your inhalation and exhalation three seconds long.

If your exhalation is already the same length as or longer than your inhalation, increase your exhalation by one second. For example, if your inhalations and exhalations are both around 2 seconds, you would slow your exhalation to 3 seconds.

3. If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. If this is not comfortable, you could try increasing by half a second instead (approximately the length of a one syllable word). After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing by another second or half second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at the last comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

4. Try adding another second or half second to your exhalation for four rounds of breath. If you’ve now reached a proportion of 1:2 (your exhalation is twice as long as your exhalation), this is your maximum. Practice your 1:2 breath for about a minute. 

If you have not yet reached a proportion of 1:2 and you are still comfortable, try lengthening your exhalation by another second or half second for four rounds. Proceed in this fashion until you either reach a 1:2 ratio or pass your comfortable maximum. If you reach your 1:2 ratio, continue practicing at that ratio as described below. However, if you are not comfortable, step back to your comfortable maximum and have that be your practice. 

5. After reaching a comfortable 1:2 ratio (or your comfortable maximum), you can continue to practice at this level for 2-3 minutes. Over time, you can gradually work up to 5 minutes. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

6. To gradually return to your natural breath, start reversing the process by dropping one second or half second for four rounds at a time. For example, if you were practicing a four-second exhalation, you’d return to three seconds for four rounds of breath. Continue in this way until you reach the length you started with in step one, practicing that for four rounds.

7. Now return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

Exhalation Pausing

At the end of each inhalation, your breath naturally pauses, very briefly, before your exhalation begins. Likewise, at the end of your exhalation, there’s a brief pause before your next inhalation begins. So every breath cycle naturally has four stages: inhalation, pause, exhalation, pause.

With exhalation pausing, you consciously lengthen the pause after your exhalation for a given amount of time, sometimes for a brief moment and other times for 1, 2, or 3 seconds (or more, in more advanced practices). This pausing should be a soft suspension of your breath, not a gripped “holding” as you might have done holding your breath under water.

Lengthening the pause at the end of the exhalation can enhance the calming effects of a longer exhalation. In addition, lengthening the pause may help strengthen your muscles of breathing. 

The instructions we’re providing are for adding exhalation pausing to an equal breath. However, you can combine exhalation pausing with extended exhalations (described above). For this breath, always practice by breathing through your nose.

1. Start by practicing equal inhalations and exhalations, as described at Breath Practices for Balance. In our example, we’ll assume you’re practicing a two-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation. Continue for four rounds of breath.

2. On your next round of breath, gently lengthen the pause after your exhalation to one half second (or the length of a one syllable word). If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing your pause to a second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

3. Try lengthening the pause to one full second for four rounds of breath. If this is still comfortable, lengthen by another half-second, proceeding in this fashion until either your pauses are either equal to the length of your inhalations and exhalations or you have passed your comfortable maximum. For example, if you are breathing two-second inhalations and exhalations, stop when you have reached two-second pauses. But if your comfortable maximum is 1.5 seconds, step back to that timing for your practice.

4. Once comfortably at your maximum exhalation pause, you can continue to practice at this level for 2-3 minutes, and over time could do longer stretches of up to 5 minutes. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

5. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for pausing for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

If you combine the exhalation pause with exhalation lengthening, your maximum pause should be the length of your inhalation. 

Another way to lengthen your exhalation to a 1:2 ratio is to use a gentle version of Ujjayi breathing for your exhalation only. To do this, breath in normally through your nose, with a relaxed feeling in your throat and vocal cords. Then, as you start to exhale, slightly constrict your throat, keeping it very gentle and relatively quiet. This action in your throat is similar to the one who use on your sunglasses when you try to clean them off, and it will naturally slow down your exhalation a bit and bring you closer to the 1:2 ratio. As you practice this form of breathing, relax your throat as you inhale, engage your throat a little as you exhale. 

Buzzing Bee Breath (Brahmari Pranayama) 

In this breath practice, you make a buzzing sound as you exhale, which naturally lengthens your exhalation and creates a calming effect. For this breath, always practice by breathing through your nose.

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes.

2. Inhale normally through your nose. Then, keeping your mouth closed, make a low- to medium-pitched humming sound in your throat as you exhale. As you make the buzzing sound—which should last the entire length of your exhalation—tune into the vibration of the sound waves in your throat and even in your skull and brain.

3. After you complete your exhalation, inhale through your nose. 

4. If you’re comfortable, repeat the cycle. Try to make your transitions in and out of your exhalations smooth and even. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

5. Start with 12-16 rounds of Buzzing Bee breath, approximately 1 minute. Eventually work up to 2-3 minute practices. 

6. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Notice whether this practice was quieting and calming, or had other effects on you.

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Stimulating Breath Practices We Recommend

by Nina

Excited Dogs by Toyohara Chikanobu

Yoga breath practices (pranayama) allow you to self regulate. When you need soothing, you can use calming breath practices. On the other hand, sometimes you need uplifting or energizing. For those times—or if you tend to be lethargic in general—you can any of the stimulating breath practices presented here. In addition, two of the practices, inhalation lengthening and inhalation pausing, can improve your ability to breathe, increasing your “vital capacity” (a large vital capacity is associated with excellent lung function).

Caution: With all these breath practices, you are activating your stress response. So while these practices are good for times when you feel tired or sluggish, they are not recommended for people with anxiety, anxiety-based depression, or sleeping problems due to an overactive nervous system. And for anyone, if they make you feel agitated or even just unpleasant, just stop practicing. You can use a balancing practice instead (see Breath Practices for Balance) or stay with calming breath practices. Anyone with active asthma should avoid all these breath practices, though if you are on medication and stable, you could give them a try, stopping immediately if they cause any breathing problems. And since all these practices require breathing through your nose, if you’re congested due to illness or allergy, you should skip the practices until you can breathe normally. 
You can practice these in any comfortable seated position on the floor (see Learning to Sit on the Floor, Part 2) or on a chair, or in a reclined position where your chest is supported, such as Savasana or Reclined Cobbler’s pose with a bolster. 

Lengthening Your Inhalation

With this practice, you gradually extend your inhalation, aiming for a 2:1 ratio breath, with your inhalation twice as long as your exhalation. If you can’t comfortably practice a 2:1 ratio breath at this time, you will simply practice an inhalation that is at your comfortable maximum. For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes. Without changing your breath, count the natural length of your inhalations and exhalations in seconds to see which part of your breath is longer, your inhalation or exhalation. 

2. Now you’re going to lengthen your inhalation. If your inhalation is shorter than your exhalation, consciously make both parts of your breath last the same number of seconds, by making your inhalation as long as your exhalation. As an example, let’s say that your inhalation is naturally around two seconds while your exhalation is around three seconds. To practice an equal breath, you would make both your inhalation and exhalation three seconds long.

If your inhalation is already the same length as or longer than your exhalation, increase your inhalation by one second. For example, if your inhalations and exhalations are both around 2 seconds, you would slow your inhalation to 3 seconds.

3. If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. If this is not comfortable, you could try increasing by half a second instead (approximately the length of a one syllable word). After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing by another second or half second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at the last comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

4. Try adding another second or half second to your inhalation for four rounds of breath. If you’ve now reached a proportion of 2:1 (your inhalation is twice as long as your exhalation), this is your maximum. Practice your 2:1 breath for about a minute. 

If you have not yet reached a proportion of 2:1 and you are still comfortable, try lengthening your inhalation by another second or half second for four rounds. Proceed in this fashion until you either reach a 2:1 ratio or pass your comfortable maximum. If you reach your 2:1 ratio, practice for one minute. However, if you pass your comfortable maximum, step back to your comfortable maximum and have that be your practice. 

5. Now, start reversing the process by dropping one second or half second for four rounds at a time. For example, if you were practicing a four second inhalation, you’d return to three seconds for four rounds of breath. Continue in this way until you reach the length you started with in step one, practicing that for four rounds.

6. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

Inhalation Pausing

At the end of each inhalation, your breath naturally pauses, very briefly, before your exhalation begins. Likewise, at the end of your exhalation, there’s a brief pause before your next inhalation begins. So every breath cycle naturally has four stages: inhalation, pause, exhalation, pause.

With inhalation pausing, you consciously lengthen the pause after your inhalation for a given amount of time, sometimes for a brief moment and other times for 1, 2, or 3 seconds (or more, in more advanced practices). This pausing should be a soft suspension of your breath, not a gripped “holding” as you might have done holding your breath under water.

Lengthening the pause at the end of the inhalation can enhance the stimulating effects of a longer inhalation. In addition, lengthening the pause may help strengthen your muscles of breathing. 

The instructions we’re providing are for adding inhalation pausing to an equal breath. However, you can combine inhalation pausing with extended inhalations (described above). For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

1. Start by practicing equal inhalations and exhalations, as described at Breath Practices for Balance. In our example, we’ll assume you’re practicing a two-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation. Continue for four rounds of breath.

2. On your next round of breath, gently lengthen the pause after your inhalation to one half second (or the length of a one syllable word). If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing your pause to a second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

3. Try lengthening the pause to one full second for four rounds of breath. If this is still comfortable, lengthen by another half-second, proceeding in this fashion until either your pauses are either equal to the length of your inhalations and exhalations or you have passed your comfortable maximum. For example, if you are breathing two-second inhalations and exhalations, stop when you have reached two-second pauses. But if your comfortable maximum is 1.5 seconds, step back to that timing for your practice.

4. Repeat for four more cycles. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

5. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for pausing for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

Skull Shining Breath (Kapalabhati Pranayama)

Traditionally, Skull Shining Breath is recommended for making you more present and alert, with a sharper mind. This is a stimulating breath practice that can wake you up if you’re feeling sleepy or energize you when you’re feeling sluggish. However, because it is a demanding practice, people who are very tired may find it exhausting. For you, we recommend practicing simple lengthening of your inhalation.

Technique. The basic breath technique consists a quick, forceful exhalation followed by a quiet, natural inhalation, typically short. For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

To make the quick, forceful exhalation, quickly contract your abdominal muscles towards your spine as you breathe out. (Imagine you have a little down feather stuck to the opening of your nose, and you are trying to forcefully blow it off your nose.) This forceful exhalation should be loud enough to hear clearly.

To take the natural inhalation, relax your belly, and passively allow your breath to fill your lungs, without attempting to slow it. This soft inhalation should be much quieter—if at all audible—than your exhalation. 

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes. 

2. About half way through a natural exhalation, begin your first quick, forceful exhalation as described above. Follow the exhalation immediately with your quiet, natural inhalation and then pause gently at the end of your inhalation. On your next exhalation, begin with the quick, forceful exhalation for your first full cycle of Skull Shining Breath.

3. If you’re new to the practice, acclimate to this style of breathing by starting with 12-16 breaths. Keep your pace relaxed and relatively comfortable, ensuring that you don’t feel short of breath, lightheaded, nauseated, or dizzy. Use the gentle pause at the end of inhalation to slow your pace if necessary. If you experience any problems, return to normal breathing for a few minutes. If your symptoms fully resolve and you are back to feeling normal, you could then try one more cycle of 12-16 breaths. If you rest and don’t feel completely back to normal, skip it today and try another day. 

4. On your last breath cycle, contract your abdominal muscles toward your spine and squeeze all the breath out of your lungs with a long exhalation instead of a short one. Then take a gentle full breath in followed by a natural, relaxed exhalation. 

5. Take a short break of about one minute and return to your natural breathing pattern. Then, if you feel up to it, repeat a second set of 12 to 16 breaths.

6. Eventually, over time, work up to two sets of 60 repetitions, with a short break of about 1 minute between the sets. As you get more accustomed to the practice, you can also speed up your breath quite a bit by shortening or eliminating the pauses, practicing up to 2 cycles per second. 

7. When you have completed two cycles, return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Notice whether you feel more alert, mentally clear, and/or enlivened.

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Breath Practices for Balance

by Nina

by Melina Meza

Yoga breath practices (pranayama) allow you to self regulate. When you need soothing, you can use calming breath practices. When you need uplifting or energizing, you can use stimulating breath practices. And when you need just a moderate amount of calming or stimulating, you can use balancing practices. A balancing breath, such as when you make your inhalations and your exhalations the same length or practice Alternate Nostril Breath, you are only very subtly affecting your nervous system, maybe only slightly stimulating or calming it (depending on your current state).

So these breath practices are good for times when you feel like you need “balancing” such as in the morning when you first wake up and want just a bit of stimulation or when you’ve just left work and want just a bit of calming. And if you’re anxious and having mild breathing problems, practicing an equal breath (sama vritti) can help you get your breathing back under control, making it more steady and even. 

You can also use these practices when you wish to do a formal breath practice that will harness your mind in the present moment without having a strong effect on your nervous system. Finally, two of the practices, equal breath with gradual lengthening and equal breath with equal pausing are good for improving lung capacity and fostering the respiratory system health. 

Caution: Anyone with active asthma should avoid all these breath practices, though if you are on medication and stable, you could give them a try, stopping immediately if they cause any breathing problems. And since all these practices require breathing through your nose, if you’re congested due to illness or allergy, you should skip the practices until you can breathe normally. 

You can practice these in any comfortable seated position on the floor (see Learning to Sit on the Floor, Part 2) or on a chair, or in a reclined position where your chest is supported, such as Savasana or Reclined Cobbler’s pose with a bolster. 

Equal Breath (Sama Vrtti)

For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes. Without changing your breath, count the natural length of your inhalations and exhalations in seconds to see which part of your breath is longer, your inhalation or exhalation. 

2. Consciously make both parts of your breath last the same number of seconds, by making whichever part of your breath is longer the same number as the shorter part. As an example, let’s say that your inhalation is naturally around three seconds while your exhalation is around two seconds. To practice an equal breath, you would make both your inhalation and exhalation two seconds long.

3. Practice for 2-3 minutes or 24-36 rounds. If your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

4. When your practice is complete, return to your natural breath and practice simple awareness for one to two minutes.

Gradual Lengthening of Equal Breath

Besides quieting your nervous system, this valuable breath practice can improve your ability to breathe, increasing your “vital capacity.” In general, a large vital capacity is associated with excellent lung function. For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

1. Start by practicing equal inhalations and exhalations, as described above, for four rounds of breath. In our example, we’ll assume you’re practicing a two-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation. Continue for four rounds of breath.

2. Add one second to both your inhalation and exhalation, for example, practicing a three-second inhalation and exhalation. If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. If this is not comfortable, you could try increasing by half a second instead (approximately the length of a one syllable word) or return to step 1 and have that be your practice. After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing by another second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at the last comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

3. Try adding another second to your inhalation and exhalation for four rounds of breath. If this is still comfortable, lengthen both by another second, proceeding in this fashion until you pass your comfortable maximum. For example, when you attempt a six-second practice, you might realize that you can only comfortably inhale for five seconds while exhaling for six seconds, or vice versa. At this point, step back to your comfortable maximum and repeat for four more cycles. For example, if you found that a six second breath practice was too much, you would step back to a five second equal breath for four rounds.

4. Now, start reversing the process by dropping one second for four rounds. For example, if you were practicing for five seconds, you’d return to four seconds for four rounds of breath. Continue in this way until you reach the length you started with in step one, practicing that for four rounds.

5. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

Equal Breath with Equal Pausing 

At the end of each inhalation, your breath naturally pauses, very briefly, before your exhalation begins. Likewise, at the end of your exhalation, there’s a brief pause before your next inhalation begins. So every breath cycle naturally has four stages: inhalation, pause, exhalation, pause.

With Equal Breath with Equal Pausing, you consciously lengthen the two pauses for a given amount of time, sometimes for a brief moment and other times for 1, 2, or 3 seconds (or more, in more advanced practices). This pausing should be a soft suspension of your breath, not a gripped “holding” as you might have done holding your breath under water.

Lengthening the pause at the end of the exhalation can enhance the quieting effects of a longer exhalation, and lengthening the pause at the end of the inhalation can enhance the stimulating effects of a longer inhalation. When you lengthen both pauses, the effect is balancing. In addition, lengthening the pauses may help strengthen your muscles of breathing. For this breath, always practicing by breathing through your nose.

1. Start by practicing equal inhalations and exhalations, as described above, for four rounds of breath. In our example, we’ll assume you’re practicing a two-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation. Continue for four rounds of breath.

2. On your next round of breath, gently lengthen the pauses after your inhalations and exhalations by one-half second (or the length of a one syllable word). If this is comfortable, continue for four rounds. After four rounds, if you feel ready, you can proceed to the next step of increasing your pauses to a second. If this seems like it’s going to be too much, simply continue with at comfortable maximum for four more cycles and then return to step 1.

3. Try lengthening the pauses to one full second for four rounds of breath. If this is still comfortable, lengthen both by another half-second, proceeding in this fashion until either your pauses are either equal to the length of your inhalations and exhalations or you have passed your comfortable maximum. For example, if you are breathing two-second inhalations and exhalations, stop when you have two-second pauses if you are comfortable there. But if your comfortable maximum is 1.5 seconds for pausing, return to that timing.

4. Repeat for four more cycles. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

5. Return to your natural breath and practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes. Make a note of your comfortable maximum for pausing for the day, and gradually work towards extending its length over time. 

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Sodhana)

With this breath practice, you breath through a single nostril at a time, alternating between sides with each exhalation. The classic way to do this is by using your right hand to gently close the nostril you’re not using, typically with your right thumb closing your right nostril and your right ring finger closing your left nostril. But not everyone can do this comfortably. For these people, you can practice mental alternate nostril breathing, where you simply imagine the air going in and out of one side at a time. We’re going to offer instructions for both methods. Use whichever you prefer. 

Traditional Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Sodhana)

There are many different hand positions that you can use for traditional alternate nostril breathing. We’re providing instructions for just one of these. Feel free to use any other method you’ve been taught.

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes.

2. With your left hand relaxed in your lap, bring your right hand in front of your face with your palm facing your head and your fingers are facing directly up. Curl your index finger and middle finger toward your palm. Then gently rest your thumb on your right nostril and your ring and pinky fingers on your left nostril (don’t block either nostril yet).

3. Inhale and exhale completely through both nostrils.

4. Pause and gently close your right nostril with your thumb.

5. Inhale through your left nostril. 

6. Pause and gently close your left nostril with your ring and pinkie fingers and open your right nostril. Exhale through your right nostril. 

7. Inhale through your right nostril.

8. Pause and gently close your right nostril with your thumb and open your left nostril. Exhale through your left nostril. You have now completed one cycle of Nadi Sodhana. 

9. Repeat the cycle 6-12 times. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath.

10. Finish on an exhalation through your left nostril, release your hand, and return to your natural breath.

11. Practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes.

Mental Alternate Nostril Breathing 

1. Practice simple breath awareness (see A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness) for one or two minutes. 

2. Inhale and exhale normally through both nostrils. 

3. As you take your next inhalation, imagine you are inhaling through your left nostril alone. 

4. For your next exhalation, switch to your right nostril, imagining you are exhaling through your right nostril alone. Then inhale still imagining you are breathing through your right nostril alone. 

5. For your next exhalation, switch to your left nostril, imagining you are exhaling through your left nostril alone. Then, to start your next cycle, inhale still imagining you are breathing through your left nostril alone. 

6. Continue switching sides on your exhalation for 6-12 cycles. If at any time your breath becomes labored or uncomfortable in any way, or you start feeling agitated or panicky, stop and return to your natural breath. 

7. Finish on an exhalation and return to your natural breath.

8. Practice simple breath awareness for one to two minutes.

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Yoga Relaxation Techniques: They're Not Interchangeable (Rerun)

by Nina

Patterns in the Sand 2, by Brad Gibson

Okay, I admit it. It’s probably my fault. I’ve been going around saying that you can trigger the Relaxation Response (see The Relaxation Response and Yoga) using any of the following: restorative yoga, inverted poses, Savasana, pranayama, meditation, and yoga nidra, etc. as if all those practices were somehow interchangeable. This has led to questions like the following comment left on a Friday Q&A: Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, Meditation and Savasana:

It is very helpful to read the distinctions between these four practices as I try to practice all of them, but it's hard to find the time. I'd be really interested to get your thoughts on whether it's important to do all four? For example, if you do restorative while listening to a nidra CD, do you also need to meditate? I'm interested to know what the various benefits are of these four practices, or are the benefits all the same? 

Let me start by saying that what I said previously—that you can use any of these practices for stress management—still holds true. And it is also true that you can choose whichever techniques you prefer to trigger the Relaxation Response. However, these practices each have different roles to play in a balanced yoga practice. 

The role of meditation in a balanced yoga practice is particularly important. That’s why I asked Timothy to write an article on the purpose of meditation (see his absolutely wonderful post Is Meditation an Essential Par of Practicing Yoga?). Basically, although you can use meditation for stress reduction, its role in classical yoga is to quiet the mind to allow union with the divine or “liberation”: 

1.2 Yoga is the cessation of movements of consciousness.
1.3 Then the seer dwells in his own true splendor.

— from Yoga Sutras, trans. B.K.S. Iyengar

Meditation is also, as Timothy mentions, a “fabulous tool to study your mind and slowly gain more control over it.”

Pranayama is also an important component of classical yoga, which precedes meditation as one of eight steps on the path to samadhi (union with the divine). It is considered an instrument to “steady the mind” and a gateway to dharana (the first phase of meditation).  

“Pranayama removes the veil covering the light of knowledge and heralds the dawn of wisdom.

Its practice destroys illusion, consisting of ignorance, desire and delusion which obscure the intelligence; and allows the inner light of wisdom to shine. As the breeze disperses the clouds that cover the sun, pranayama wafts away the clouds that hide the light of intelligence.” — Sutra 2.52 trans. by B.K.S. Iyengar

On the other hand, the two types of asana I recommended for triggering the Relaxation Response, restorative yoga and supported inversions, are brilliant 20th century inventions, mostly developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, which are designed specifically to maximize physical relaxation and reduce stress. Judith Lasater, one of the most renowned teachers of restorative yoga, writes in the introduction to her book Relax and Renew: 

“The antidote to stress is relaxation. To relax is to rest deeply. This rest is different from sleep. Deep states of sleep include periods of dreaming which increase muscular tension, as well as other physiological signs of tension. Relaxation is a state in which there is no movement, no effort, and the brain is quiet.

"Common to all stress reduction techniques is putting the body in a comfortable position with gentle attention directed toward the breath.”

Likewise, yoga nidra is also a 20th century invention (though you may see some claims to the contrary) developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. The first sentence of his book Yoga Nidra defines the practice like this:

“Yoga nidra, which is derived from the tantras, is a powerful technique in which you learn to relax consciously.”

In yoga nidra, you lie in Savasana while the voice of a teacher (or a recording) guides you through a physical and mental relaxation process. So, like restorative yoga, yoga nidra is specifically intended as a relaxation technique, and as such does not replace meditation or pranayama in a balanced yoga practice. This would be true of any form of Savasana in which an external voice is providing instructions and/or imagery for you. Unlike other relaxation techniques, yoga nidra includes a sankalpa (an intention) that allows you to influence your subconscious (or so it is claimed). For example, “I will awaken my spiritual potential,” “I will be a positive force for the evolution of others,” or “I will be successful in all that I undertake.” So this may be something you wish to take into consideration when choosing your relaxation practice.

Unlike the modern restorative postures, Savasana is a much older pose. Based on what I’ve read about the original practice, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Savasana is a reclining form of meditation. For some traditional yogis, it was a meditation on death, hence the literal translation of the name Savasana is “Corpse pose,” and it was sometimes even practiced alongside actual corpses. To practice Savasana properly, however, you must actually do the work of meditating while you are in the pose (and make sure you don’t fall asleep). If you don’t actually meditate while in Savasana, then, well, you are simply relaxing. But that's okay, too, if that is what you are after.

So there you have it. Which of these practices you decide to adopt really depends on what your goals are as well as your preferences. If you’re just after stress management and better health, it doesn’t really matter which you chose. However, if your goal is the “liberation” that is yoga’s ultimate aim, both pranayama and meditation are essential steps along the path.

Sorry if I caused any confusion! 

Ultimate liberation is when the gunas, devoid of any purpose for the purusa, return to their original [latent] state; in other words, when the power of consciousness is situation in its own essential nature. —Yoga Sutra 4.34 —trans. Edwin Bryant

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Friday Q&A: Recommended Pranayama Practices

Air Castles by Maxfield Parrish*

Q: Nina’s post Pranayama: A Powerful Key to Your Nervous System described how different pranayama practices work. That made me wonder. There are a lot of different pranayama practices out there. Which ones do you recommend for stimulating, calming and balancing? 

A: I’m going to start by listing the pranayama practices that I personally recommend (and teach). After that, Nina will say a few words about why we have such a small selection. 

Stimulating Pranayama Practices

1. Bastrika 
2. Kapalabhati (the forceful exhalation causes a longer inhalation) 
3. 2:1 ratio (inhalation twice as long as exhalation) for 1-2 minutes or longer 
4. 1 second inhalation:1 second pause:1 second exhalation for 1-2 minutes 

Calming Pranayama Practices

1. 1:2 ratio (exhalation twice as long as inhalation) for 1-2 minutes or longer 
2. 1 second inhalation:1 second exhalation:1 second pause, for 1-2 minutes or longer 
3. Brahmari Breath for 1-2 minutes or longer (see Pranayama for Everyone: Bhramari Breath Practice) 

Balancing Pranayama Practices 

1. 1:1 ratio (exhalation and inhalation the same lengths) 
2. 1 second inhalation:1 second pause:1 second exhalation:1 second pause (or 1:1 ratio and pausing equal amounts after both inhalations and exhalations) 
3. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing). See Balancing Your Nervous System with Alternate Nostril Breathing.

—Baxter 

Baxter and I were both trained in the Iyengar tradition, which takes a very conservative approach to pranayama. Because it is considered a very powerful practice, pranayama is generally introduced only to experienced asana practitioners. Other traditions teach pranayama to beginners, and they also teach practices that we’re not familiar with (although Baxter has some experience with the Viniyoga tradition). Therefore, when recommending pranayama, we tend to err on the side of caution. 

I asked Beth Gibbs, who a certified yoga therapist through Integrative Yoga Therapy, which practices she recommends, and she mentioned a couple of practices that Baxter did not include: Swana for stimulating, and Sitali (see Yoga for Menopause: Managing Hot Flashes) and Candle Breath for calming. 

In general, however, we think it’s wise to study breath practices with an experienced teacher before experimenting on your own. 

—Nina 

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Pranayama: A Powerful Key to Your Nervous System

by Nina

Cliffs of Varengeville, Gust of Wind by Claude Monet

One of the methods we recommend that you can use to switch your nervous system from Stress mode (Fight or Flight) to Relaxation mode is by practicing breath awareness (see  The Relaxation Response and Yoga). Simple breath awareness provides a focus for your mind that allows you to trigger the Relaxation Response in the same way that meditating on a visual image, a mantra, or any other physical sensation does.

But what about pranayama, the formal practice of breath control? Although practicing pranayama takes quite a bit of focus and is a good way to take your mind off regrets about the past, worries about the future, or negative reactions to the present, it turns out that the reason pranayama works is quite different than simple breath awareness.

Understanding how pranayama works will help you appreciate why it is so powerful. And it will also help you chose the most appropriate practices for your particular condition. This is because—and many people don’t realize this—not all pranayama practices are relaxing. Some are quite stimulating in fact, and others should be considered more “balancing” than quieting. Let’s look at why that is.

Your autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that controls the functions of your body, such as digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing, that are “involuntary,” meaning the functions that you don’t have to think about (see Anatomy Lesson post). The autonomic nervous system is also the part of your nervous system that sends you into Stress mode (Fight or Flight) and that triggers the Relaxation Response (Rest and Digest). And while you cannot tell your nervous system directly to slow your heart beat, digest your food more quickly (that would be nice, wouldn’t it?), or to start relaxing right this minute, you can control your breath.

Think about it: even though you breathe without thinking about it, you can intentionally hold your breath, speed up your breath, slow down your breath, breathe through one nostril instead of the other, and so on. And this ability to alter your breathing is what gives you the key to your nervous system, providing you with some control over its “involuntary” functions.

This happens because of the relationship between your heart and lungs and the nerves between them. For each round of breath you take, during your inhalation, the nerves stimulate your heart to beat a little faster and then, during the exhalation that follows, your nerves stimulate your heart to slow down a bit. The overall effect is very little change in your heart rate from minute to minute. But when you make one part of your breath cycle, either the inhale or the exhale, longer than the other, and you do this for several minutes, the accumulated effect is that you will either slow your heart rate down (with a longer exhalation) or speed it up (with a longer inhalation) from where you started.

Stimulating Practices. When you make your inhalations longer than your exhalations, for example, by using a two-second inhalation and a one-second exhalation (2:1 ratio), and you maintain that for several minutes, your heart rate will speed up a bit. This increased heart rate sends a feedback message to your brain that your circumstances require activity, stimulating the Sympathetic portion of your Autonomic Nervous System to prepare you physically and mentally to take action with the Fight or Flight or Stress response.

So pranayama practices that lengthen your inhalation are practices you might want to do if you need energizing or are feeling depressed or lethargic. You would want to avoid them if you are feeling hyper, stressed out, anxious, or are suffering from insomnia. 

Calming Practices. When you make your exhalations longer than your inhalations, for example, by using a one-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation (1:2 ratio), humming on your exhalation with a Bhramari breath, or using your tongue tongue to slow your exhalation with a Sitali breath (see Managing Hot Flashes) and you maintain that for several minutes, your rate slows down a bit. This decreased heart rate sends a feedback a message to your brain that your circumstances are more peaceful and calm now, which stimulates the Parasympathetic portion of your Autonomic Nervous to allow you to rest, recover, and heal with the Rest and Digest or Relaxation Response.

So pranayama practices that lengthen your exhalation are practices you might want to do if you need hyper, stressed out, anxious or suffering from insomnia (they are excellent for doing in bed in the middle of the night). Since typically most of us aren’t really “under-stressed,” about the only time I can think you’d want to avoid these practices are if you are falling asleep and don’t want to.

Balancing Practices. When you make your inhalations and your exhalations the same length, for example, by using a two-second inhalation with a two-second exhalation or by practicing Alternate Nostril Breathing, you are only very subtly affecting your nervous system, maybe only slightly stimulating or calming it (depending on your current state). So these practices are good for times when you feel like you need “balancing” more than calming or stimulating or for when you wish to do a formal breath practice that will harness your mind in the present moment without having a strong effect on your nervous system.

Caution: For completeness, I’m listing forms of pranayama in this post that in the Iyengar tradition are not recommended for beginners. This is because they can indeed have a very powerful effect on your nervous system. Generally, 1:2, 2:1, and Brahmari breath are considered safe practices (although you should never let yourself get short of breath), but I do recommend that if you are interested in experimenting with pranayama that you study with a trained teacher.

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