Pranayama Techniques for Beginners

If you already practice yoga, adding a few minutes of Pranayama to your routine can bring out the subtle benefits of your practice. In the Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali classifies yoga in eight steps called Ashtanga which literally translates to ‘the eight limbs’. The third step in this classification is asana which refers to yoga (postures) and the fourth step is Pranayama. As per yogic texts, Prana, the life force, is the subtle energy attached to the breath that travels through the nadis and provides vitality to the physical, causal and subtle body.

The Origins of Pranayama

We can trace most of the original Pranayama practices to the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika written in the 15th century which is one of the three principle texts of hatha yoga. Over the years, many modifications and variations have been introduced to the practice. Pranayama has many definitions but the simplest way to understand it is to call it the art of breathing. 

Characteristics of Good Breathing

Take a moment (and a deep breath while you are at it) to notice how we often forget that our breath is involuntary AND voluntary. Yet, for the most part our breath meanders untamed and meaningless, sometimes short and stuffy when we are anxious or at other times superficial and half-hearted as we stare at our phone. Is it any mystery that we feel stressed and out of control when we completely ignore the most efficient free tool that nature has granted us? So, what are the characteristics of good breathing?

• Fluid
• Even
• Deep
• Unbroken
• Noiseless

Pranayama is healing, transformational, and a deeply relaxing practice. But it can be equally perplexing for beginners. In this article, we present three simple steps for beginners to explore the calming and mindful aspects of ‘breath work’.  Consider this article a good way to ‘dip your feet in the water’ to see how your body and mind respond. These simple steps will prepare you for intermediate and advanced practices without getting entangled in Sanskrit jargon or more intricate details that can unsettle a beginner. 

Going Inward

In order to get started you must go inward to access this life force energy, where ever you are in your Pranayama practice.

via GIPHY

Observe the Breath

Step 1

Congrats on your first step into the world of Pranayama. Leave your anguish at the door and I hope you are dressed for the occasion. Start with a resolution to dedicate fifteen minutes of your daily schedule to these three steps at a fixed time of the day. Ideally, it should be an hour before sunrise or around sunset.

Sit comfortably on a yoga mat in a well-ventilated and quiet place. You need not sit in any asana. If you have trouble sitting on the ground, you can sit on a chair. Whatever pose you settle for, make sure your head and spine are in a straight line and your back is erect (but relaxed).

Forget about the outside world. Close your eyes. Clear your mind and perform the simplest sounding but incredibly slippery task of observing every aspect of your breath.

Let us be clear, this is purely an observational practice. Do not try to control, influence, manipulate or judge anything. Turn all your attention on your breathing and observe every turn, every nuance, and every swell without interfering with it. 

Place your finger under your nostrils and observe which nostril is active. Place your right palm on your stomach and feel it rise every time you inhale and dip as you exhale. Is your inhalation longer than your exhalation? Is it the other way around? Do you breathe from the upper chest or do you breathe from the diaphragm? Do you pause between breaths? 

There are many subtle things about your breath that you hitherto never cared for. Just pay attention as an indifferent observer without trying to ‘do’ anything. Try to do this for 5 minutes. The longer you do this, the more variations you may find in your breathing. Just follow, connect and understand.  

This is the first step or first five minutes of your daily practice. This practice serves a two-fold purpose. First, it will help you understand the nature of your breathing as it stands today. Second, it will teach you to disconnect yourself from the external world and stay focused on your breath. Mind you, these things are easier said than done. 

What to expect: 

Beginners often struggle to keep their mind focused on the breath. It is natural to get distracted by unwanted thoughts, but this is exactly why this step is so important. This is the time to learn how to build and maintain a distance from conscious chatter and sync your breath and attention. 

You will also notice that your breath slows down as you successfully start following it, and your mind and body feel relaxed. By the end of five minutes, in most cases, you will notice your breathing is steady and your heart-rate eases up. After a few sessions, you will learn to use this step to withdraw your mind from everything and anchor your attention to your breath. This is a great way to start Pranayama, but it can be useful before you start other practices as well. 

Don’t be in a hurry to rush into advanced Pranayama practices without an innate understanding of the mechanism of your own breath. As you get better, you can reduce the time from five minutes to two or three minutes. 

Deergha Shavasam

Three-Part Breathing 

Step 2

After step one, we chalk out how to spend the next five minutes of your routine. Stay seated in the aforementioned posture with your eyes closed. Now it is time to move from observation to an actual breathing technique called Deergha Shavasam, Three-Part Breathing or Yogic breathing. ‘Three-part’ does NOT refer to inhale-retain-exhale. It refers to the three parts of the inhalation and exhalation. We are not quite ready for the retention part yet. 

Let us get to it. You need to perform a three-step comfortable inhalation that begins in your lower abdomen, then continues to expand the diaphragm/ribs and finally progresses through the upper-chest to your throat as it is complete and ready for exhalation.

In smooth succession, release the breath in a purposeful and gentle exhalation but in the opposite order i.e. expel from the upper chest, then the diaphragm and finally empty the lower abdomen.

The three steps are merely a figurative way to break-down and illustrate this practice. The entire inhalation and exhalation is one smooth and continuous cycle of fluid breath. 

You need not take long or deep breaths. This technique is not about deep breathing, it is about calming down the breath. Beginners should spend five to fifteen minutes on this second step. As a beginner, you really need to practice yogic breathing until you can cycle your breath effortlessly and learn to take in only as much oxygen as is necessary. 

What to expect:

Don’t expect to get the unbroken fluid motion right away. Initially, you are prone to be ‘too conscious’ of your breath. This is normal for beginners. With steady and sufficient practice, you will reach a stage where you can perform three-part breathing effortlessly.

Start with an even inhalation and exhalation (1:1 ratio). As you progress, start performing this practice in a 1:2 ratio i.e. if you inhale for four seconds, exhale for eight seconds. 

Breath Control

Step 3

via GIPHY

Once you are familiar and efficient with step two, you can start devoting another five to ten minutes in your session to step three. The third step is to learn to manipulate, control, and extend your breath. 

Think of this step as a way to build your lung (breathing) strength and stamina or attaining the skill of controlling your breath. This will be helpful when we move on to the intermediate and advanced pranayamas. 

I recommend performing this in sukhasana because the posture is said to ease anxiety and bring peace to the mind and energy to the body. But again, if you aren’t comfortable in an asana, just sit comfortably and follow the same instructions for posture as mentioned earlier. 

There are three aspects to the human breath in pranayama: Puraka (inhalation), kumbhaka (retention), and rechaka (exhalation). To keep it simple, we will use the English translation instead of the Sanskrit words. 

With step two, we learned yogic breathing while inhaling and exhaling. Now we add breath retention to the equation. 

Start breathing in a ratio of 1:1:2. This means you inhale for four counts, retain for four counts, and exhale for eight counts. As you progress, increase the ratio to 1:2:2 and eventually to the ideal ratio of 1:4:2. (Do this gradually, over 8-10 days.)

What to expect:

You won’t reach 1:4:2 breathing overnight unless you have experience in breathwork in any other form. Be patient and allow it to happen organically. 

After a five to ten-minute session, you should feel completely relaxed and revitalized. Your energy levels will be rejuvenated and your mind will be calm and steady. 

If at any point you start feeling anxious, then reduce the counts of breath retention. People with asthma, pregnant women and those suffering from hypertension must consult their physician before trying this step. You can, however, perform the first two steps as they are completely safe for everyone. 

The following video presents the process of manipulating and controlling the breath.

Pranayama Tips for Beginners

The quality of your breath should never become stressful or forceful. Only make increments that you can handle without ANY discomfort. Do not, under any circumstances, push yourself beyond what you are naturally capable of as this will expunge the benefits of pranayama. 

Pranayama Schedule

Here is what a simple schedule with gradual increments would look like:

Pre-Sunrise: 15 minutes a day

First week: Step 1 for 5 minutes and Step 2 for 10 minutes (1:1)

Second week: Step 1 for 5 minutes and Step 2 for 10 minutes (1:1 & 1:2)

Third week: Step 1 for 3 minutes, Step 2 for 5 minutes (1:2), and Step 3 for five minutes.

And so on…

In the puritanical yogic schools of thought, it is indicated that one should perform Pranayama only after a certain degree of proficiency has been achieved in yogasana. However, this applies to advanced practices and not our three-step plan. So if you aren’t already doing yoga, you can start simultaneously and be ready for our intermediate Pranayama articles. In the next part of this article, we will explain some highly relaxing and cleansing breathing techniques like:

• Anuloma-Viloma: Alternating between the left and right nostril to calm the mind and body
• Nadi Shodhana: Silent alternate breathing to balance and purify the nadis (energy pathways)
• Ujjayi breathing: Stimulate energy channels to release tension and invoke mental clarity
• Bhramari: The bee buzzing pranayama that helps prepare you for sound sleep!

Sounds exciting? Well, it ought to. These techniques are used by millions of people around the world to reduce stress, promote healing, and revel in unsullied clarity and deep relaxation. So get familiar with your breath and we’ll see you when you’re ready for Part 2 of this series! 

To learn more about Prana, read the esteemed Sadhguru’s wisdom: Pranayama: Taking Charge of the Fundamental Life Force.