Pranayama
The conscious breathing techniques of yoga and Ayurveda: mastering the breath to regulate vital energy (prana) and one's inner state.
Pranayama is a Sanskrit word made up of prana, the vital breath, and ayama, expansion or mastery. It refers to the set of conscious breathing techniques practiced in yoga and Ayurveda to regulate this energy. It is the fourth of the eight limbs (ashtanga) of classical yoga described by Patanjali, coming right after the postures (asana) and before the withdrawal of the senses.
Unlike involuntary breathing, pranayama relies on voluntary control of three phases: inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka) and exhalation (rechaka). Tradition holds that the quality of the breath directly influences the state of the mind (manas): an irregular or shallow breath is associated with a restless mind, while a slow, steady breath supports calm.
Each pranayama technique has a different effect depending on the tradition: some cool and calm, like sitali or bhramari, others warm and stimulate, like surya bhedana, while nadi shodhana (alternate-nostril breathing) aims for balance between the two nostrils. This choice according to the desired effect echoes the logic of the doshas: a stimulating technique rarely suits a Pitta profile already running hot, for example.
A concrete example: five to ten minutes of belly breathing or nadi shodhana, practiced seated each morning as part of dinacharya, are traditionally said to be enough to notice an effect on nervous tension. Our guide pranayama for beginners details the safest techniques for getting started.