Gujarat State Yog Board

Pranayama

Prana is the vital energy that sustains both our physical and subtle layers. Prana is the life force that nourishes our minds and keeps the body alive. Prana refers to the universal life force, and Ayama means to regulate or lengthen. Pranayama means working in the dimension of prana. In earlier times, the practice of Pranayama was not easily accessible to all. Today, Yogrishi Pujya Ramdevji Maharaj has made it easily accessible - making it possible for everyone to integrate Pranayama into their daily routines.

Rules to observe while doing Pranayama

Practice Pranayama in a clean and airy place. It is preferable to practice it in the open, near a river or a lake, if possible.
If you are practicing in a polluted city, infuse the room with pleasant smells with an incense stick and begin your Pranayama.
Use a blanket, bedsheet, rubber mat or something similar to your seat while doing Pranayama.
Wear loose-fitting clothes (robe or trousers, etc.) while practicing to feel free from stress on the body. Remove your belt, watch, spectacles, etc., during the practice.
During Pranayama, sit in the posture of Siddhasana, Sukhasana, or Padmasana and keep your spine straight. If sitting on the ground is not possible, you can do Pranayama on a chair.
Keep your neck, spine, chest and waist straight while doing Pranayama.
Always breathe through the nose, so that the breath is altered when inhaled. Even in regular times, you should not breathe through your mouth.
Pay particular attention to your diet-behavior, conduct and thought while practicing Pranayama. Always eat Sattvic food with fruits, juices, green vegetables, milk and ghee.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Bhastrika The yogic breath of fire

Sthiti: Samasthiti (Alert Posture)

How to Perform

Sit in vajrasana or sukhasana (cross-legged position). Pranayama can be more effective in vajrasana as your spine is erect and the diaphragmatic movement is better.
Make a fist and fold your arms, placing them near your shoulders.
Inhale deeply, raise your hands straight up and open your fists.
Exhale slightly forcefully, bring your arms down next to your shoulders and close your fists.
Continue for 20 breaths.
Relax with palms on your thighs.
Take a few normal breaths.
Continue for two more rounds.

Benefits

Great for energising the body and mind.
Since we maximise our lung capacity while doing it, the pranayama helps remove toxins and impurities.
It helps in sinus, bronchitis and other respiratory issues.
Improves awareness and perceptive power of senses.
It helps balance doshas.

Precautions while performing

Make sure you practice it on an empty stomach.
Do it at your own pace. If you feel dizzy, increase the duration of the breaks.
Pregnant women should avoid it.
If you suffer from hypertension and panic disorders, then do it under the supervision of a teacher.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Kapalbhati

Sthiti: Any meditative posture e.g. Sukhāsana/Padmāsana/ Vajrasana

How to Perform

Sit in any comfortable posture.
Close your eyes and relax the whole body
Inhale deeply through both nostrils, expand the chest.
Expel the breath with forceful contractions of the pelvic and abdominal muscles and inhale passively.
Do not strain.
Continue active/forceful exhalation and passive inhalation.
Complete 30 rapid breaths, then take a deep breath, exhale slowly and relax completely
This is one round of Kapālbhāti.
Each round shall be followed by being still for a while.
Repeat 2 more rounds.

Benefits

Kapālbhāti purifies the frontal air sinuses; helps to overcome cough disorders.
It is useful in treating colds, rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma and bronchial infections.
It rejuvenates the whole body, and keeps the face glowing and vibrant.
It strengthens the nervous system and tones up the digestive organs.

Precautions while performing

Please avoid this practice in case of cardiac conditions, giddiness, high blood pressure, vertigo, chronic bleeding in the nose, epilepsy, migraine, stroke, hernia, gastric ulcer, pregnancy and during menstrual cycle.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Bahya External Pranayama

Sthiti: External Pranayama

How to Perform

Sit properly in Siddhasana or Padmasana and exhale as much as possible at once.
Exhale as much as you can by holding your breath as much as possible by applying tribandh, which means Mulbandh (root closure), and Uddiyan bandh and Jalandhar bandh.
When the urge to breathe intensifies, release and breathe slowly.
Inhale and exhale as before without stopping.
It is best to inhale and exhale completely in 3 to 5 seconds and exhale spontaneously in 6 to 8 seconds, and hold it outside for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat it continuously without any action.
This pranayama can be done easily 3 to 5 times in 2 minutes.

Benefits

Excessive use of oxygen in external Pranayama increases energy consumption.
When the duration of the external coupling is longer than the duration of the filler or exhale, then the oxygen consumption in the body is reduced by 99%. Low oxygen consumption is related to reducing stressful stimuli and extending the life of all animals, including humans.
Oxygen consumption in the body increases up to 52% when the duration of external coagulation is shorter than that of supplement or Inhale; excessive consumption of acid indicates higher energy expenditure and more stimulation.
Beneficial in diseases like piles (hemorrhoids), fistula, fissure, rectal prolapse, vaginal discharge, etc. Eliminates metallic disorders like nightmares, premature ejaculation, etc., by elevating semen.
Intelligence is subtle and sharp. Extremely useful in the protection of celibacy and awakening of Kundalini.

Precautions while performing

A person suffering from high and low blood pressure and heart disease should not practice this Pranayama.
People having headaches and suffering from migraine do not practice this.
This must not be the first Pranayama you do, but through the practice of other pranayamas, the body and mind should be made ready to adapt to this practice. This is a high-quality yogic practice.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Ujjayi The breath of victory

Sthiti: The breath of victory

How to Perform

It allows us to use full, deep breaths during the challenges of physical exhaustion. Honour every breath and enjoy the quality that it brings to your practice.
The steadiness, sound and depth of the Ujjayi breath helps to link the mind, body and spirit to the present moment. This unication adds richness and depth to your practice and helps to cultivate presence and awareness.
This breath raises your Yog practice to a higher level as you learn to breathe with a sense of honour and reverence for your breath and body.
It helps you stay focussed and centred as you flow from one posture to the next..
It improves stability in your asana practice. Becoming absorbed in Ujjayi allows the practitioner to remain in poses for longer periods of time.
Ujjayi breathing instills endurance and imparts a meditative quality to your flowing practice by bringing in and maintaining a rhythm.
It diminishes distractions and allows the practitioner to remain self aware and grounded in the practice.
It prepares the body for the asana practice by building internal heat. This heat makes stretching safer while cleansing the inner organs of any accumulated toxins.
This breath releases tight areas of the body.
It helps you to let go and surrender into a resting posture with its slow and steady rhythm. It also fosters a profound state of calmness and relaxation in the body and mind.

Benefits

Precautions while performing

Slows the pace of the breath, which is said to improve longevity.
Cleanses and refreshes the nadis (subtle energy channels of the body).
Infuses the mind-body with fresh prana (vital life force).
Promotes mental clarity and focus. Boosts the immune system.
Soothes and rejuvenates the nervous system.
Promotes sound sleep, controls snoring.
Helps in thyroid-related problems, helps control high blood pressure and heart related discomforts.
Improves voice quality of singers.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Anulom Vilom Alternate nostril breathing

Sthiti: Any comfortable posture.

How to Perform

Sit in any comfortable posture.
Keep the spine and head straight with eyes closed.
Relax the body with a few deep breaths.
Keep the left palm on the left knee in Gyana mudra and the right palm should be in Nasagra mudra.
Place the ring and small fingers on the left nostril and fold the middle and index finger. Place the right thumb on the right nostril.
Open the left nostril, breathe in from the left nostril, close the left nostril with the small and ring fingers and release the thumb from the right nostril; exhale through the right nostril.
Next, inhale through the right nostril. At the end of inhalation, close the right nostril, open the left nostril and exhale through it.
This completes one round of the Nadisodhana or Anulom Vilom Pranayama.
Repeat for another 4 rounds.

Benefits

Precautions while performing

Induces tranquillity and helps to improve concentration.
Increases vitality and lowers the level of stress and anxiety.
It alleviates cough disorders.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Bhramari The Pranayama with the sound of black bee

Sthiti:

How to Perform

Type : 1

Sit in any comfortable posture with eyes closed
Inhale deeply through the nose.
Exhale slowly in a controlled manner while making a deep, steady humming sound such as that of black bee.This is one round of Bhrāmarī.
Repeat for 4 more rounds.
This is a simple version of Bhrāmarī Pranayama.

Type : 2

Sit in any comfortable posture with eyes closed.
Inhale deeply through the nose.
Close the eyes with index and middle fingers, place ring fingers against the sides of the nostrils, keep little fingers just below your lips, and place thumbs gently on ears. This is also called Śanmukhi Mudrā.
Exhale slowly in a controlled manner while making a deep, steady humming sound such as that of black bee. This is one round of Bhrāmarī.
Repeat it for 4 more rounds.

Benefits

The practice of Bhrāmarī relieves stress and helps in alleviating anxiety, anger and hyperactivity
The resonance effect of the humming sound creates a soothing effect on the nervous system and mind.
It is a great tranquilizer, found good in the management of stress-related disorders.
It is a useful preparatory prānāyāma for concentration and meditation.

Precautions while performing

Please avoid this practice in case of nose and ear infections.

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Udgeeth

Sthiti:

How to Perform

Inhale with a rhythm in 3 to 5 seconds. Then, exhale about 15 to 20 seconds before the formal utterance of the holy word Om.
Once the pronunciation is complete, it should be repeated in the same way.
Each person should practice this Pranayama about seven times in a 3-minute version.
A Yogi suffering from incurable diseases OR wishing to delve into the depths of meditation can practice this advanced Pranayama for 5 to 10 minutes or more.
It is best to inhale and exhale completely in 3 to 5 seconds and exhale spontaneously in 6 to 8 seconds, and hold it outside for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat it continuously without any action.
This pranayama can be done easily 3 to 5 times in 2 minutes.

Benefits

Precautions while performing

Eight Pranayamas to Integrate into Your Daily Lives

Pranav

Sthiti:

How to Perform

After each of the pranayamas mentioned above, concentrate the mind on breathing and meditate on Udgeeth “Om” with Pranav.
The pious figure of God, resonates with Omkar. Therefore, this body and the whole universe is 'Omkarmay'.
Therefore, this body and the whole universe is 'Omkaramay'.
Omkar is not a special person or figure but a divine power governing this universe.
Become a witness of the breath, and make your breathing so long and slow that you don’t even hear its sound and even a leaf placed in front of the nose does not flutter.
Try gradually increasing the practice to one breath and one exhalation in one minute. Also, try to look at the breath in this way.
Initially, the touch of breath will be felt only on the nose.
Slowly you can also feel the deeper touch of the breath.
In this way, by chanting Omkar with the breath for a while, meditation begins to occur automatically by witnessing Omkar. As a result, your mind will become very focused and immersed in the Omkar.
Gayatri, the great mantra of the Vedas, can also be meaningfully chanted and meditated with Pranav.
In this way, the seeker can attain the incomparable divine bliss of Samadhi by immersing in the Sachchidanandasvarupa Brahman rather than just meditating.

Benefits

By doing this Pranayama you improve sleep, get rid of nightmares and ensure the early onset of deep sleep.

Precautions while performing