Intro to Pranayama
This post is the first in a series called “Intro to Pranayama,” where we explore various breathing techniques used to reduce stress and calm the mind.
Before we dive into the series, it’s important to understand what Pranayama is and how it can help us in our everyday lives.
Pranayama - also referred to as breathwork - focuses on breathing techniques that can be traced back to the traditional yogic practice originating in ancient India; it is mentioned in several early texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and it is the fourth of eight limbs of yoga (we’ll talk about the eight limbs of yoga in a future series).
The first part of the word, “prana,” means energy, or life force (aka the breath); and the second part of the word, “ayama,” can be translated to mean length or expansion (aka to draw out).
When we practice pranayama the veil is gradually drawn away from the mind and there is growing clarity. The mind becomes ready for deep meditation. - Yoga Sutra 2.52
Pranayama posits that our bodies are prime repositories for emotional and physical blocks, as well as stress, all of which impact our life force energy: our breath (prana). When prana is stuck, we might notice this in a variety of ways: jaw tension, muscle tightness, anxiety, overwhelm, etc. Pranayama, therefore, is a vehicle through which we can start to clear these blocks, allow prana to move freely, and help our bodies “clear the clutter,” so to speak.
There are three phases to pranayama:
Puraka: your inhale
Kumbhaka: the pause between the inhale and exhale, or, the retention of the breath
Rechaka: your exhale
One breath is considered to be one cycle, and you complete the three phases with every breath.
Benefits
Reduces mind chatter: when we practice pranayama, we use the breath as an anchor for our mind. When we give the mind something tangible to focus on - like the breath - all those pesky thoughts (What am I going to make for dinner? Did I switch the laundry? This thing about work is really bugging me. You get the idea) tend to dissipate, or at the very least fade into the background. Over time, the more we practice pranayama, the easier it is to quite those thoughts and truly focus on the power of the breath.
Regulates stress: a side-effect of reducing your mind chatter is stress reduction. Many of us, whether we realize it or not, consistently live in a state of high-stress (meaning that our fight-flight-freeze response is pretty darn active). When practicing pranayama, we give our bodies a chance to set that stress aside; providing the opportunity for the rest-relax-digest response to kick in, which has a cascade of positive effects on the body.
Boots cognitive function: yep, practicing various breathing techniques can also help your brain do what it does best!
Enhances mindfulness: when we focus on the breath, we focus on the here and now; the present. Being in the present moment more regularly allows us to enjoy more, and stress less. Who doesn’t want that, amiright?
Helps with anxiety: studies have also linked pranayama practice to lower anxiety levels, which is an all-around bonus.
In subsequent posts, we’ll learn a specific types of pranayama. Check out part II to learn the first technique!
