Pranayama Breathing Exercises

Focusing on the breath can be deeply calming, but it can also be really energizing and recharging. Certain Pranayama techniques have different effects, such as Nadi Shodhana, or Alternate Nostril Breathing. This practice helps clear the right and left “Nadis” or channels of energy, bringing one into better balance. In Sanskrit, Nadi means “channel” or “flow”, where Shodhana means “purification.”

During a Yoga class, Pranayama is taught with special importance placed on the exhalation. Not only does the exhalation activate to the “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system, it also helps us create power in movement. Take for example body builders who deadlift significant weight. They exhale deeply and sharply when lifting the weight up over their heads from a squatted position. This can also be the case in yoga, when moving into a pose that requires strength such as transitioning from Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) into high lunge (Anjaneyasana). It is easier to transition between these two poses on the exhalation versus the inhalation.

In addition to helping the practitioner move with strength and power, the exhalation can also be calming, helping to expunge unwanted energy, tension and stress. When practicing a 1:2 breath where the exhale is twice as long as the inhale, the “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system is engaged. Experienced practitioners use this pranayama technique to engage a sense of calm, quiet the mind and helps to reduce insomnia.