Types of Pranayama: How To Master The Art of Yoga Breathing

Do you struggle to stay focused and present? Do you find yourself getting tired quickly? Or do you simply seek learning about a more meditative practices? If so, it’s time to learn about the types of pranayama and meet the fourth limb of yoga.

Pranayama is a vital tool for controlling the fluctuations of the mind, finding presence on the mat, and inner peace in the soul and there is more than one type of pranayama. In fact, there are many.

Pranayama connects us to the most vital energy within us, our breath. Practicing pranayama also teaches us how controlling this life force can regulate our energy, improve our mental well-being and deepen our spiritual connection.

But what exactly is pranayama, and why should you practice breathing techniques? Read on to discover everything you need to know about the different types of pranayama you can try today!

The origin and meaning of pranayama

The Sanskrit term pranayama is a combination of two words; ‘Prana’ and ‘Ayama.’ ‘Prana’ means life force, as our breath keeps us alive. ‘Ayama’ translates to extending or stretching but can also mean controlling. Thus, “Pranayama” means lengthening or controlling the life force.

In simple terms, pranayama means actively breathing as you control or extend the inhale and exhale. However, how you do that depends on the specific technique, which we will explore in more detail below.

Pranayama does not necessarily mean slow, deep breathing that is a misconception. Sometimes, it can mean breathing forcefully and rapidly to produce specific effects.

Pranayama is an integral part of yoga practice, and in yogic philosophy, it is one of the eight limbs of yoga.

Types of pranayama and benefits

According to Swami Kuvalayananda, classical Hatha yoga has eight types of pranayama breathing techniques. However, in other lineages and modern-day yoga styles, various breathing techniques are related to yoga. For example, some sources believe there are around 15 types of pranayama in total.

The health benefits of pranayama will depend on the specific technique you do.

Some pranayamas are “cooling,” which have a calming effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and promote relaxation. Cooling pranayamas are good for destressing, reducing anxiety, clearing the mind, and preparing for sleep.

Other pranayamas are “heating” and have a stimulating and energizing effect on the body and mind. Heating pranayamas are good for boosting energy and enhancing focus.

Who should practice pranayama

Beginners can and should incorporate pranayama breathing techniques into their yoga classes. You can do them at the beginning of your asana session, during it, immediately after, or as a separate practice.

You do not need to have mastered the postures to learn the breathing techniques of yoga.

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4 Best Pranayama Breathing Exercises for High Blood Pressure

Almost everyone, from teenagers to the elderly, is highly affected by high blood pressure, which is a very common ailment.

A higher occurrence of high blood pressure has been linked to poor lifestyle choices such as eating the wrong things, being inactive, and having trouble sleeping. Stroke and heart disease are more likely to affect those with high blood pressure.

Yoga can help lower blood pressure by bringing these lifestyle changes: exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and stress reduction.

Pranayama, a part of yoga that deals with breathing and its regulation, is highly effective to control blood pressure. It plays a vital role in calming the mind, stabilizing the heart rate, and increasing lung capacity, all of which can directly lower blood pressure.

In this article, we will discuss which pranayama is good for high blood pressure, how it works, and which pranayama one must avoid in case of hypertension.

What is high blood pressure?

When your blood pressure is higher than the normal range, it is typically called high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). Before understanding the situation of high blood pressure, we should first understand what is normal blood pressure.

The force of blood against the artery walls is known as blood pressure.

Systolic blood pressure is the first number, and it represents the pressure in your arteries while the heart beating.

Diastolic blood pressure, or the second number, gauges the pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.

You would say “120 over 80” or write “120/80 mmHg” if the measurement was 120 systolic and 80 diastolic.

Symptoms of high blood pressure

Even when blood pressure measurements are extremely high, most persons with high blood pressure don’t exhibit any symptoms. Without showing any signs, high blood pressure can exist for years. This is also the reason it is known as the “silent killer”.

However, a few people might exhibit the following symptoms:

Headaches

Shortness of breath

Nosebleeds

Sweating

Facial Flushes

The majority of the time, they don’t show up until high blood pressure has become serious or life-threatening. You are putting at risk your life if you disregard your blood pressure in the hope that another symptom or sign would make the issue obvious.

Keeping a regular check on your blood pressure by either going to a healthcare professional or measuring it at home with a BP machine is the best way to keep your BP in check.

Problems due to high blood pressure

The harm increases as blood pressure rise and remains uncontrolled for a longer period. Important organs including your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes might suffer severe damage. High blood pressure damages blood vessels and internal organs by placing an excessive amount of pressure on the artery walls.

You may experience complications like:

Heart attack, heart failure, heart disease, or stroke

Aneurysm

Chest pain

Chronic kidney disease

Thickened, narrowed, or torn blood vessels in the eyes

Metabolic syndrome

Reduces cognitive ability

Dementia

How pranayama helps in lowering high blood pressure?

One direct aspect of pranayama’s effective working for high blood pressure comes from its ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

When we do pranayama which involves slow and deep breathing, our parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest system) gets activated. The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system immediately sends relaxing signals to the brain resulting in a decrease in heart rate and dilation of blood vessels. This results in easy flow of blood in artery walls and hence reduces high blood pressure.

The respiratory and cardiovascular systems are closely related. Consciously controlling the breath through pranayama positively affects cardiovascular indicators such as chest pressure, blood vessels widening, etc. This is due to the fact that different types of pranayama breathing create variations in heart rate, which in turn directly impacts blood pressure.

The physiological effects of pranayama are designed to be therapeutic. It unites the body and mind and gives the body oxygen while expelling toxins. Pranayama’s stress-relieving qualities enhance sleep quality, boost mindfulness, and lower blood pressure.

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5 Easy Yoga Poses & Pranayama For High Blood Pressure & Hypertension

High blood pressure is a condition that has no symptoms but can put you at risk of developing heart disease. Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, should not be ignored. Patients with high blood pressure are at a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

Sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, obesity, smoking, stress, family history, and other factors can all contribute to high blood pressure. A healthy diet and regular exercise can help you keep your blood pressure under control. Yoga is another natural and safe way to control hypertension.

Yoga is an ancient method of staying fit that can help you with a variety of health issues. Everyone is looking for which asana is helpful in maintaining normal blood pressure or best pranayama for high blood pressure ? Below we will walk you through one by one.

High blood pressure: Yoga asanas to control hypertension

1. Child pose or Balasana or shashakasana

Hypertension patients can benefit from the child pose. It can provide relief from a variety of factors that contribute to high blood pressure. This asana relieves stress while also improving blood circulation throughout the body.

Controlled breathing while performing this asana promotes relaxation and relieves stress in the neck and shoulders.

Precautions For Child pose or Balasana or Shashakasana

Before you come to this asana, make sure you’re dressed comfortably. Because this asana puts a lot of strain on your stomach, a Diarrhea patient may have negative side effects. As a result, if you have diarrhoea, you should avoid doing Balasana.

2. Sukhasana or easy pose

It is a popular yoga asana for breathing control. This pose relieves high blood pressure by promoting a calm mind and reducing stress. A calm mind promotes physical health. This asana stretches the back and neck as well. It will also improve your body’s posture.

Precautions For Sukhasana or Easy Pose

In the event of a knee injury, this should not be done.

If you have sciatica, stay away from it.

It’s also not a good idea to do it if you have a sacral condition.

It should not be done if you have a slipped disc.

3. Shavasana

Shavasana, also known as corpse pose, is a complete relaxation pose. This is one of the simplest poses to try if you want to lower your blood pressure. Shavasana soothes the mind, relieves stress, relaxes the body, and alleviates headaches, fatigue, and insomnia.

All of these are risk factors for high blood pressure. Shavasana lowers blood pressure by controlling these factors.

Precautions For Shavasana

While in Savasana, avoid moving your body because it will disrupt the practise and increase your distractions.

Make sure you’re doing it on a flat, hard surface.

This should be done in a setting that is both calm and relaxing.

4. Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

Cobra pose, also known as Bhujangasana, aids in the circulation of blood and oxygen. This pose also helps to relieve stress and improves heart health. This pose will give you more flexibility. Asthmatics may benefit from the cobra pose as well.

Precautions For Bhujangasana

Don’t hold your body in a stiff position.

It should not be done by pregnant ladies.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to practise it.

Because your buttocks tend to tense up naturally during Cobra stance, keep them loose.

Make sure your arms aren’t straight.

5. Setubandhasana (Bridge pose)

Bridge pose also helps to control blood pressure. It relaxes the mind and relieves stress. This asana is also beneficial in the treatment of mild depression. Bridge pose is beneficial for abdominal organs, lungs, menstrual pain, fatigue, headache, and anxiety, in addition to high blood pressure.

Precautions For Setubandhasana

If you have neck problems, you should avoid doing this pose.

It should be avoided if you have a back injury.

If you have knee pain, skip the yoga pose.

If you have a shoulder injury, stay away from it.

While in the stance, avoid turning your head right or left.

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Pranayama: The 4th Limb of Yoga Explained

It’s not for nothing that the breath plays an important role in asana class. You begin the class by focusing on your breath, and everything kind of settles down. The day and its activities start seeming more distant, and all of a sudden there is no hurry anywhere anymore.

The breath truly is the key in moving distractions from the mind.

What is Pranayama?

Pranayama is the fourth limb of the eightfold path of yoga. Prana is the vital life force and energy that runs through our body. This beautiful energy is constantly flowing through us, and through all living beings.

My yoga teacher used to say that the quality of our breath determines the quality of our lives, and many yogis believed that the length of one’s life is determined by number of breaths, not by number of years. The deeper you breathe, the longer you can live.

Pranayama is the act of controlling and directing this energy, namely by controlling the flow of breath. Pranayama involves many different breathing techniques that aim at slightly different results.

We can use the breath to calm and balance ourselves, to energize the body and the mind, to cool or heat the body, but it always aims at promoting and maintaining our overall health.

The Effects of Pranayama Practice

When we can control the breath, we can control the mind. If the mind is anxious, usually the breath tends to be shallow and fast, which in turn sends a signal to the nervous system that something is wrong.

By focusing and deliberately guiding and controlling the breath, we can send a signal to the nervous system that we are safe, everything is ok. This creates a place of peace and calm for the mind, the body relaxes and we receive space for concentration and meditation.

Physically, Pranayama is supporting the respiratory system by keeping it strong. We can also greatly influence the heart rate by controlling the breath. Long, steady breaths in and out for a period of time will slow down the heart rate and keep us in greater balance.

Pranayama goes together with asana practice and together they are considered to be the highest form of purification for the body and the mind.

How to Practice Pranayama in Your Daily Life?

When we start to practice Pranayama, it’s good to remember that we should never become breathless or anxious as we practice. Start slowly, and become aware of your breath in different situations in daily life.

If you are nervous or anxious, bring your awareness onto your breath and start to lengthen it. Make the exhale slightly longer than the inhale, and continue for few minutes. Observe the difference in the mind and the body.

As you are engaged in asana practice, you can keep your awareness in your breath. Try to keep the breath steady and long, and let the breath support you in the more challenging poses by making it deeper. When we bring more fresh air into the body, we bring more oxygen into the organs.

Study with your yoga teacher the different breathing techniques and explore their effects on you.

In its essence, Pranayama is easy to do in any place, any time. You can practice as you are sitting in a bus, or at your desk at work. Just a few minutes at a time, just a few controlled breaths at a time.

Bring your awareness into this beautiful movement that has been there for you since the very moment you were born.

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