3 Powerful Pranayama Breathing Techniques to Boost Immunity, Relieve Anxiety and Transform Your Mind

By Jola @YolaYoga | December 15, 2021

Hopefully, you will include breathing exercises, called pranayama in your daily routine. Why? Because pranayama is the most accessible and transformational tool available for you at any time and anywhere. And especially during the pandemic when anxieties run high, you will discover that simple breathing techniques can calm you down and boost much-needed immunity to support your system. 

What is Pranayama?

Breathing exercises called Pranayama literally translated means control (Ayama) of the life force (Prana). The practice of pranayama leads the yoga practitioner to mastery of the body and mind. Pranayama is one of the eight limb system of yoga that was designed to still the mind and realize the True Self, as explained in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 

According to yoga teachings, prana is the vital force that makes up the entire universe. You take prana from food, the sun, and from the air you breathe. When you breathe, vital force enters into every area of your body – physical, vital, and mental – and every cell vibrates with new life.

Why Pranayama?

By regulating breath with the practice of pranayama you will be able to master vital force (prana) within you. Prana is responsible for all movements on physical and mental levels in your body. And once you gain mastery over the prana you will have a mastery over the nature of the mind like over your thoughts, emotions, etc.  These are modifications of the mind that veils True Self – the Light that resides within all of us! So according to yoga by mastering the inner nature you will be able to realize your True Self and experience true peace, bliss, and joy.

Benefits of Pranayama

Besides the benefit of mastery of the inner nature,  there are numerous other benefits of pranayama.

As is outlined in yoga teachings (Breath of Life, by Swami Satchidananda), pranayama purifies the body and calms the mind, can eliminate toxins, help cure asthma, give alertness and clarity to the mind, improve appetites and aid to digestion, and lead to sound sleep.

And yes, all these benefits are backed by science too! Multiple studies also have proven that breathwork has tremendous health benefits. It can reduce stress and anxiety levels, counter negative thoughts, heal emotional pain and trauma, increase joy and happiness and boost immunity.

Breath and Mind Intertwined

However, the most incredible fact is that the mind is deeply connected with the breath. Your emotions and thoughts affect your breathing patterns and, conversely, the way you breathe influences your emotional and mental states. Breath and mind are intertwined! 

It’s easy to test this. The next time you feel stressed, notice how shallow and fast your breathing becomes. When you start breathing slowly and deeply, though, your anxious mind becomes calmer. It isn’t magic—but it works like it is!

You can also direct prana with your thoughts. Wherever your mind goes your breath follows and vice versa. By sending your thoughts to a specific area you are sending your vital force there too. That is the secret of self-healing!

Practical Guidelines for Pranayama

Recommended sitting postures

• Sit in a comfortable crossed-legged position with the spine straight and erect and your head, neck, and trunk aligned.
• You can set a firm meditation cushion or folded blanket under the buttocks to keep your spine straight and elevated.
• If you can not sit on the floor, you can use the chair. Make sure your spine is straight and elevated.

When to Practice

• Practice pranayama before meditation. It is excellent preparation for meditation since the pranayama calms the mind. Do three rounds of rapid breathing (Kapalabhati), followed by five to ten minutes of alternate nostril breathing (Naadi Suddhi). Rapid breathing energizes and awakens the system, while alternate breathing calms the mind. The results are a very alert, yet calm and centered mind that is ideal for meditation.

• Practice pranayama after yoga asanas. After your physical yoga practice first do relaxation followed by three rounds of rapid breathing (Kapalabhati) followed by alternate nostril breathing (Naadi Suddhi).

• Do three sessions of pranayama daily for best results. Focus on the rapid (Kapalabhati) and alternate breathing (Naadi Suddhi) practices for best results and improving health.

• Do not practice pranayama just after eating. Wait 2 to 3 hours until your stomach feels light. 

How to Practice

• Breathe only through the nose. There are only two cooling breathing techniques that we will not be explaining in this article that are done through the mouth. All other techniques are only done through the nose.

• Bring the concentration inward. Bring awareness to the flow of breath and keep it smooth and even.

• Do slower and more controlled exhalations. The yogis discovered that in this way less prana is wasted. 

• Always practice according to your own capacity. If you feel any strain during breathing practice please stop and rest. 

Warning for Beginners

• Go slowly in developing your practice. Pranayama should never be done in a hurry because we are dealing with vital energy. It is perhaps the most powerful and subtle practice in the entire system of Hatha Yoga. The yoga scriptures compare the prana to deadly cobra. Therefore it should be approached carefully. Yoga practitioners should have certain moral and ethical principles (Yama and Niyama) when practicing pranayama because these awakened energies can be very powerful and when you are not ready can disrupt your life.  Additionally, we are dealing here with delicate organs like lungs, the heart, and nerve centers. That is why you should be extra careful and do practice gently, avoid the slightest strain and never hurry!

• Women should not do rapid breathing (Kapalabathi) during the menstrual period or during pregnancy. Instead they can do Deep Breathing and Alternate Nostril Breathing during pregnancy or menstrual period.

• Always check with your doctor first if you have high blood pressure and coronary disease if it is safe for you to start rapid breathing exercises. These practices are not intended as a substitute for medical treatment and we advise consulting your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Yogic Deep Breathing – Deergha Swaasam

Best for: calming the mind and boosting immunity

This technique incorporates three levels of breathing: from the diaphragm, through the chest, and up to the collarbones, utilizing the lungs’ full capacity. The three parts of breathing flow from one to the next, manifesting as one complete, deep breath. Count in your mind to 3 as you inhale, and to 6 while exhaling. 

1. Sit straight up in a chair or in a cross-legged position on the floor. Sit on the pillow to keep your spine elevated. You can also lie down on your back. Breathe only through your nose.
2. To begin, exhale slowly through your nose. At the end of the exhalation, pull your abdomen slightly in towards your spine.
3. Begin inhalation by slowly releasing your abdomen and allowing it to expand. Continue as you expand your rib cage and upper chest until your collarbone rises slightly.
4. To exhale, drop your collarbones and chest and pull your abdomen in.
5. Do 10 deep breaths and then return to your regular breathing. Repeat 3 times.

Time: 1-3 minutes

Skull Shining (or Rapid Breathing) – Kapalabhati

Best for: Energizing the body, clearing the mind and massaging the abdomen

This technique only moves the abdominal area. The chest remains still. Please do not round your back while in the posture here. Keep the spine straight and elevated. This technique is rapid diaphragmatic breathing and it is done by a series of rapid expulsions of the abdominal area. It is good to put your hand on the abdomen so you can feel the abdomen move in as the breath goes out. When you quickly contract the abdomen, snapping it in, automatically the air will be forcefully released through the nose. Then the abdomen relaxes between contractions and the air flows back in on its own. After the last expulsion, inhale deeply and exhale as slowly as comfortable. This constitutes one round of Rapid Breathing technique. Make sure that shoulders are kept still and only the abdomen bounces up and down.

1. Sit comfortably (cross-legged or on your knees), and keep the spine straight and elevated.
2. To begin, inhale and exhale fully
3. Then, inhale halfway and start forcefully exhaling in short bursts
4. Place a hand on your belly to feel contraction and expansion
5. Continue for 15-20 intervals.
6. Breathe in fully, retaining the breath, and finally, exhaling
7. Repeat cycles for 3 – 5 rounds.

Time: Beginners of this technique should start with 15-20 breaths per round. Gradually increase to 100 breaths per round and 3-5 rounds.

Alternate Nostril Breathing – Nadi Sudhi

Best for: Calming the mind, preparing for meditation, and relieving anxiety

This is a second powerful method of alleviating stress and anxiety. After just a few breaths you should notice that your mind has become calmer and at peace. If at any point you feel that you are agitated by this practice, just come back to normal breathing. Practicing Alternate Nostril Breathing is safe for most people.  But if you have a medical condition such as asthma, COPD, or any other lung or heart concern, talk to your doctor before embarking on this practice.

For this practice, it is recommended that you position your hand as seen in the image above to easily cover and uncover your nostrils with your thumb and ring finger.

Position of hand for Alternate Nostril Breathing

Then continue by following these instructions:

1. Sit straight up in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Keep your spine straight and elevated. Breathe only through your nose.
2. With your right thumb cover your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril, counting to 4 in your mind.
3. Pause and release the thumb. Then cover and seal your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through your right nostril, counting in your mind to 8. 
4. Inhale through your right nostril, counting to 4.
5. Pause and release the ring finger, then cover your right nostril with your thumb and exhale through your left nostril, counting in your mind to 8. 
6. Inhale through your left nostril, counting to 4, and repeat. 
7. Continue this manner of breathing for 3 to 5 minutes.

Time: Beginners can start from 3-5 minutes.

Conclusion

With these three powerful pranayama breathing techniques you can relieve anxiety, boost immunity and transform your mind the way the ancient sages have done for thousands of years. Try them on a daily basis for a time and let me know in the comments below how they are transforming your life!

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