Pranayama is the yogic practice of working with the breath through slow, deliberate patterns of inhaling, exhaling and sometimes pausing. Beginners usually start with simple, gentle techniques and learn the stronger ones with a teacher. This guide explains the main practices, how to start safely and who should take extra care.
Pranayama is the yogic practice of working with the breath. Instead of breathing without noticing, you follow a deliberate pattern: a slow breath in, a slow breath out and, in some techniques, a pause. It sits alongside our yoga poses as part of the same tradition.
In traditional Hatha yoga, breathing practice is one of six parts, alongside cleansing practices, postures, hand and body gestures (mudras), gentle locks (bandhas) and meditation. Some pranayama practices use a hand position to guide the breath through each nostril.
These points come from the yoga source we draw on, Swami Satyananda Saraswati's Yoga and Kriya. They are a starting frame, and a teacher can adjust them for you.
We have beginner guides to two practices. Each guide explains the technique in plain steps and lists who should take care.
A seated practice of quick, active exhales with relaxed inhales. It is a stronger technique, so it is best learned with a teacher, and some people should avoid it.
Alternate nostril breathing: a slow, even breath practice done seated, and one of the gentler techniques for beginners.
Check with your doctor first if you have a health condition or are pregnant. Pranayama is not a treatment for any condition. Here is what our sources say for the two practices we cover:
Every Hatha class at Anand Yoga Centre includes a few minutes of simple breathing practice, such as alternate-nostril breathing or a slow ocean breath. Read more about our Hatha classes with pranayama.
Children have a playful version of breath practice: see our breathing games for kids.
Book a ₹199 first class, credited to month one, and ask about breathing practice with Sailaja in Kolathur.
