A simple guide to building awareness and control through Pranayama
When it comes to breathing techniques, I keep coming back to Pranayama—the Yogic system of breathwork.
It offers a simple, essential set of practices that help us become aware of how we breathe and gradually expand our breath capacity.
While there are many techniques within yoga and beyond, you don’t need dozens of methods to begin. A small, well-chosen set is enough.
I already wrote about becoming aware of our essential breath. Conscious breathing is probably the best place to begin.
Here are another five essential categories that can help you build a strong foundation.
Foundations
Before you begin, a few basic principles:
- Breathe through your nose (not your mouth)
- Keep your body and spine relatively still
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing
- Choose a quiet, comfortable spot
- Sit in any comfortable pose – it doesn’t have to be on the floor
- Never force the breath
Breathwork should feel steady and easeful—not strained.
1. Yogic Breathing
Much of the advice online emphasizes “belly breathing,” often as a correction for our tendency toward shallow chest breathing.
Most of us default to incomplete breathing—under-inhaling and under-exhaling.
Yogic breathing integrates both:
- the diaphragm (belly)
- the ribcage and chest
Instead of choosing one over the other, you train yourself to use the full range of your breathing muscles. This allows for deeper inhalations and more complete exhalations.
It’s also important to note: chest breathing isn’t “bad.”
After physical exertion—like climbing stairs or sprinting—your upper chest and collarbones naturally become more active.
Breathing is adaptive. It responds to the demands placed on the body.
At rest, and during practice, the goal is simple:
breathe fully, smoothly, and without effort.
2. Slowing the Breath (with Longer Exhales)
Your breathing rate is one of the fastest ways to influence your nervous system.
At rest, most people take around 12–15 breaths per minute. By slowing this down, you can shift your body toward a calmer, more regulated state.
Longer exhales are especially useful—they are associated with activating the body’s “rest and digest” response.
A simple way to begin is by counting:
| Practice | Inhale | Exhale | Rounds |
| Balanced Start | 4 counts | 4 | 5 times |
| Extend breath duration | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Extended Exhalation | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Reset | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Two helpful variations to slow down the breath:
Ujjayi (Hissing Breath)
Breathe through the nose with a gentle constriction in the throat. This creates a soft, audible sound and naturally slows the breath.
Pursed-Lip Breathing
Exhale through lightly pursed lips (as if whistling). This helps extend the exhale and is widely used to regulate breathing.
3. Intentional Pausing
If you pay attention, you’ll notice a subtle pause after each breath—especially after exhaling.
Intentional pausing builds on this natural rhythm.
There are two types:
- Retention: holding the breath after inhaling
- Suspension: pausing after exhaling
In traditional practice, it’s often easier to begin with post-exhale pauses (suspension), combined with longer exhales.
Over time, you can introduce structured patterns/ratios to your breathing. One such variation is Box Breathing.
Box Breathing (4:4:4:4)
- Inhale for 4
- Hold for 4
- Exhale for 4
- Hold for 4
You can always begin with holding the breath for half the count of inhale/exhale before progressing to the equal breath to hold ratio of 1:1:1:1.
The key principle:
Breath holds should feel comfortable and controlled—never forced.
4. Single-Nostril Breathing
It may seem like we breathe equally through both nostrils—but in reality, airflow often alternates between them.
Single-nostril breathing builds awareness and control over this pattern.
Start simple:
- Close one nostril
- Breathe in and out through the other for 5–10 breaths
Then explore structured patterns:
- Surya Bhedana: inhale right, exhale left (traditionally associated with a warming effect)
- Chandra Bhedana: inhale left, exhale right (cooling effect)
- Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
inhale left → exhale right → inhale right → exhale left
This last pattern is widely used for balance, focus, and mental clarity.
5. Humming
Beyond just controlling your inhale and exhale, you can can add sound and vibration to your breathing.
Humming on the exhale creates a soothing internal resonance that many people find calming.
Bhramari (Bee Breath)
- Inhale through the nose
- Exhale slowly while making a low, steady humming sound
- Optionally, gently close your ears to deepen the internal sound
Repeat for several rounds.
This practice is simple, but often surprisingly effective for settling the mind.
Bringing It Together
There are many more Pranayama techniques—cleansing practices like Kapalabhati or Bhastrika, and cooling methods like Sheetali or Sitkari.
But you don’t need to start there.
If you build familiarity with these five categories—
- full breathing
- slow breathing
- pausing
- nostril control
- and sound
—you move beyond “doing exercises” and begin developing a more flexible, responsive relationship with your breath.
A Note on Safety
If you have any medical condition—especially related to the lungs, heart, or nervous system—consult a qualified professional before practicing controlled breathwork.
Always prioritize comfort over intensity.
A Personal Note
I often return to Ujjayi breathing during episodes of breathlessness.
It doesn’t “fix” everything—but it reliably calms my mind and eases the sense of tightness in my breathing. That alone makes it a valuable tool.
And often, the most powerful support for your breath isn’t a technique—
it’s simple: move well, and breath fully.