Pranayama

Pranayama, or breathwork, is an essential component of your yoga practice that influences your blood pressure, mood, and sleep.

The answer starts with awareness. Sarah Powers explains how.

In the yoga tradition, the breath is said to carry a person's life force. Here's what you need to know to tap into yours.

This simple technique will help you finally master lengthening your inhalations and exhalations.

“Going deeper” into your pose has nothing to do with how it looks.

We trust our breath to keep us alive, to help us through panic or pain, and support our meditation and yoga practices. But that’s not all it can do. Here's how your body moves with your breath.

Practicing this form of breathwork made me aware of how much we’re all holding onto—and how important it is to release stuck emotions.

Need a way to clear your mind? Try Trinity Breath set to this track created by KYMÅ, a DJ, sonic wellness consultant, and meditation teacher. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at her production process.

Ease back pain and refresh your energy with this sequence to help you feel more spacious and breathe deeper.

Pranayama can be a simple way to find balance and beat the summer heat.

When we push too hard, we're prone to stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. But when we fail to apply ourselves, we may never realize our potential. In his new book, The Practice is the Path, yoga teacher Tias Little describes how to find middle ground. Plus, a pranayama practice to embody balance.

Try these easy pranayama practices to access mental clarity and release tension and stress.

This advanced pranayama can help you and a friend or family member share feedback in a constructive way. Who doesn't need help with that?

Bogged down by the headlines or the way Marriage Story ended with that awkward, sad song? Here's an easy way to get an energetic jolt of joy so you can reset your day.

Try Sama Vritti Pranayama (Box Breathing) when you’re stressed, anxious, or upset.

Release tension with this restorative sequence from Rodney Yee for encouraging the flow of breath and prana.

Learn how master teacher Rodney Yee discovered the power of pranayama to quiet the mind and why it's a focus of every asana class he teaches.

Connect to higher consciousness and reach your full potential with this heart- and mind-opening asana and pranayama practice.

Once you know how to breathe mindfully, you can use the practice to help you through challenging times.

You probably know that your diet should change with the seasons, but according to Ayurveda, even your pranayama should be tweaked three times a year. Here's how to do it.

By integrating simple, two-minute embodiment tools several times daily, you’ll see profound changes in your health and wellbeing.

The best remedy for the fast pace of parenthood? Simply taking a deep breath and seeing where it goes.

Discover the science behind your urge to overeat and how the breath can counter it. Here’s your holiday-party, Thanksgiving-table, home-alone-with-the-pie pranayama practice.

Master Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis explains how learning how to breathe helped her tap into her power on and off the mat.

In part three of this three-part series on The Science of Breathing, discover a few of the ways focusing on the breath in yoga—and in everyday life—can improve your overall well-being.

Western research is now proving what yogis have known all along: Breathwork can deliver powerful mind and body benefits. In this three-part series, learn how and why to take better advantage of it both in practice and in life.

Turn to this pranayama practice in times of transformation to invoke Kali and free yourself from anything that's holding you back.

Pranayama, the formal practice of controlling the breath, is essential to good health.

Ujjayi breath is achieved by breathing in and out through the nose while constricting the glottis at the back of the throat. Here's how to do it:

Different styles of yoga engage different breathing techniques. The one we use at my studio and in the Baptiste Yoga methodology is called Ujjayi breath.

Bo Forbes teaches how to release tension, increase prana, and promote physical and emotional digestion in the belly.

Use these classic yogic breathing techniques before winter workouts, snow sports, or Sun Salutes to beat cold and dry winter air.

Stretching sideways can 
activate core muscles, expand breathing, and bring 
feelings of spaciousness and levity.

You'll feel calmer and more centered after these practices.

Try this pranayama technique, sometimes called Bee Breath, to soothe anxiety.

You’re probably used to belly breathing, which is an excellent introduction to breath awareness for beginner yogis. Yet diaphragmatic rib cage breathing is a skill you’ll need if you really want to advance your practice. Here’s how to do it.

Yogic breathwork can transform your performance and the experience of your favorite sport.

The following pranayama techniques will bring balance.

Practicing pranayama is essential if you hope to experience samadhi, yoga's true purpose.

Use these breathing techniques to induce relaxation during your restorative yoga and meditation practice.

Sometimes considered a preparation for pranayama, other times a formal practice in itself.

Ujjayi is the beginner-friendly springboard for all other formal pranayama.

Learn one of three important "bonds," key for pranayama breath retention.

Learn the two versions of Single Nostril Pranayama: Surya Bhedana (Sun-Piercing Breath) and Chandra Bhedana (Moon-Piercing Breath).

Practice this pranayama technique for increased breath awareness and control.

Kumbhaka is the central practice of traditional Hatha pranayama; there are two types of retention: after an inhale (antara), and after an exhale (bahya)

Learn this traditional hand seal or gesture used for controlled pranayama.

Kapalabhati is a traditional internal cleansing technique (kriya), and can be used as a simple warm-up for formal pranayama

Some students struggle to grasp the source of Ujjayi breathing, while others tend to exaggerate it. What's the best way to teach Ujjayi breath?

Blow off some steam, wake up your face, and lighten up your practice in silly Simhasana.

When it comes to coping with stress overload, your breath is one of the best remedies there is—and it's free!

Yoga gives us deeper breathing awareness–and brings greater concentration to the parts of the body that allow us to exhale and inhale fully.

Know whether to exhale through the mouth or nose during pranayama breathing or just in natural breathing.

Are you a mouth breather? Poor breathing habits are easy to spot. Use these 6 tests to identify your own breathing problems.