Breathing Techniques to Try at Home
Now that you are familiar with your breath as a tool for being present, here’s a few techniques to try out for yourself.
One of the only things in life you can control, is your breath.
3 part breath
Dirga-pranayama, or three part breath is a calming, nourishing breath namely so because you are actively breathing into 3 parts of your abdomen. The first position is the lower belly, second position is the lower chest and the third position is above your collarbone or lower throat.
Try it!
- Come to a comfortably seated cross legged position, sit upright nice and tall find length in the spine.
- Expel all the air from your lungs then breathing in through your nose, feel the lower belly expand, keep breating into the chest and feel the breath all the way above the collarbone
- Exhale slowly the opposite direction, lastly feeling your belly pull in towards your spine as you expel all the air out
Keep the breath continuous in and out through the nose. In the beginning you can use your hands on your belly and chest to feel the rise and the fall of your breath. When you get a good feel of the breath you can relax your hands on your knees and close your eyes and ride the waves of the breath as it washes over your body.
Alternate nostril breathing
Nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breath, meant to harmonise the two hemispheres of the brain. It is a gentle, relaxing breathing technique that you can instantly feel the difference in your body and state. Yogis believe it soothes the nervous system, calms the mind and balances the right and left sides of our brain. The arousal producing sympathetic system (right) and relaxation producing parasympathetic system (left).
Think of it like a balance between excitation and relaxation. Great for balance and centering especially before a demanding or arduous task or duty OR if you need help to sleep at night.
Try it!
Again, sit in a comfortable position, spine upright with your left hand rested on your thigh. Use your right hand fold your pointer and middle finger (peace fingers) to your palm and leave the thumb, ring and pinky finger open. Slightly tilt your head down and it will look like this:
- Close the left nostril and exhale completely through the right nostril
- Stay and inhale through the right nostril
- Switch and close the right nostril and exhale completely through the left nostril
- Stay and inhale through the left nostril
- switch and close the left nostril and exhale completely through the right nostril
Ujjayi Pranayama
Ujjayi(pronounced oo-jai) Pranayama or Victorious Breath or more commonly known as Ocean Sounding Breath or Darth Vader Breath, is a slow, audible breath and essential part of a yoga practice. It helps keep you focused, calm and acts like your internal heater if you really enjoy a good sweat.
Try it!
- Imagine that you are fogging up a mirror with your breath. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation make ‘haaaah’ sound with your mouth open.
- After a few breaths like this, close the lips and take long and deep inhalations and exhalations through the nose, but, keep a soft constriction in the back of the throat.
- Lightly touch your tongue to the top of your mouth and concentrate the breath to travel up and down the throat (‘haaaaah’ with your mouth closed)
The Long Exhale
This breath practice works towards your exhalations becoming twice as long as your inhalations, or a 1 to 2 breath.
It is great when you need to calm down, relax or sleep. You wouldn’t want to do this when you want to become more awake and alert. It is great to relax the nervous system.
Try it!
- Come to a comfortable seated position or if you are newer to yoga and pranayama, lie on your back. Start to focus on the breath and feeling your abdomen expand on the inhalations and gently contract on the exhalations. You can use your hands on your belly to feel this.
- Begin to count the length of your inhalation and exhalation breath. If the inhalation is longer than the exhalation, start to make them the same length over the next few breaths. Keep relaxed in the shoulders, face and neck.
- Once you have a hang of it, start to increase the length of your exhalation breath. Eventually you will have a count of inhalation for e.g. 3 breaths, exhalation 6 breaths; or inhalation 4 breaths, exhalation 8 breaths.
Try not to force the breath however, because if you push yourself beyond limit it will have the opposite effect and stress your nervous system.
Begin by noticing where you already are with your breath. Slow things down to speed up. Create space for yourself.