I heard a lot about yoga practise called 'Pranayama'. Can anyone elaborate advan!

I heard a lot about yoga practise called 'Pranayama'. Can anyone elaborate advantages of doing it?

If a person does it regularly, when should he expect to see results? Any website giving good information about it would be useful.

Pranayama - Breathing Techniques

Life Energy is called prana (prah-nah). In sanskrit, the word for breath is the same as the word for life - prana. The first thing you do as you enter this world is to inhale. Your last act in this life is to exhale. When prana leaves the body, we die. The breath is a metaphor for life energy. In yoga, and in Ayurveda, we seek to sustain and enhance the life force as much as possible - absorbing as much prana through breath, food, visual surroundings, sound, all our senses as possible. The most significant way of doing this is through the practice of pranayama (prah-nah-yah-mah), breathing techniques or breath control. Yama (yah-mah) is translated as control, discipline, regulation or mastery. Hence, some translate pranayama as "breath control." Ayama (ah-yah-mah) is expansion, growth, extension,augmentation or magnification. Hence, another translation is "expansion of the life force." Both are loosely translated as "breath control," but realize that there is much more behind this definition.

Breathing is one of the few autonomic functions of the body that we may also control (although more experienced yogis and yoginis may control heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature, and other functions previously believed to be autonomic). The breath is seen as an important link between our body, our mind, and our spirit - moving from the purely physical realm, to the mental, to the spiritual.

Why Practice Pranayama?

Yoga may be an ancient Eastern tradition, but I am a modern, Western person. Why should I practice this? What direct, proven benefits are there to me? AHA! GOOD QUESTION! I was hoping someone would ask this! There are many proven benefits to pranayama (the practice of breathing techniques). I will list some of the benefits, and then cite a few examples.

Pranayama Benefits:

9 out of 10 adults in the U.S. are chest breathers - shallow breathing into the chest, not reaching deep in the lungs at all. Children are born as belly breathers because it is HEALTHIER and more NATURAL breathing for the body. Stress and environmental conditioning change us into chest breathers as we mature. We can regain our ability to breath in a slow, deep, and healthy manner through pranayama - breathing from the belly button on up.

In most people, the bottom 1/3 of our lungs is "dead space." We breath so shallowly, we hardly use this 1/3 at all. For individuals with respiratory concerns, learning to breath into the healthy, undamaged bottom 1/3 of the lungs, where there is pink healthy tissue to absorb oxygen, can be beneficial. Check with your doctor first!

increases the rate of metabolism (to aid with weight loss) - also Agni, the digestive fire, is extremely important in Ayurveda (Eastern Medicinal Branch of Yoga) - having a healthy digestion will improve your entire state of health - body and mind

Strengthen the immune system

calms and steadies the mind

improves focus and concentration

can raise or lower blood pressure, depending upon the technique chosen and the desired result

body uses oxygen more efficiently, increasing our health

provide sufficient oxygen for the functioning of every cell in our body. Without sufficient oxygen, we cannot metabolize food properly, and nutrients are wasted (take time to breath deeply between your bites of food during mealtimes - aids digestion in many ways)

increases VO2 Max (the efficient use of oxygen in the body - measured most commonly in athletes)

increases lung capacity

for those suffering from lung damage (emphyzema, etc.), can learn to draw air more deeply into the lungs, reaching undamaged lung tissue and allowing easier breathing. Most smokers are shallow "chest breathers" and so they draw smoke into the upper 1/3 to 2/3 of the lungs. Once he has given up smoking, an individual can be taught to breath deeply into the bottom 1/3 of the lungs, allowing the body a sufficient supply of oxygen and increasing health.

reduce stress - when encountering stress, one of our first responses is to hold the breath, or breath very shallowly. This is a "fight or flight", primitive response that may have served us at one point in our evolutionary development. However, now, we respond this way to even slight stimuli - while driving in traffic, buzzer on a microwave going off, etc. We spend a great deal of our day actually holding our breath. Learning to consciously focus on deep breathing relaxes the body and calms the mind, and keeps the oxygen flowing, improving our health!

better emotional control and equilibrium - As a common remedy for stress, we use the expression " take a deep breath." Breathing actually allows us to respond to events more clearly, rationally, and calmly by supplying the brain with ample oxygen. A lack of oxygen can cause lack of concentration and emotional unbalance.

improved physical control of the body

remove waste products such as Carbon Dioxide and other toxic gases from the body, so they do not remain in the blood stream - this exchange in done through the alvioli in the lungs

spiritual benefits of breathing - healthy body, calm mind, and inner serenity. These take you on the road to spiritual discovery.

Nasal passages have many nerve endings, and breathing techniques can stimulate calming centers of the brain.

Open the Nadis and remove blockages to energy flow in the body

Strengthen and gain control of the diaphragm - improving abdominal tone, singing capacity, and health.

Learning healthy breathing techniques benefits the following conditions: asthma, allergies, high or low blood pressure, stress-related heart conditions, hyperactivity, insomnia, chronic pain, some psychological conditions, metabolic and endocrine imbalances. This is not intended as a substitute for proper medical care. Please consult with your physician before beginning programs of yoga and/or yogic breathing.

Men average 12 to 14 breaths per minute. Women average 13 to 15 breaths per minute. Children average 15 to 18 breaths per minute. This is natural for each group. Breathing more rapidly (hyperventilating) depletes the body of carbon dioxide. Your body needs a certain amount of Carbon Dioxide to maintain the appropriate Acidity/Alkalinity levels for your blood. Learning to breath deeply and smoothly can ensure that you maintain appropriate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body.


As you can see, a person with strong lungs and a large breathing capacity usually has abundant health and energy! When we are calm and balanced, the breath is usually smooth, even, and steady. When we are tense, frightened, angry, or nervous, our breath is erratic, choppy, uneven or strained. There is a correlation between our well being - physically and emotionally, and the fluidity of our breath.