r/Pranayama • u/ishaivite • 4d ago
Prana is not breath
In the pinned post, op wrote "prana, particularly, the breath"...it's incorrect, breath is a handle to control the prana, breath is not prana, thankyou.
r/Pranayama • u/sbarber4 • Oct 10 '25
Welcome!
Please all new members and potential contributors read this post ! It explains expected behaviors, rules, and auto-mod stuff. It's worth the read to avoid misunderstandings.
Pranayama is a limb of yoga practice. It is the practice of controlling or restraining the breath.
Pranayama (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskrit word meaning "restraint or control of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "extension of the life force." The word is composed of two Sanskrit words: Prāna, the vital breath or vital life force associated with the breath, and "āyāma", to extend, draw out, restrain, or control.
Common Pranayama Breathing Exercises:
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r/Pranayama • u/ishaivite • 4d ago
In the pinned post, op wrote "prana, particularly, the breath"...it's incorrect, breath is a handle to control the prana, breath is not prana, thankyou.
r/Pranayama • u/Excellent_Salary5949 • 11d ago
I understand how to do it and how it is alternate nostril breathing, my problem is with one thing
How long should you hold your breaths in for, how long for exhalation too?
Some people say every breath in and out is 4 seconds each. My problem is based off my energy I count to 4 very slowly or very fast if I’m anxious, and also sometimes I can’t exhale for 4 long seconds you know? It’s confusing.
I’ve found just inhaling and exhaling for however long I want , whatever feels best for me works better as a way of relaxing my mind but I don’t know if that’s the intended way of doing it- it’s almost like a deep breathing session at that point.
What do you guys say? What is the most known way of doing it to regulate nervous system and allow blessings to come in?
r/Pranayama • u/Pensive_Poetry • 20d ago
I've read that listening to or chanting LAM helps balance the root chakra, but haven't read of any testimonials. How many of you have experienced a tangible improvement/change due to this chant?
r/Pranayama • u/Trying-Huckleberry • 21d ago
I experience intense tremors during meditation about 90% of the time. When I focus on a specific chakra point, I enter a state of kundalini vibration, causing my body to shake vigorously and rise dramatically. Alternatively, if I simply visualize numbers while counting my breath, my teeth start banging against each other, and the upper and lower teeth drum against each other rapidly. My entire body shakes uncontrollably, as if a washing machine is spinning furiously. This phenomenon occurs every time I meditate, even when I meditate lying down before sleeping. My entire body, from my stomach to my head, enters a different mode, as if I’m about to be lifted into the ceiling. Do you all experience this? Can anyone please explain why i experience this?
Additionally, one issue i also have is that I’m not consistent with meditation because I’m not sure why it’s necessary. However, in my dreams, I’ve been told to meditate, and a psychic also scolded me yesterday for not being consistent with it. Can you please explain the benefits of meditation, aside from mindfulness, because I’m indifferent to resting and seem impatient as well?
r/Pranayama • u/Stock_Bandicoot_5863 • 22d ago
I saw on a podcast that it has the ability to improve posture through breathing because of the way the lungs fill during diaphragmatic breathing or something like that, is that true? I've been experiencing pain in my quadriceps when meditating sitting cross-legged.
r/Pranayama • u/Baby_Driver2945 • 24d ago
Hello. I am looking for home workout videos but am unable to understand the breathing situation. Most videos don't specify...when to inhale and exhale while weight training and stretching. I will appreciate it if someone can explain and help with my cluelessness.
Thanks in advance!
r/Pranayama • u/IllUnderstanding7158 • 26d ago
I've started a new program of Pranayama Yoga. I'm doing 10 minutes Nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), with a 1:4:2 ratio. That's 6 seconds inhale, 24 second hold, and 12 seconds exhale. I'm feeling pretty good with this so far. I've done some breathing exercises for years but this is the first time I've committed to a pranayama program. Is this a good practice for a beginner?
r/Pranayama • u/theclearpathjourney • Jun 22 '26
r/Pranayama • u/dviolite • Jun 15 '26
Sharing interesting research: A 2001 BMJ study had ~23 healthy volunteers recite the Catholic rosary in Latin (Ave Maria) and the Hindu/Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum while researchers measured breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Two practices from traditions separated by thousands of miles.
Both naturally slowed breathing to around 6 breaths per minute. Nobody told participants to breathe slow. The phrase length itself did it. Each Ave Maria takes ~10 seconds to recite. Each Om Mani Padme Hum cycle takes ~10 seconds. Ten seconds per breath cycle equals 6 per minute.
That number isn't random. Our cardiovascular system has a feedback loop called the baroreflex that oscillates at roughly 0.1 Hz, one cycle every 10 seconds. When breathing matches that frequency, the two oscillations sync up. Heart rate variability spikes, baroreflex sensitivity improves. Both rosary and mantra produced the effect compared to spontaneous breathing.
What's interesting for anyone with a sit practice, i think this strips the mystique off mantra work without dismissing it. The body doesn't care what you're chanting, it responds to the timing. You could prolly recite a grocery list at this cadence and get the same baroreflex effect. The traditions wrapped a physiological mechanism in meaning and ritual, but the phrase length is doing real work underneath, separate from the words.
If you do mantra or japa, have you noticed your breath settling into a rhythm on its own without you trying to control it? Curious if the ~10 seconds per cycle thing tracks with what you're actually doing.
r/Pranayama • u/pastryflour • Jun 11 '26
Would like to learn Ujjayi Pranayama Ocean Breath Victorious Breath any You tube lessons
How can we watch it and practice at home
r/Pranayama • u/Odd-Sound-1979 • May 23 '26
Has anybody ever cured there anxiety by prayanam. Recently out of nowwhere i got severe social anxiety and now suffering from 3 years. I don't want to take medicines. Please guide me🙏🏻
r/Pranayama • u/Short_Bicycle_1712 • May 23 '26
Check it out. Its free. If you want future or embed hit me up.
r/Pranayama • u/winheart8263 • May 11 '26
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All oxygen exhale and stomach vacuum and in an out Good for health
r/Pranayama • u/Own-Sport3825 • May 08 '26
I don't have any prior experience doing pranayama. Recently I have tried Anulom vilom and Kapalbathi. I found these exercises makes me calm, I want to create my daily pranayama routine. Please help me to formulate a better routine.
Focus: Clear brain fog, Improved sleep and focus levels and reduce anxitey.
r/Pranayama • u/TenzinRinpoche • May 04 '26
Hey guys,
My left nostril is without fail more blocked than my right, even when the left nostril is the "open" nostril during the natural nasal cycle. Think it's a deviated septum thing.
I'm wondering is there a technique to be able to switch nostrils so that I can switch from left-open to right-open when I want? (Not all the time, but just for example when I'm struggling with the open left-nostril being still somewhat blocked, so I'd like to switch to right nostril open).
r/Pranayama • u/Healthy-Plantain-593 • May 04 '26
For beginners, pranayama should start with feeling the breath clearly. Before ratios, retention, bandhas, or stronger techniques, try simple nasal breathing with a slightly longer exhale. Practice for three minutes and observe whether the breath becomes smoother and quieter. If the breath becomes strained, the technique is too strong. The foundation is not control for its own sake. It is relationship, steadiness, and awareness.
r/Pranayama • u/realkimi • Apr 28 '26
Hello, everyone.
I’m curious to know who practices Anuloma Viloma using Padmasana for an hour, with a breathing rhythm of 12 seconds for inhalation, 48 seconds for retention, and 24 seconds for exhalation.
Do you consider this type of pranayama to be basic or advanced?
r/Pranayama • u/Sea-Caregiver8398 • Apr 27 '26
I want to start learning and practicing pranayama. What and where is a good place to start? Any recommendations on people or exercises to follow? Or books to learn about the practice as a whole, different branches, etc.? Thank you
r/Pranayama • u/Feisty-Bit5670 • Apr 24 '26
r/Pranayama • u/dviolite • Apr 22 '26
r/Pranayama • u/lotus-yoga • Apr 21 '26
Something I didn’t fully appreciate until teaching at a variety of schools and locations is how much the environment affects breathwork.
Pranayama is often taught as a technique, ✷inhale✷exhale✷hold, but in reality, the experience changes completely depending on what’s happening around you.
In a busy environment, the breath tends to stay a bit more controlled, a bit more effortful.
But in a quieter space, something shifts. The breath naturally slows, the pauses become more comfortable, and there’s less sense of “doing” the practice.
It becomes less about technique and more about observation.
It’s a subtle difference, but it changes the depth of the practice quite a lot.
I would like to know your experience,
for those who practise pranayama or meditation, have you noticed a difference depending on where you are?
Best wishes,
Sonu ji