Breathing techniques

Sit comfortably, eyes closed. Don't steer the breath, just follow it. Notice the air at the nostrils (temperature), the flow in the throat, the belly rising and falling. When the mind wanders, come back to the breath. 5 rounds of 3 breaths minimum. There is no progression to chase: it is the ground you keep returning to, and as attention steadies, the same practice becomes meditation.

Lips closed, breathing through the nose. Slightly narrow the throat so the breath whispers, like the sound of ocean waves, or like fogging a mirror. Keep the narrowing subtle; if it strains the throat, it is too much. Add the chin lock (Jalandhara) and gentle retention once the breath is steady → see Bandhas & Mudras.

First, practise each section on its own. Belly (diaphragmatic): hand on the abdomen, feel it rise. Chest (thoracic): hands on the ribs, feel them widen. Collarbone (clavicular): feel the very top of the lungs fill. Then combine all three into one continuous breath: inhale belly → chest → collarbone, exhale in reverse, releasing the chest first and emptying the belly last. Slow and unforced. 5 rounds of 3 minimum. Once the complete breath is effortless it becomes the breath you use inside other practices; add gentle ratio work then (1:1, then 1:2 → see Building your own practice).

Nose only. Inhale for a count of about four to five, exhale for the same, equal, smooth, no holds. Roughly six breaths a minute; James Nestor's "perfect breath" fine-tunes this to 5.5 seconds each way. Don't push or strain. It settles the nervous system and raises heart-rate variability → see The science of breath. Lengthen the exhale toward 1:2 for a stronger calming effect.

Use Nasagra/Vishnu mudra (thumb and ring finger resting on the nostrils). Close the right nostril and inhale through the left. Open the right, close the left, and exhale through the right. Keep the left closed and inhale through the right. Close the right and exhale through the left. That is one round. 5–9 rounds, silent and smooth. Anulom Vilom is the simpler beginner's version: the same alternation with continuous flow and no holds. It balances the two channels, ida and pingala → see The science of breath, nostril laterality. Add ratios as you progress: 1:1 → 1:2 → then hold-in (antar kumbhaka) with bandhas (advanced) → hold-out, toward the classic 1:4:2.

Typically 4:4:4:4: inhale for four, hold in for four, exhale for four, hold out for four. It helps to picture drawing a square as you go. For sleep, try 4:4:6:2, at least six rounds, lengthening the counts gradually without strain. Go gently with the holds during pregnancy.

Inhale gently, then exhale slowly and for longer, say in for four, out for six or eight. Nose only. In Swami Rama's image (paraphrased), you breathe in from tail to crown, and out from crown to toes. Formalise it as a 1:2 ratio → see Building your own practice and The science of breath.

Sit with lips gently closed and teeth slightly apart; optionally use Shanmukhi mudra (lightly close the ears with the fingers). Inhale fully through the nose, then exhale with a steady, even hum, smooth and continuous for the whole exhale, the front of the skull lightly buzzing, tongue resting at the upper palate. 4–5 rounds; lengthen the hum as the exhale naturally extends → see The science of breath. Skip with an ear infection.

Use Nasagra/Vishnu mudra. Inhale through the left nostril, exhale through the right. When ready, add holds: inhale left and hold, exhale right and hold (1:1:1 → 1:1:2 → 1:2:2), building gradually → see The science of breath, nostril laterality. Take care with low blood pressure.

(The exception to the nose rule: inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose.) All three do the same job; use whichever your mouth allows. Inhale slowly across the tongue or teeth, then exhale through the nose. 5–9 rounds, or 1–10 minutes.

• Sheetali — curl the tongue into a tube or beak and inhale through it. (Tongue-curling is partly genetic; if you can't, use one of the others.)
• Sitkari — fold the tongue back behind the teeth and inhale through the gaps with a soft hiss.
• Sadanta — lips open and teeth lightly together, draw the air in through the teeth.

To go deeper, add hold-in (antar kumbhaka) with a bandha, then hold-out, building gradually. Avoid in cold weather, or with asthma.

Rest the tip of the tongue on the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, and keep it there throughout. Exhale fully through the mouth with a soft whoosh. Then inhale quietly through the nose for 4, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8. That is one breath; do four in total. The 4:7:8 ratio matters more than the exact seconds, so lengthen the count as it becomes comfortable. Go gently with the hold during pregnancy. (Credit: Dr Andrew Weil.)

Inhale through the nose, then take a quick second sip of air at the top to fully inflate the lungs. Exhale slowly and completely through the mouth (the nose is fine too), letting the out-breath run longer than the in. For an in-the-moment reset, one to three rounds is enough; as a daily practice, continue gently for about five minutes. It reopens the small air sacs that collapse during shallow breathing, and the long exhale shifts you toward the parasympathetic "rest" state → see The science of breath. In a 2023 Stanford study, five minutes a day of this pattern improved mood and slowed the breath more than box breathing or meditation, with the effect building over time.

Sit tall, face relaxed. Take active, forceful inhales and exhales of equal length, often paired with arm movements (arms up on the inhale, down on the exhale). Exhale fully on the last stroke. 27 strokes makes one round. It lifts low energy and lethargy. Add hold-in (antar kumbhaka) with bandhas, then hold-out, as you progress.

Skip with high blood pressure, heart conditions, or in pregnancy; stop and rest if you feel dizzy.

Technically a cleansing kriya, a purification practice, used here to prepare for pranayama. Let the inhale be passive; the exhale is a forceful snap of the navel back toward the spine, about two exhales a second. Start slow and build: 30×4, 40×3, 60×2, working up to 120 in a round. Exhale fully on the last stroke. Best on an empty stomach with the bowels cleared → see The science of breath. Add hold-in, then hold-out, with bandhas, as you progress.

Skip with high blood pressure, heart conditions, or in pregnancy; stop if you feel dizzy.

Use Nasagra/Vishnu mudra. Inhale through the right nostril, exhale through the left. When ready, add holds: inhale right and hold, exhale left and hold (1:1:1 → 1:1:2 → 1:2:2), building gradually. It activates pingala, the activating channel → see The science of breath, nostril laterality.

Skip with high blood pressure or heart conditions.

Sit comfortably, or in lion's pose (hands on knees, arms straight). Inhale through the nose (an Ujjayi breath). Exhale forcefully through the mouth with the tongue stretched out and down, eyes gazing up toward the third eye. Repeat a few rounds; no formal progression.

Take a deep inhale, then a full exhale. Holding the breath out, draw the belly sharply in and out 10–30 times. Release and breathe normally before the next round. Increase the number of belly pumps gradually.

Skip in pregnancy, or with a hernia or stomach ulcer.

A short sharp inhale followed immediately by a long strong inhale (through the nose), then a short sharp exhale followed by a long strong exhale (through the mouth, with a "ha" sound). Up to six times, gazing gently upward to avoid dizziness. Stop if you feel dizzy. Despite the doubled rhythm, this is the energising opposite of the calming Physiological Sigh: there a long, soft exhale settles you; here the forceful breath in and out wakes you up.

Sit or lie somewhere quiet and safe. Take 30–40 deep breaths (nose in, mouth out, filling belly then chest, with a relaxed, unforced exhale). After the last exhale, hold the breath out until you feel a strong urge to breathe, the retention phase. Then take one deep breath in and hold it 10–15 seconds, the recovery breath. Repeat 3–4 rounds. Once familiar, try "squeezing" the breath toward the head on the recovery breath → see The science of breath. (Credit: Wim Hof Method.)

Never in water or while driving. Skip in pregnancy, or with heart conditions or epilepsy.

Breathe in a continuous, circular pattern, typically through the mouth: an active inhale into the belly, and a relaxed, passive exhale, with no pause at the top or bottom. Sustained over an extended session; extended practice can induce altered states, and depth and duration deepen safely under facilitation. (Credit: popularised by Leonard Orr as Rebirthing Breathwork, 1970s.)

Learn with a qualified facilitator. Skip in pregnancy, or with heart conditions or epilepsy.

Combines a breathing pattern with visualisation of heat or fire in the body. Traditionally taught and practised within its lineage rather than from written instruction, and it deepens through guided instruction.

Learn with a qualified teacher.