Yogic Breathing Techniques
When you take a breath, let your belly rise, and as you exhale, allow it to lower as much as possible. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your lungs to fill completely. Concentrate on expanding your chest and ribcage while keeping your abdomen steady. As you breathe out, gently relax your chest muscles.
Yogic Breathing Techniques: Before diving into breathing exercises, it's important to understand and practice diaphragm breathing, commonly known as yogic breathing. Many people naturally contract their abdomen while inhaling and expand it when exhaling. To optimize your practice, aim to reverse this pattern: let your abdomen expand as you inhale and contract it as you exhale fully.
Nāḍi Śodhana Prāṇāyāma is a vital practice rooted in the teachings of the Haṭhayoga Pradīpaka and the Yoga Cūḍāmaṇi Upaniṣad. The Haṭhayoga Pradīpaka devotes a thorough chapter—specifically chapter 2, which consists of 78 verses—to the significance of prāṇāyāma. It emphasizes that after achieving mastery in āsana-s and establishing discipline and dietary awareness, one should embark on the practice of prāṇāyāma. The text highlights that an inconsistent breath can lead to a distracted mind. To facilitate the flow of prāṇa through the suṣumna, it's crucial to cleanse the nāḍi-s. This is done by inhaling through the left nostril, retaining the breath for as long as possible, and finally exhaling through the right nostril. Following this, one should inhale slowly through the right nostril (the one used for exhalation), hold for a set period, and exhale through the left nostril. This cycle should be practiced consistently for three months to achieve the purification of all nāḍi-s. Echoing this sentiment, the Yoga Cūḍāmaṇi Upaniṣad states that complete purity of the nāḍi-s can be attained in just two months of dedicated practice.