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Yoga and Breathing
Breath is our life force, our connection between the physical and spiritual. The conscious use of the breath, or pranayama, separates yoga from other forms of exercise. Working with the breath will ease you into an asana, and certain types of breathing are said to transmute the creative energies. All this is explored in the links below.
How Pranayama Can Enhance Your Yoga Practice
Yoga breathing exercises, also known as Pranayama, are an important part of a developing yoga.practice.
How to Exercise Breath Control or Pranayama
Pranayama is a simple exercise that controls the involuntary continuous action of inhaling and exhaling by arresting and regulating the process of breathing.
Breathe Your Way To Health and Peace
Pranayama is an exercise without spending energy, and relaxation without any stimulation.
Video - How to Practice Pranayama
Here are some tips on how to practice pranayama.
Hatha Yoga Breathing
It only makes sense that a trumpeter would know something about breathing! Bandleader Rich Szabo travels from the diaphragm to the collarbone in a thorough discussion of full body breathing. Separating each section of your lungs raises awareness of the full breathing process.
The Importance of Breathing
Before getting into specific forms of yoga breathing, it is important to understand, from a physical point of view, exactly what breathing does for us. Consider this site Oxygen 101.
Taoist Relaxation Yoga
Warning - this technique is far more difficult than it seems! Who would ever guess that it would take so much patience and fortitude to "listen to your breathing"?
Ujjayi
This page is dedicated to one of yoga's most popular breathing techniques.
Yoga Everywhere
This site concentrates on conscious breathing. The first two techniques they give are very effective meditation tools.
Playing the Edge
Eric Shifman discusses the role of breathing in practicing yoga. The idea is to ease into asanas not create pain.
Pranayama
Here is Anuloma Viloma or alternative nostril breathing technique. It's an excellent practice, but just take it slowly.
Pranayama – Breathing
An incredibly comprehensive and organized presentation. It's better than good, it the best on the net.
The Wind Through the Instrument
Another breathing practice as taught by Eric Shifman. It integrates the breath with your yogic movement.