(s-VAR-ah)
svara = sound, air breathed through the nostrils

Step by Step

Traditionally the five "elements" that make up our body-mind (and the entire material universe)-earth, water, fire, air, "ether"-are each energetically associated with a fixed point on the linings of our nostrils. So it's possible to influence and transform our body-mind by channeling our breath over or away from these points. .

This exercise is a variation of the traditional teaching, since our two points are non-traditional and not elementally potent, and our immediate goal is simply to become better acquainted with our breath. These points (two in each nostril) are the "inner nostril" just beside the septum, and the "outer nostril," underneath the "wing" (ala) of the nose.

Sit comfortably and attend to your breath as it passes in and out through your nostrils. It's likely you'll feel a difference between the two; your inhale, for example, is touching your right nostril near the septum, but your left nostril below the wing.

Watch for a minute or two, then begin to channel (or "narrow") your inhales across your inner nostrils. Continue for a minute or two.

After breathing normally for 30 seconds, begin to channel (or "widen") your exhales beneath s your outer nostrils, "widening" your breath. Again continue for a minute or two, then return to normal breathing for 30 seconds.

Finally combine the inner and outer breaths and breath slowly for a few minutes. You can practice this version of Svara Yoga during Ujjayi or Kapalabhati (on the exhale).

(soor-yah beh-DAH-na)
surya = sun
bhedana = piercing

(chahn-drah)
chandra = moon

Step by Step

Our right nostril is energetically associated with our body's heating energy, symbolized by the "Sun" and the syllable HA, our left nostril with our body's cooling energy, symbolized by the "Moon" and the syllable THA.

In the average person these energies are typically in conflict, which leads to disquiet and disease. The goal of traditional Hatha Yoga is to integrate and harmonize HA and THA for happiness and health. The purpose of these two breaths then is to create balance by "warming" a "cool" body-mind and vice versa.

Sit in a comfortable asana and make Mrigi Mudra. For Surya Bhedana block your left nostril and inhale through your right. Then close the right and exhale through the left. Continue in this manner, inhale right, exhale left, for 1 to 3 minutes.

For Chandra Bhedana, simply reverse the instructions in (2), inhaling always through your left nostril, exhaling through your right. Again continue for 1 to 3 minutes.

(m-RIG-ee moo-drah)
mrigi = deer
mudra = seal

Step by Step

Ball your right hand into a fist. Press your index and middle fingers into the mound (or base) of your thumb, so they're held firmly in their curled position. (This mudra is traditionally made with the right hand, but there's no compelling reason why left-handers can't use their dominant hand if they like).

Stretch out the ring and pinky fingers. Keep your pinky relatively straight, but curl your ring finger slightly, then press its pad to the pinky's nail. Align the fingertips as best you can; the idea is to "blend" the two fingertips into one.

Now bring your hand to your nose. Be sure not to turn your head toward your hand, keep your chin aligned over your sternum. Also be sure to keep your right shoulder level with your left shoulder. Tuck your right elbow in close to the side of your torso without hardening your armpit.

For all digital practices, the ring finger/pinky pair will close the left nostril, the thumb the right (unless you're using your left hand). Curl these fingers so that you press the nostrils with their more sensitive tips, not their pads. When you close a nostril, apply just enough pressure to block the opening, not so much that you interfere with the flow of breath through the open nostril.

Try this simple practice. Close your right nostril and inhale slowly through your left. Then close the left and open and exhale through the right. Finally inhale through the right, close it, and open and exhale through the left. Repeat 2 or 3 times, then release the mudra and breathe normally for a minute.

(nah-dee show-DAH-nah)
nadi = channel
shodhana = cleaning, purifying

Step by Step

Sit in a comfortable asana and make Mrigi Mudra. Beginning pranayama students may have some difficulty holding their raised arm in position for the length of the practice. You can put a bolster across your legs and use it to support your elbow.

Gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril, then close it with your ring-little fingers. Open and exhale slowly through the right nostril.

Keep the right nostril open, inhale, then close it, and open and exhale slowly through the left. This is one cycle. Repeat 3 to 5 times, then release the hand mudra and go back to normal breathing. (NOTE: some yoga schools begin this sequence by first closing the left nostril and inhaling through the right; this order is prescribed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2.7-10).

Traditionally Nadi Shodhana includes breath retention, fixed ratio breathing, and the repetition of certain "seed" mantras (cf. Gheranda Samhita 5.38-54). For beginning pranayama students, it's best to focus only on the inhales and exhales.

(kah-pah-lah-BAH-tee)
kapala = skull
bhati = light (implying perception, knowledge)

Step by Step

Kapalabhati consists of alternating short, explosive exhales and slightly longer, passive inhales. Exhales are generated by powerful contractions of the lower belly (between the pubis and navel), which push air out of the lungs. Inhales are responses to the release of this contraction, which sucks air back into the lungs.

Focus on your lower belly. Many beginners aren't able to isolate and contract this area. If needed, cup one hand lightly in the other and press them gently against your lower belly.

Now quickly contract (or pump your fisted hands against) your lower belly, pushing a burst of air out of your lungs. Then quickly release the contraction (or your hands), so the belly "rebounds" to suck air into your lungs. Pace yourself slowly at first. Repeat eight to 10 times at about one exhale-inhale cycle every second or two.

As you become more adept at contracting/releasing your lower belly, you can increase your pace to about two exhale-inhale cycles every second. Imagine the exhale sweeping out or "brightening" the inner lining of your skull.

Do 25 to 30 cycles at first. Gradually increase the number of cycles you do each practice to 100 or more.

(oo-jy [rhymes with "pie"]-ee)
ujjayi = to conquer, to be victorious

Step by Step

Ujjayi is especially known for the soft hissing sound the breather makes by directing her inhales and exhales over the back of her throat. To learn how, try this.

Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly through a wide-open mouth. Direct the out-going breath slowly across the back of your throat with a drawn-out HA sound. Repeat several times, then close your mouth. Now, as you both inhale and exhale through your nose, direct the breath again slowly across the back of your throat. Ideally, this will create, and you should hear, a soft hissing sound.

This sound, called ajapa mantra (pronounced ah-JOP-ah mahn-trah, the "unspoken mantra"), serves three purposes: it helps to slow the breath down (which is exactly what we want for Ujjayi), to focus awareness on the breath and prevent your min "wandering," and to regulate, by continually monitoring and adjusting the evenness of the sound, the smooth flow of breath (another important element of Ujjayi).

Start with 5 to 8 minutes of practice, gradually increase your time to 10 to 15 minutes. When finished return to normal breathing for a minute or two, then lie down in Shavasana (Corpse Pose) for a few minutes.

Ujjayi is the foundation of many other techniques listed on this site; e.g., ratio breathing, svara yoga, digital pranayama, retention along with the two bandhas. Note that Ajapa Mantra isn't used when performing digital pranayama.

(kuhm-BAH-kah)
kumbha = pot (a traditional image of the human torso as a container for the breath with two "openings" at the throat and base of the pelvis)
antara (ahn-TAH-rah) = interior
bahya (BAH-yah) = outer

Step by Step

Antara Kumbhaka requires the application of both Jalandhara and Mula Bandhas; in addition the rib case gently "hugs" the lungs.

Establish Sama Vritti Ujjayi (and for this example, the vritti count is 6 OMs). To begin, apply the two bandhas as you near the end of your inhale, and retain the breath for 2 OMs, no more. Gently squeeze the ribs against the expanded lungs. Then exhale, concurrently releasing Mula Bandha and, when finished, raise your head to neutral. DON'T perform Kumbhaka on successive breaths; take 2 to 3 Ujjayi breaths before the next retention.

In general your first Kumbhakas should be one-third to one-half the length of your Sama Vritti count. Practice at this level until you're completely comfortable, which may take several weeks or longer.

Then gradually reduce the number of Ujjayis between Kumbhakas until you can comfortably retain your breath for 2 OMs on successive inhales for about 5 minutes. Next increase your Kumbhaka to 3 OMs, but again separate them by 2 to 3 Ujjayis. Again gradually reduce the Ujjayis until you can comfortably retain for 3 OMs on successive inhales for 5 minutes.

Proceed methodically until your Kumbhaka count matches your Sama Vritti count. Now STOP. Don't go any further without direct guidance from an experienced teacher.

The primary purpose of yoga is to teach the individual how to relax and achieve tranquility. Everyone wants peace and quiet, but how can we avoid noise? Just try to go within yourself for a moment and you will find that even if you plug your ears, the noise still leaks in.

Breath awareness

The yogic way to achieve inner peace is to watch the breathing process in the body, to become aware of each incoming and outgoing breath. You don’t have to make an effort to breathe; the process goes on automatically all the time. This breath awareness relaxes the nerves and spontaneously internalizes the mind. It relaxes not only the abdominal, back and leg muscles, but also the most important areas of the brain which control the whole physical body, the emotions and the intellect. When you experience this relaxation, the strain of the day’s work falls away, and you feel as refreshed as if you’d just had several hours of sleep. But even the relaxation of sleep cannot be compared with this state, because yogic relaxation brings emotional tranquility as well.

Many times you feel exhausted at the end of a busy day, and when you want to play with your children or talk with your wife or husband, you just can’t. This makes you feel frustrated and irritated, causing even more physical and emotional tension. In order to avoid this, you can practise simple breathing awareness before coming home from work, or before the family comes home for dinner. Just sit down quietly with your eyes open or closed and withdraw your awareness from the external world. Become aware of the breath flowing in and out. With every inhalation feel the navel region expanding; with every exhalation feel the navel area contracting. Try to synchronize the incoming and outgoing breath with the rising and falling of the navel.

This breathing practice will minimize your physical fatigue and maximize your emotional stability. Your irritation will automatically decrease and you won’t become angry with your loved ones. You will be able to speak with your children, wife or husband in a pleasant manner and you will be happier with yourself as a person. Keep practising this every day and, in the course of time, you will feel a tremendous increase of energy, both physically and emotionally. Anybody can perform this simple yogic technique without seeking further guidance or advice.

Neti kriya

Another technique which you can do every day or once a week is neti kriya. This practice also relaxes the brain and brings tranquility. For this, you need a special neti lota, or pot, filled with warm saline water. Place the nozzle of the lota in the right nostril, then tilt the head to the left side and breathe through the open mouth. The water flows out the left nostril without any effort or disturbance, as if it were coming through a straight pipe. Afterwards, you clean the nose by exhaling forcefully with bhastrika pranayama to remove any excess water.

Neti kriya stimulates and massages the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which are known in yogic terminology as ida and pingala nadis. Ida and pingala control the cooling and heating aspects in the body, acting like an internal thermostat. This thermostat regulates the temperature and energy levels in the nervous system. When the energy is not being channelized properly, either there is too much energy or too little, and then illness develops. Constipation, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and so many other diseases may occur. Neti kriya helps to maintain good health by balancing these two aspects of ida and pingala in our physical body.

These two nadis are also directly connected to the brain and affect the way we think, experience and feel. They influence the emotions which cause worry and excitement and are at the root of most of our problems. So when you directly relax the two nervous systems, in the course of time you are able to transform yourself mentally as well as physically.

The ancient rishis and munis knew this secret, and today, scientists are discovering the same thing: neti kriya is the best way of removing all of the problems caused by phobia. Do you know what a phobia is? It is a wrong and false imagination about your health, family, work, etc. A phobia is something which you imagine exists. Phobias are created and expressed differently in different situations, for example, as lack of confidence, doubt or false thinking about others. This is the whole cause of everyone’s suffering - not just Hindus, Russians, Muslims or Christians, but all of humanity. It is the cause of our physical, emotional and intellectual sickness.

Simple yogic practices such as these can be used to restore normal health and harmony. However, we must remember that yoga is far more than this. It is a vast science which can raise the consciousness and lead you to spiritual enlightenment.

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