PRANAYAMA &

THE BREATH
MODULE

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 PERSPECTIVES & CAUTIONS

TERMINOLOGY & DEFINITIONS

Pranayama & The Breath Module

CONTENTS BREATHING FUNDAMENTALS

BASIC BREATH TRAINING & YOGIC

BREATHING

PRANAYAMA TECHNIQUES

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BASIC BREATH
TRAINING & YOGIC Chapter Highlights

BREATHING
BASIC BREATH TRAINING
SAFE & EFFECTIVE PRACTICES THAT SERVE AS
PREPARATION FOR FORMAL PRANAYAMA

BREATH AWARENESS
the breath
is round
it goes out, it comes back MORE GENTLE PRACTICES
it goes out, it comes back
it soothes, it heals
it is a lullaby YOGIC BREATHING

— Sandra Sabatini, breath: the essence of yoga

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QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE
• Describe three breath training basics will prepare students for formal pranayama.
• Why is a self “check-in” at the beginning of practice valuable?
• What types of postures are effective for teaching breath awareness?
• Describe five techniques for teaching breath awareness.
• What is meant by the term Belly Breathing?
• How is Belly Breathing related to the Three-Part Breath?
• What are two different ways that the Three-Part Breath are taught?
• Aside from breath awareness practices, what other gentle practices are safe
considerations for most students?
• How does awareness of the breath affect the resting breath rate?
• What is the practice and objective for initial breathwork with new students?
• What is clavicular breathing? Thoracic breathing? Diaphragmatic breathing?
• What is yogic breathing?
• What are the benefits of a conscious exhalation?
• What is the technique for consciously exhaling in yogic breathing?
• How is the more advanced technique of diaphragmatic rib cage breathing different from
ineffective chest breathing? Why might the two be confused?

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INTRODUCTION
• Breath training is essential for all levels of students.
• Mastering breath training basics is an important requirement prior to
engaging in formal pranayama.
• The average resting breath rate is 12 to 16 breaths per minute. Simple
awareness tends to lower this rate to about 6 times per minute.
• A priority for newer students is to strengthen and expand their
respiratory capacity. This means they learn to take deeper, fuller breaths
efficiently and regularly.
This chapter provides teaching tools to assist
you in basic breath training and yogic
In Yoga: Mastering the Basics, Sandra Anderson and Rolf Sovik describe breathing. For more information, see:
breath training that prepares a student for pranayama:

• Sovik's 9-minute video: Breath Training and

• Breath awareness practices Pranayama: A Two-tier Process
• A relaxed sense of the mechanics of breathing, including breathing
through the nose and breathing diaphragmatically • Breathing Fundamentals
• Strengthening the diaphragm
• Allowing breath to be deep, smooth, even, without sound and without • Respiratory Anatomy
pause

• Nervous System
In an article he wrote later, Sovik adds this point:
• Mind relaxing and becoming the observer of one’s own relaxed nervous
system

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 IT’S ESSENTIAL TO GUIDE STUDENTS OF ALL
LEVELS IN BREATH TRAINING

As the breath fades, students lose subtle awareness of how

energy is flowing in their bodies, of the subtlety of sensation in
the body, of the unification of body-mind, of refinements in

BREATH the practice. Maintaining attention to the breath can be

especially difficult for new students trying to move their bodies

TRAINING IS into new and often awkward positions. Even as students

progress in their asana practice, their breathing practice

ESSENTIAL typically lags behind... It is thus essential for teachers to guide

students in basic yogic breathing... and to introduce students
to more refined breathing techniques found in the larger art of
pranayama.

– Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

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TEACHINGS FOR
NEW STUDENTS
INCREASING RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY SYMPTOMS OF IMPROPER BREATHING

The practices of working with the breath to How do you know when you are breathing

strengthen and extend respiration are the preliminary improperly? In general, you'll feel a great deal of

methods of yoga breathing culminating in tension in your upper body. You'll tend to accumulate

pranayama. These exercises begin with simple tension in your neck and shoulders and between your

breathing methods such as those a respiratory shoulder blades in your upper back. You may feel

therapist might use for the alleviation of symptoms tension in your jaw, facial muscles, and around your

of shortness of breath or to develop a greater vital eyes, possibly in the form of a headache. These are

capacity in the lungs. These are quite powerful but a few of the symptoms of poor breathing, which

practices, given that most people breath with as little can be as extreme as the sensation of having a heart

as 25 percent of their respiratory capacity. Just to attack. No passive massage or physical therapy will

increase respiratory efficiency can give a tremendous remedy this chronic tension for it will be recapitulated

relief to the vital organs, which have been starved for the moment you continue breathing poorly.

oxygen and pervaded with the waste gas, carbon – Donna Farhi, The Breathing Book

dioxide. It's no wonder that just learning how to take

deeper, fuller breaths efficiently and on a regular See also:

basis can have an uplifting effect on all the Constricted Breathing Patterns and Basic Breath

physiological systems. Training

– Mukunda Stiles, Structural Yoga Therapy

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BREATH RATES
• The average unconscious resting or "normal" breath rate is
12 to 16 breaths per minute

• At the average rate of 15 breaths per minute, we breathe

over 20,000 times per day.

• Simply instructing students to be aware of their breath will

tend to lower this rate to around 6 times per minute while
advanced yogis drop their breath rate to 4 or fewer per
minute. (See also: Breath Awareness Practices)

• According to B.K.S. Iyengar (Light on Pranayama), when we

take a consciously deep inhalation, we take in six times the
amount of air than during average respiration.

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 BREATH
AWARENESS
Often, students are unaware that they are breathing
shallowly or inefficiently, contributing to anxiety, stress
or tiredness. With training and practice, they can
become conscious of their breath patterns. This
awareness in and of itself contributes to a change in
breathing. The simple practice of making the breath
conscious may be the fundamental factor in students’
change in state from the beginning to end of yoga
class.

Many teachers begin class by inviting students to

just watch
become aware of how they are feeling in their body, of
this rhythmical dance between
their overall state of mind, and the quality of their
the external world breath. This vital practice of “checking in” enables
and the inner world students to increase self-awareness (the precursor to
this exchange that takes place all the time transformation) as well as appreciate the changes that
occur from practice. Observing the breath allows
— Sandra Sabatini, breath: the essence of yoga awareness of typical and unconscious patterns, and
may also lead to changes without effort.

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TEACHING BREATH AWARENESS

Students may practice an awareness exercise Some ways to teach awareness include a brief centering
seated comfortably or while in a relaxation pose, exercise to start class and “pauses" throughout class to
or other restorative asana. notice and feel.

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TEACHING
BREATH
AWARENESS

In the midst of asana, practice, opportunities Connecting breath with movement is another
for inviting awareness include Tadasana common technique to help bring awareness,
(Mountain Pose) or, depending on the chosen enhance asana, and improve the student’s
technique, any pose. state of mind.

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TEACHING BREATH AWARENESS

SIMPLE AWARENESS MENTAL INQUIRY

BELLY BREATHING & CONNECTING BREATH TO

THE OTHER DIRECTION
THREE-PART BREATH ASANA: MOVEMENT & HOLDS

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 SIMPLE
AWARENESS
• A breath awareness exercise can be as
simple as asking students to notice their
breath for a few rounds of inhalation and
exhalation.

• As with all concentration exercises, we can

remind students that it is the nature of the
mind to become distracted. If we notice
that the mind is no longer on the given
task, simply draw it gently back—in this
case to noticing the breath.

• Throughout class, students may be invited

to return to observation of their breath.

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 MENTAL INQUIRY
In addition to simple awareness, teachers may at times choose to
direct students in a more precise process of mental inquiry. Choose
from among the following cues, or allow them to inspire your own.

• Please become aware that you are breathing. • Does your breath seem short or long?
• Notice the inhalation, the exhalation, and if there are any pauses. • Is it smooth or rough?
• What does the inhalation feel like? What seems to initiate the • Does it feel deep or shallow?
inhalation? • Is it quiet or does it have sound?
• Where do you feel your breath? What parts are moving? Do you feel • Does the breath seem rhythmic or jerky?
the breath in your nostrils? In your chest? In the rib cage? In the • Does it seem easy to breathe or does it seem like there’s a laboring
abdomen? Do your shoulders move when you breathe? Your hips? or an effort required?
Your lumbar spine? Your pelvis? The pelvic floor? • Are there any differences in length of inhalation & exhalation?
• What changes do you feel in your heart center and across your face • Simply becoming aware of the breath will alter it. So while we're not
as the breath draws in? making an effort to change the breath, make a mental note of
•
Mental Inquiry
What do you feel when you're completely full of breath? Is there a changes you observe such as how it slows or smooths out.
pause before exhalation starts? • This is not a test. We're just taking a moment to check in and
• When do you first feel the shift into exhaling? How does the pace of observe how breath is moving through your body in this moment.
the exhale change as it continues?
• What do you feel when you're empty of breath? How long does the
pause last?

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 THREE-PART BREATH

From Belly Breathing (Part I of the Three-Part Breath),

the practice can focus on feeling the breath also in
the lower ribs and upper chest.

• Keep one palm on belly and place the other hand

on upper chest.

BELLY BREATHING • Inhale, filling the belly. Then feel the rib cage
expand. And then feel the collarbones rise.
This practice can be done lying on the back or in a sitting
position. This first set of instructions is sometimes called
• Exhale, release air from the upper chest (feeling
Belly Breathing. It can be Part I of the Three-Part Breath, or a
heart center release down), then the rib cage, and
full practice in itself.
finally the belly.

• Place palm on belly.

• Continue. Inhale to feel the expansion of the three
• Inhale, expand the belly and feel the hand rise.
parts. Exhale to release and notice the three parts
• Exhale, draw the belly in.
contracting.
• Continue inhaling and expanding, exhaling and
contracting.

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THE OTHER DIRECTION
Many teach the visualization of the breath moving in the
direction noted in the 3-Part Breath as previously described:

• INHALE (UP), feel belly expand, then the ribs expand &
finally the chest
• EXHALE (DOWN), feel release of chest, then ribs & finally
belly

Others teach the visualization of the breath going the other

way:

At a workshop with Yoga Therapist Robin Rothenberg, we

• INHALE (DOWN), allow the chest expand, then ribs &
asked her why she taught the Inhale Down / Exhale Up visual.
finally the lower abdomen
She explained that the breath is not like water that fills up a
• EXHALE (UP), draw in abdomen and feel breath going up
pitcher from the bottom up. Rather, it is like air that fills a
& out
balloon: from closest to the opening through to the farthest
reaches. Thus, air is actually filling upper lungs first, then
We at Yoga Teacher Central have more often seen the Inhale
lower.
Up / Exhale Down approach and have found it effective with
beginners, particularly with the focus on the belly. We've
Which direction do you practice and teach, and why? Please
also seen teachers teach the Inhale Down / Exhale Up visual
let us know.
(including Mukunda Stiles) and find this approach effective
in our own practice.

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 CONNECTING BREATH
HOLDS
TO ASANA
While holding poses, it can be extremely
helpful to give students frequent
instructions related to the breath. Use
these cues, or offer your own.

• Notice any tendency to hold the

breath.
• Allow the breath to flow freely.
• Notice the quality of your breath.
• Inhale to a count of four and exhale to
a count of four.
• Use the breath to subtly back off the MOVEMENT
intensity (or to align) and then to go
deeper. For example, in a forward bend,
inhale to come out a little (and perhaps
lengthen), exhale to release deeper into
pose. In a twist, with each inhale
lengthen the spine (and perhaps come
out a little) and with each exhale,
gently deepen the twist.

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 MORE GENTLE PRACTICES

BREATHE DIAPHRAGMATICALLY LENGTHEN EXHALATION STRENGTHEN DIAPHRAGM

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Questions about how to breathe are really questions about
which muscles to use in order to expand the lungs and draw
air into them...The muscles of the neck and upper torso, by
themselves, have a relatively minor effect on breathing... The
DIAPHRAGMATIC
isolated use of these muscles for breathing, called clavicular
breathing, is most commonly seen in people who have lung
BREATHING
illnesses, such as emphysema, that limit their ability to draw a
• Clavicular, thoracic and diaphragmatic breathing use
deep breath...
different muscles and have different effects.

After strenuous exercise nothing is more satisfying than to • Using primarily the muscles of the neck and upper
breathe deeply with the mouth open and the chest heaving... torso is called clavicular breathing and is an inefficient
Although there is a certain logic to breathing with the chest process.
muscles—that is where the lungs are, after all—it is not helpful
to use these muscles as the primary tool for everyday • Breathing primarily with the chest muscles is called
thoracic breathing. While typically used to recover
breathing. Breathing primarily with the chest muscles
after exertion, it is not efficient for everyday
(thoracic breathing) makes breathing too labored. The effect
breathing.
is to arouse the sympathetic nervous system and to maintain
levels of tension that sap energy and dramatically increase • While elements of clavicular and thoracic breathing
your susceptibility to emotional disturbances. Overusing the are present in everyday breathing, the diaphragm is
chest muscles for breathing is a subtle but major cause of the key muscle for everyday breathing.
physical and emotional distress. Elements of both clavicular
and thoracic breathing are found in normal breathing, but the • See also: Respiratory Anatomy and Basic Breath

muscle naturally intended for expanding the lungs is the Training

diaphragm.
– Rolf Sovik, Yoga International, Diaphragmatic Breathing

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 DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

The best posture for sensing the flow of the breath is the crocodile pose. When
you are lying prone on your stomach, with arms folded at about a 45 degree
angle above your shoulders, your body will naturally begin to breathe
diaphragmatically.
— Rolf Sovik

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TEACHING DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

ABDOMEN
Simply let your body breathe. Feel how the abdomen presses against the floor with the inhale and recedes
with the exhale. Relax the belly.

RIB CAGE
Become aware of the low ribs expanding laterally with the inhale and contracting with the exhale. The ribcage
expands as the diaphragm contracts, and the ribs return inward as the diaphragm relaxes.

LOW BACK
Notice the back rise with the inhale, falling with exhale. Soften your back muscles.

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 LENGTHEN
EXHALATION
There are a number of practices that can help students lengthen their
exhalation. Students can simply bring increasing awareness to their
exhalation. This could entail noticing it, counting it, and then lengthening
it to be longer then the count of the inhale.

Another practice is Viloma Pranayama (Against the Grain Breathing) in

HOW LENGTHENING THE EXHALATION CAN which we divide the inhalation and/or exhalation into parts.
LEAD TO A FULLER BREATH
• In this variation, divide the exhalation into two or three parts with a
brief pause between.
A fuller breath can often be initiated through focusing on
• The pause is simply a moment of suspension – not a strong holding of
the exhalation. Here are some reasons why:
the breath.

• Inhalation comes naturally from a complete exhalation. • After the two- or three-part exhale, inhale completely.
• Take one or two normal breaths before doing the practice again.
• The exhalation is associated with calming, grounding • Pausing and dividing the breath "tricks" us into taking a longer breath.
and soothing anxiety. (See here.)
• This can be effective in a meditation, centering or pranayama practice
and can also work well with asana. For example, in a flowing Bridge
• Donna Farhi notes that the exhalation is diminished in
many breath holding patterns and in lung disorders pose, roll down slowly, pausing half-way while pausing the breath;
such as emphysema & asthma. (The Breathing Book) then continue to roll down while completing the exhale.

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This practice is most easily accomplished while lying on the back.

• Wrap hands around lower rib cage, fingers facing in toward one another.
• Press hands firmly into rib cage to create some resistance.
• Inhale and expand breath into ribs, expanding ribs out to the side against
STRENGTHEN
hands.
• Maintain pressure so that the intercostal muscles and diaphragm must work to
DIAPHRAGM
open ribs but avoid tightening chest, back, neck or face.
• Concentrate on breathing smoothly and evenly. Feel ribs expand around the
sides and through the back body.
• Continue for 10 breath cycles and then release arms and breathe normally. Do
another two sets of 10 breath cycles, resting between sets.

In The Breathing Book , Donna Farhi

notes that all breath holding patterns
involve a partial contraction of the
diaphragm. She describes this simple
activity to help loosen as well as
strengthen the diaphragm.

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 YOGIC
BREATHING

The term "yogic breathing" appears to have subtle differences in

meaning among different sources but generally refers to
diaphragmatic breathing.

It may also include a variety of techniques such as a progressive

contraction of abdominal muscles for a conscious exhalation.

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 KEY POINTS

• Typically, we exhale by relaxing the muscles used for inhalation.

• In contrast, the yogic breathing technique of consciously exhaling is a

progressive contraction of abdominal muscles.

• Conscious exhalation strengthens the muscles of breathing and causes CONSCIOUS

more air to move in and out.
EXHALATION
[In conscious exhalation]... we intentionally contract the abdominal muscles
progressively from the pubic bone to the navel. This contraction is initiated at the
rectus abdominis, and then engages both the obliques and transverse abdominis. In
certain circumstances, we may also intentionally contract the superficial and deep
musculature of the perineal floor... This action stabilizes the pelvic- lumbar
relationship, creates more structural stability, helps in flattening of lumbar lordosis,
and, when there is contraction of all the muscles [of the perineal floor], it also
supports the organs of the pelvis and lower abdomen.
– Gary Kraftsow, Yoga for Wellness

In yoga breath training, we emphasize relaxation during inhalation and controlled

toning of the abdominals during exhalation… With yoga training, the contraction [of
abdominal muscles during exhalation] will be felt like a reverse wave from the bottom
of the abdomen toward the chest…. During full expiration, the diaphragm relaxes back
to a dome shape, mildly compressing the lungs and heart, while narrowing the rib
cage... The diaphragm, rectus abdominis, and the two sets of intercostals are
strengthened and trained to move more air in and out. This increases the quantity of
circulating air within the body (called the tidal volume) and diminishes the number of
breaths per minute.
– Mukunda Stiles, Structural Yoga Therapy

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 KEY POINTS
• Some yoga teachers use imagery or visualizations to encourage long, controlled,
full diaphragmatic breaths -- what might be termed yogic breathing.

• Some use correct anatomical verbiage and some use metaphorical imagery.

• Some visualizations may guide students to the back body or backs of lungs.
BREATHING
VISUALIZATIONS The inhalation starts with the gentle swelling forward of the abdomen and then
moves upward to expand the rib cage fully. The breastbone rises and swells
forward as the shoulder blades slide down your back. These actions increase the
distance between the top of the thighs and the bottom of the ribs—the area of
the your waist—and it is this increased space that gives the diaphragm freedom
to move. As you exhale, allow the ribs to relax and come back to center without
See also this 6-minute video where
losing the spinal length you achieved with the inhalation, and then gently pull
Leslie Kaminoff guides students through
the abdomen inward. Breathe like this in all the poses throughout the practice.
a breath visualization.
– Erich Schiffman, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness
He provides sensory guidance regarding
the anatomy in the back of the body,
guiding students toward feeling the It requires both practice and heightened awareness to train your respiratory
backs of ribs and lungs. motions to reach your back. With persistence, the breath can stimulate circulation
to the kidneys, spleen, and the adrenal glands located in the middle back... By
deepening your breath to your back, the diaphragm is encouraged to extend
downward, which, in turn, can facilitate the opening of the lower lobes of the lung.

– Mukunda Stiles, Structural Yoga Therapy

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 "TOTAL OR PRANAYAMIC BREATHING"

The sadhaka must first direct his awareness specifically at the lower
anterior abdominal wall just above the pelvis. To accomplish this,
move the lower abdominal wall towards the spine and against the
diaphragm as if massaging from the skin to the muscles and
muscles to the inner organs.

This sense of active conscious contraction is associated with visible

movements of the abdominal wall from the surface skin to its
deepest layers and can be directed at will.

After that, direct your attention to expand the lateral and posterior
regions of the chest. Elevate the lower chest wall, simultaneously
expanding the top chest wall with its skin and muscles.

The diaphragm gradually and smoothly resumes its domed shape as

it starts to relax towards the end of inspiration. During exhalation
the dome moves up again. It is active at the start of expiration to
encourage a smooth slow start to the elastic recoil of the lungs.

– B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Prãnãyãma

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 MORE REFINED /
ADVANCED TEACHING

• Beginner teachings focus on how the diaphragm causes the belly to swell for the effective "belly breath." This is
an effective method with beginners and helps students to release ineffective breathing patterns.

• In more advanced teachings, the diaphragm may be used to lift the rib cage for another effective form of yogic
breathing.

• Due to the expansion in the chest, this technique— which Roger Cole calls diaphragmatic rib cage breathing —
might be confused with ineffective modes of breathing seen commonly in beginners.

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 FROM THE EXPERTS
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING DISTINCTIONS: BEGINNER VS
ADVANCED

Many of us come to yoga as “chest breathers,” meaning we’re

accustomed to an unhealthy pattern of initiating the breath from the
chest, which can be agitating. When you fall into a pattern of isolated
upper-chest breathing, you grossly overuse muscles in the neck and
upper body (known as the accessory muscles of inspiration) and under-
use the diaphragm...

One type of breathing, however, strongly activates the upper torso yet
DIAPHRAGMATIC CONTRACTION BULGES BELLY BUT
creates a full, deep pattern of breath. We’ll call it diaphragmatic rib cage
CAN ALSO EXPAND RIB CAGE
breathing, because it uses the diaphragm to lift and spread the ribs on
inhalation and ease them back down on exhalation, while keeping the
Just as you can think of the psoas as either a "leg mover" or belly relatively still. Belly breathing, which massages the abdominal
a "trunk mover," you can think of the diaphragm as either a organs more than rib cage breathing, often feels more natural and
"belly bulger" or a "rib cage lifter." The muscular action of soothing and is easier to learn. It’s an excellent introduction to breath
the diaphragm is most often associated with a bulging awareness for beginners and a good way to teach people to calm
movement in the upper abdomen, which is commonly themselves quickly, especially during an anxiety attack, because it
referred to as a "belly breath," but this is only the case if the strongly discourages use of the accessory muscles of inspiration.
diaphragm's origin (the base of the rib cage) is stable and its
insertion (the central tendon) is mobile. If the central tendon Diaphragmatic rib cage breathing is harder to learn, and it can stray into
is stabilized and the ribs are free to move, a diaphragmatic inefficient, anxiety-promoting upper-chest breathing if done
contraction will cause an expansion of the rib cage. This is a incorrectly. But if performed properly, it is calming and much more
"chest breath," which many people believe must be caused powerful for strengthening the diaphragm, deepening the inhalation,
by the action of muscles other than the diaphragm. stretching the lungs, and more effectively aerating all parts of the lungs. It
can even improve your backbends.
– Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy

– Roger Cole, Yoga Journal, Your Best Breath for an Advanced Practice

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END
BASIC BREATH
TRAINING &
YOGIC
BREATHING

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