Curious About Pranayama? Here's What It's All About + How To Get Started

In recent years, breathwork has become a staple in yoga studios and wellness centers around the world—but the reality is, the centuries-old practice of pranayama has been a fundamental part of the yogic tradition since as early as the fifth century BCE.

Here's what pranayama is all about, including its benefits, how it's different from breathwork, and sequences to try yourself.

Pranayama, or "breath control," is a practice in the yogic tradition of Indian philosophy that involves breathing in a specific sequence to control the breath, and subsequently, the body and mind. Pranayama is also the fourth of eight stages (or eight limbs of yoga) that are thought to lead the practitioner to samadhi, aka enlightenment.

As physical therapist and registered yoga teacher Jessica Moy, DPT, previously wrote for mindbodygreen, the word prana translates to "life force" or "breath," and yama means "to reign in or control." She adds that "the basis of starting to tune into your body is using the vehicle of breath."

When you practice pranayama, the goal is to control your breath in a way that helps to free up your attention and attain a meditative state. Long term, continued practice is part of a larger yogic lifestyle that involves discipline on the path to spiritual mastery and a purified spirit.

One reason alternate nostril breathing is a popular pranayama sequence, for instance, is because it's believed to purify the nadis (aka energy channels) in the body, by way of balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain—which are, of course, connected to the nostrils.

One of the best and most immediate effects of pranayama is its ability to decrease stress. Studies show that conscious breathing is not only an effective way to combat stress, but one 2017 study published in Frontiers in Psychology1 even found that participants who completed eight weeks of breathwork training had significantly lower levels of cortisol compared with those who did not receive the training.

Additional research on pranayama even suggests it can help regulate the nervous system2, likely through synchronization of neural elements, which "ultimately [cause] shifts in the autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance."

As any avid yogi will tell you, pranayama can do wonders for focus and mental clarity. In fact, one 2018 study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition3 found that breath-focused yoga boosted attention span in participants. 

Not to mention, according to meditation and yoga instructor Lily Silverton, RYT-500, "Deep breathing can improve oxygen levels in the prefrontal cortex (the area of our brain responsible for reasoning, logic, and acuity)."

Tying back to the idea of less stress, that's good news for your heart too. As one study on high blood pressure in the International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research4 notes, participants who practiced pranayama for six weeks alongside taking an antihypertensive drug saw "significant reductions" in blood pressure compared to those who were just taking the antihypertensive drug without pranayama.

As the study authors explain, "The pranayama produces a relaxed state, and in this state, parasympathetic activity overrides sympathetic activity," making it useful for helping to control high blood pressure.

According to Silverton, breathwork can help improve digestion in two ways. For one thing, by calming the stress response and lowering cortisol, the body can better use energy for digesting food. (They don't call the parasympathetic state "rest and digest" for nothing!)

Further, she says, "Powerful abdominal breathing, such as the pulsating method in Kapalabahti, works by massaging the internal organs5, which is thought to improve the digestive system."

We've already touched a bit on how pranayama can benefit the heart, but it can benefit the lungs too. Namely, one study published in the International Journal of Yoga6 found that 30 minutes of alternate nostril breathing a day for four weeks had a positive effect on heart and lung health, reducing pulse rate, respiratory rate, and diastolic blood pressure. The study authors also note pranayama improved lung function in the participants, especially so for those who did faster pranayama.

If you've heard of breathwork but not pranayama, you might be wondering what the difference is. As a yoga instructor myself, it's my understanding that all pranayama sequences can be considered breathwork, but not all breathwork is considered pranayama.

As aforementioned, pranayama translates to "breath control," while breathwork could include conscious breathing that doesn't involve any control. Simply noticing your breath without trying to change it could be considered breathwork but wouldn't be considered a pranayama sequence. The following pranayama sequences below, though, would all be considered breathwork. Semantics, right?

It's not all semantics, however—especially as nontraditional breathwork becomes more and more common in wellness communities. If you are keen to study pranayama as it relates to the yogic tradition, keep in mind that not all the breathwork sequences you come across will have historical roots.

That doesn't mean they don't have their own benefits, of course, but context matters when we're talking about an ancient tradition.

Our breath can be a powerful force when we know how to use it, and that's exactly the purpose of pranayama. This centuries-old practice has been a part of the yogic tradition for generations, and thanks to all the benefits people experience when they try it themselves, it's a practice that's managed to stand the test of time.