How to Do Pranayama – The Basics

  1. On the floor, sit in a comfortable position. Often, people will sit with crossed legs. You might even sit on a few blankets for padding. To adjust your posture, you want to sit up straight, as if a cord is pulling you up from the crown of your head. Your spine should be erect, as straight as it can be. The back of your head should be just over your spinal alignment. Place your hands on your knees and relax.
  2. Close your eyes and try to feel your body in this new position. Relax your breath and listen to it.
  3. Lengthen your inhalation and exhalation so that it is smooth and continuous. Rather than trying to take in as much air as you can, it is more important to breathe consistently and smoothly.
  4. It’s important to know how to breathe properly. When you breathe, it is important to use your diaphragm. See our guide on diaphragmatic breathing.
  5. Inhale through the nose and use your abdomen to bring air into your lungs. As you inhale, your abdomen should expand out as your diaphragm moves down.
  6. Retain air. This is when you deliberately stop your flow of air in the lungs. Pause and try not to move your lungs or any other part of your body.

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  7. Exhale through your mouth, relaxing your abdomen or gently pulling it in and then letting your chest fall naturally.

It is very important when we are taking deep prolonged breaths that we do this in a natural way that does not put any stress on the body.

Use Saagara’s Pranayama app to more easily integrate these tips into your daily breathing practice.

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Breathing - Information on deep breathing and its health benefits

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Pranayama – All About Yoga Breathing

Pranayama – Techniques and Tips

Pranayama – All About Breathing and Your Health

Pranayama – Suggestions for Specific Regimens

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