Pranayama Practice: Adham Pranayama
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Pranayama
Pranayama is the 4th limb of the 8 limbs of yoga. Pranayama means “expansion of the life force.” We practice pranayama in yoga classes in the form of breathing exercises. Prana is considered the connection between the body and the mind. Ancient saying goes, “so is the breath, so is the mind.” This means that when our breath is calm, our mind is calm. When we are anxious or stressed, our breathing is shallow. We also tend to breath only in our upper chest and upper lungs, thusly we are not utilizing the full capability of our lungs. The breathing practice we discuss in this post called Adham Pranayama is designed to bring our breath out of our upper chest and bring it down to our belly. This form of pranayama is used traditionally in Ayurveda to calm and soothe the body, mind and spirit. It is especially beneficial during times of stress and when feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Think about how often people say, take a deep breath when you are feeling intense emotions. Then think about how those deep breaths, did bring some calm and peace to your mind and psyche. When we practice pranayama, we are learning to harness the vital life force of our breath which works to soothe our body and thus our mind.
Adham Pranayama (Belly Breathing)
Adham Pranayama is also known as belly breathing. To practice this breathing technique follow these steps or listen to our audio recording of how to practice Adham Pranayama:
Sit comfortably with your hips elevated on a pillow to help keep your spine straight.
For female-identifying people: Place your left hand on your belly and your right hand over your left.
For male-identifying people: place your right hand on your belly and left hand over your right.
Concentrate your breath in your belly.
As you inhale, feel your belly expanding like a balloon.
As you exhale, feel your belly fall backwards towards your spine.
Repeat the process again for 20-50 breaths or longer if you want or need.
This breathing practice is very calming especially during times of anxiousness and worry.
Click here to listen to an audio recording of a complete Adham Pranayama practice.
Music by Fried Coffee.
“She who has control over her breath also has control over her mind.”