5 Pranayama breathwork techniques for everyday stress management and relaxation

Here's 5 simple breathing (pranayama) techniques you can come back to throughout your workday or at home for stress management and relaxation:

1. Box breathing - square breathing

2. Alternate nostril breathing - Nadi Shodhana

3. Deep belly breathing - Dirga Pranayama

4. 3 part breathing

5. Bumble bee breath - Bhramari Pranayama

Let’s go into the techniques for each:

Box Breathing: Calms the mind and improves concentration
How to:

• Sit up straight in your chair with your feet flat on the ground.

• Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds.

• Hold your breath for 4 seconds.

• Exhale slowly through your nose for 4 seconds.

• Hold the exhale for another 4 seconds.

• Repeat this cycle for 4-5 minutes, or as long as needed.

Alternate nostril breathing - Nadi Shodana pranayama: Balances and quietens the mind
How to:

• Sit comfortably with your spine straight.

• Use your right thumb to gently close your right nostril.

• Inhale deeply through your left nostril for a count of 4.

• Close your left nostril with your ring finger, release your right nostril, and exhale through the right nostril for 4 or 6 counts.

• Inhale through the right nostril, then switch and exhale through the left.

• Repeat for 5-10 cycles or as long as desired

Deep belly breathing: Activates the vagus nerve activating the parasympathetic nervous system, stress reduction
How to:

Sit or lye down comfortably, with your hands resting on your lower belly/pelvis.

• Inhale slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to expand as you breathe in.
  TIP: try to send the breath all the way down to the pelvis, it will feel odd at first but this is how to activate the vagus nerve by expanding this lower belly region on the inhale

• Exhale slowly and deeply through your mouth, letting your belly fall.

• Repeat for 5-10 breaths, focusing on the rise and fall of your belly.

3 part breathing: Dirga pranayama - Activates the vagus nerve activating the parasympathetic nervous system, lowers heart rate and relaxes muscles.

• Sit with a straight spine, hands resting on your knees.

• Inhale deeply through the nose, first filling the lower belly, secondly the ribcage, and finally the upper chest.

• Exhale through the nose in reverse order, releasing air from the chest, then the ribcage, and finally the belly.

• Continue for 5-10 cycles.

Bumble bee breath - Bhramari Pranayama: Stimulates vagus nerve activating parasympathetic nervous system
Helps with sense withdrawal (Pratyhara) and concentration (Dharana). 

• For a simple Bhramari Pranayama which you can do at any time take a deep inhale to begin through your nose.

• As you exhale out your nose make a hum like a bumble bee. This is with one long continuous hum per exhale until the out-breath is complete.

  TIP: You can play with the tone of hums. Lower hums directing vibrations to the lower chakras in lower parts of the body, whilst higher tone hums to higher chakras.

• If you would like to practice with the hand mudras taking this practice deeper for the withdrawal of senses (Pratyhara) firstly ensure you’re seated somewhere in a safe environment.

• Next place your thumbs over your ear’s cartlidge to close off the ears and your four fingers over your eyes to close off these senses.

• If you notice your mind has lots of thoughts or is distracted, you can then imagine with every exhale a bumble bee buzzing around your head in circles until you feel your mind is quiet enough to remove the visualisation.
  This is really also a wonderful practice for kids as it includes a fun visualisation.

If you’d like to practice with me or organise an event please reach out for a call via hello@maluyogamelbourne.com.au