Everything You Need to Know About Pranayama and Why You Need It

What is Pranayama?

Pranayama is an old breathing practice that originated in India. It involves learning to control one’s breath in different ways. This practice has become very popular worldwide, especially in the West, where it’s often called "breath work" because it has many health benefits.

Pranayama has different ways to control your breath. For example, you might slow your breathing, change how fast or slow you breathe, use one nostril at a time to breathe, or even hold your breath for a while. Imagine you’re trying to calm down by taking slow, deep breaths when you’re upset. 

In yoga, it’s believed that controlling your breath can help you maintain your mind. This idea has made scientists curious, and they are studying how breathing affects our thoughts and feelings. They want to understand if there’s a real connection between how we breathe and how we feel inside.

What is the Mind-Breath Connection?

Slow, deep breathing helps calm your mind and makes you feel less stressed. This kind of breathing is a big part of pranayama, and scientists agree that it’s good for you.

Research shows that pranayama can help both your mind and body feel better by calming down certain parts of your brain and nervous system that usually make you feel stressed.

In simple terms, pranayama helps your body relax by working with a special nerve called the vagus nerve. This nerve starts in the brain and goes all the way down to your belly. It helps your body do things without you thinking, like breathing and heartbeats. When you take slow, deep breaths, you can "wake up" this nerve, which helps your body calm down, just like hitting the "relax" button.

Deep breathing, like the one used in pranayama, focuses your mind on your breath instead of worries or pain. It's like using your breath to trick your mind and body into feeling calm and peaceful.

Science Always Wins

Studies have shown that pranayama, or deep breathing, can help with many health benefits. For example:

•     It can help lower blood pressure, making your heart not work so hard.
•     It can make your heart beat more steadily.
•     It can help you feel better when you're upset or in a bad mood.
•     It can make you stronger against stress, so you don’t get as easily overwhelmed.
•     It can help reduce feelings of anxiety, or nervousness.

So, by practicing pranayama, your body and mind can feel healthier and more relaxed.

Four Science-Driven Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life. 

1. Cyclic Sighing to Overcome Anxiety & Stress

Cyclic sighing is a simple breathing exercise that helps you breathe out slowly. When you breathe out slowly, it can help reduce stress and anxiety, and make your body feel calmer. This works by activating a special nerve in your body called the vagus nerve, which helps your body relax.

A study by David Spiegel and Andrew Huberman shows that just five minutes of cyclic sighing can make you feel calmer.

Spiegel says that we can stop feeling anxious by learning to control our breathing, and it's easy to do:

1. Start by breathing in through your nose.
2. After you fill your lungs, take a second, deeper breath to fill them even more.
3. Then, slowly breathe out through your mouth until your lungs are empty.

After just two or three breaths like this, you might already start to feel calmer. Spiegel suggests doing this for five minutes to really feel the benefits.

2. The humming bee sound technique to cure insomnia:

    

The humming bee sound technique is a simple breathing exercise that helps with sleep problems, like insomnia. It's named after the sound a bee makes (called "bhramara" in Sanskrit). To do it, you make a soft humming sound while breathing out, with your lips closed. This humming creates a calming vibration that helps relax your body and mind, making you feel peaceful.

Here’s how it can help:

1. Relaxes the Mind: The humming helps your body relax and reduces stress by calming your nervous system.
2. Improves Sleep: It’s great for helping you sleep better. If you do it before bed, it can quiet your busy thoughts and help you get ready for a good night’s rest.
3. Reduces Anxiety and Stress: The soft sound helps lower stress and anxiety by calming your mind and body.
4. Helps You Focus: The vibrations from the humming can help your brain work better, making it easier to concentrate and think clearly.
5. Balances Emotions: It helps calm your feelings, so you’re less likely to feel upset or restless.
6. Supports Your Nervous System: The vibrations also help a special nerve called the vagus nerve, which helps keep your heart, digestion, and mood in balance.

The humming bee sound technique is an easy but powerful way to calm your mind, especially if you have trouble sleeping or just want to feel more relaxed and clear-headed. Regular practice can make a big difference in how you feel.

3. The Ha Sound Breathing Technique to cure unprocessed emotions:

The Ha Sound Breathing Technique is a simple but powerful way to breathe that is used in mindfulness, yoga, and therapy. It involves breathing out with a loud "Ha" sound, which helps let go of stress, tension, and emotions that haven't been fully dealt with. This practice helps connect your mind and body, letting you feel calm and relaxed. When we don’t fully process our emotions, they can cause tension in our bodies, make our minds feel restless, or even lead to long-term stress. The Ha Sound Breathing Technique helps you notice and release those emotions. While doing it, you might feel like a heavy weight is lifting off your shoulders. If you keep practicing, it can help you become stronger emotionally and find more peace inside.

4. Coherent Breathing to overcome ADHD

Coherent Breathing is a simple breathing technique where you breathe in and out at a steady pace, usually 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out, making 5 breaths per minute. This helps your heart and mind work better, especially for people with ADHD who may struggle with things like staying focused, being too energetic, or acting without thinking.

Here's how it works:

1. Helps the Nervous System: Coherent breathing helps calm down the body’s automatic reactions (like the "fight-or-flight" feeling when stressed) and turns on the calming "rest-and-digest" system. This is important for people with ADHD who can feel extra stressed or emotional.
2. Improves Heart Health: Studies show that this kind of breathing can help the heart work better and deal with stress. It makes the body more flexible in how it reacts to things, which can help with focus and emotional control.
3. Improves Brain Function: This breathing also helps get more oxygen to the brain, especially the part that helps with paying attention, making good choices, and controlling impulses—things that people with ADHD may find tricky.

By practicing Coherent Breathing, it can be easier to focus, feel calm, and make better decisions.

Read more on meditation.

How Can iHeart Help?

At iHeart, we are dedicated to helping you reach your fullest potential when it comes to your general health and well-being. To support you, we are offering every iHeart user a free 45-minute wellness session with our very own pranayama coach. This is your opportunity to learn from the best and reap all the benefits of Prayanama.

Claim Your Wellness Session

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is pranayama?

Pranayama is an ancient breathing technique from yoga. It is part of a series of practices that help improve control over your breath. The word "pranayama" comes from two Sanskrit words: "prana," which means breath or life force, and "yama," which means control or extension. So, pranayama is all about controlling and extending the life force through your breath.

2. What is heart-rate variability (HRV)?

Heart-rate variability (HRV) measures the small changes in time between each heartbeat. These changes happen naturally and can’t be felt without special tools. HRV shows how your heart reacts to different activities, like relaxation (slower heart rate) or exercise and stress (faster heart rate).

Read more on Heart Rate Variability

3. What is the sympathetic nervous system?** 

The sympathetic nervous system is part of your body's response system, often called the "fight or flight" response. It gets activated when you're in stressful or dangerous situations, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help you react quickly.

4. What is diaphragmatic breathing?

Diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly or abdominal breathing, is a way of breathing that helps you use your diaphragm fully. This technique helps you take in more air, especially during stressful times and can help calm your body by encouraging slower, deeper breaths.