Yoga Pranayama: How to Get Pranayama Benefits

Woman: yoga pranayama breathing practice Instead of exploring the essence of yoga Pranayama, most yoga teachers today are busy with dividing and sub-dividing this wise and exceptionally powerful breathing practice into various forms. Yes, there are many possible exercises in Pranayama, but only one essential process: slowing down our automatic breathing.

Indeed, when this main Pranayama mechanism and its physiological effects are poorly understood, attention will be diverted from true progress in Pranayama onto relatively meaningless topics and subjects. What is true progress in Pranayama?

The Shiva Samhita (17-18 century)

(5) The Pranayama
"22. Then let the wise practitioner close with his right thumb the pingala (right nostril), inspire air through the ida (the left nostril); and keep the air confined – suspend his breathing – as long as he can; and afterwards let him breathe out slowly, and not forcibly, through the right nostril.
23. Again, let him draw breath through the right nostril, and stop breathing as long as his strength permits; then let him expel the air through the left nostril, not forcibly, but slowly and gently."

"39. When the Yogi can, of his will, regulate the air and stop the breath (whenever and how long) he likes, then certainly he gets success in kumbhaka, and from the success in kumbhaka only, what things cannot the Yogi commend here?"

"43. ... from the perfection of pranayama, follows decrease of sleep, excrements and urine."

Increase of Duration
"53. Then gradually he should make himself able to practice for three gharis (one hour and a half at a time, he should be able to restrain breath for that period). Through this, the Yogi undoubtedly obtains all the longed for powers."

"57. When he gets the power of holding breath (i.e., to be in a trance) for three hours, then certainly the wonderful state of pratyahar is reached without fail."

Traditional yoga, as well as yoga books written 50-100 years ago, say that a yoga student will get benefits from this breathwork, if he or she gradually increases the duration of phases.

Man practicing yoga pose Therefore, the goal is to slow one's automatic or unconscious breathing pattern. The ideal breathing pattern at rest, as we considered before, is only 3 breaths/min. It corresponds to the very top level (6th zone of super-endurance) in the Buteyko Table of Health Zones. This is the goal of an aspiring hatha yoga student, if he or she wants to be a real yoga master. This zone corresponds to up to 7-8 minutes for the maximum breath holding time test (after a complete inhalation and for as long as possible).

In order to measure our breathing, we use, instead of the respiratory frequency, a more accurate test: the body oxygen test, also known as the CP test.

Medical doctors smiling Clinical experience of about 200 Russian medical doctors shows that if our basal breathing pattern remains unchanged after weeks or months of Pranayama practice, then our diseases, symptoms, pains, sleep, anxieties, digestion, body weight, and so on, will also be unchanged.

For example, a person can spend many hours every day practicing Pranayama. But if he sleeps on his back or breathes through his mouth during sleep, his breathing pattern will likely be the same due to the Sleep Heavy Breathing Effect that can cancel all the benefits of Pranayama breathing exercises.

Hence, in order to achieve certain success in Pranayama and yoga, one needs to increase his or her morning body oxygen levels. Correction of abnormal lifestyle factors and additional methods (e.g., physical exercise with nose breathing) are necessary for fast progress. These lifestyle changes and instructions in relation to sleep hygiene, cold shower rules, physical exercise benefits, nutritional deficiencies and so forth are discussed here: Learn the Buteyko Method.

How Does Pranayama Work?

CO2 model Yoga Pranayama practice (e.g., alternate nostril breathing) increases alveolar CO2 tension because it is a very slow breathing exercise. Naive people call Pranayama a "deep breathing exercise", and this confuses people. Dr. Buteyko was absolutely correct in saying,

Advocates of deep breathing confuse these two concepts and, in their defense, they say, “Yogi, for thousands of years, breathe deeply and we see that they are super-humans”. Quite the contrary. Full breathing of yogi is shallow breathing in our understanding. It is done, first, very slowly, inhalations and exhalations as well; second, with maximum breath holds after inhalations and exhalations.

And finally one should not confuse the following concepts: we are speaking about breathing, which goes on day and night, about our basal breathing, foundation of life. Meanwhile, the system of yogi has separate breathing exercises. Therefore, it is practically unimportant for us how and what you do: feet upwards or downwards, through the right or left nostril, or by right or left side. We are interested in where you will arrive as a result of these exercises. If carbon dioxide increases, and breathing decreases, with each day, then this will ensure the transition of man into a super-endurance state.

(For more Dr. Buteyko quotes about yoga, visit Yoga Breathing)

Warning. There are numerous restrictions and contraindications for some health problems (anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, GI problems, and so on) in relation to specific breathing exercises. In addition, pregnant women, people with organ transplants, and some other groups of people should follow special guidelines in relation to their general breathing retraining progress. Finally, there are important preliminary requirements that make breath work safe and more effective (empty stomach, good thermoregulation, and so forth). All these factors can be found in the Learning Section of this website.

Reference Web Pages: Breathing norms, Medical Graphs and Tables about Breathing Rates (Minute Ventilation) and Body Oxygen in Healthy, Normal and Sick People
Breathing norms Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
6 breathing myths 6 myths about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
Hyperventilation Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
Hyperventilation Syndrome in the Sick. Table 1. Western scientific evidence about prevalence of CHV (chronic hyperventilation) in patients with various chronic conditions (34 medical studies)
Normal Minute Ventilation in Healthy Subjects: Easy and Light Breathing (14 Studies)
Hyperventilation Prevalence Present in Over 90% of Normal People (24 medical publications)
HV and hypoxia How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
Body oxygen test How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (a simple DIY test)
Body oxygen in healthy Table 4. CP (body oxygen level) in healthy people (27 medical studies)
Body oxygen in sick Table 5. CP (body oxygen level) in sick people (14 medical studies)
Buteyko Table of Health Zones with clinical description of most common zones
Morning HV Morning hyperventilation effect or how and why critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References: CO2 Effects Web Pages
Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
The Bohr effect How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
Cell Oxygen Levels and oxygen transport are controlled by alveolar CO2 and breathing
Oxygen Transport depends on breathing and these two effects (Vasoconstriction-Vasodilation and the Bohr effect) are parts of two diagrams that summarize influences of hypocapnia (low CO2 content in the blood and cells) on circulation and O2 delivery
Free Radical Generation takes place due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia. Hence, antioxidant defenses of the human body are also regulated by CO2 and breathing
Inflammatory Response is controlled by breathing since hypoxia leads to or intensifies chronic inflammation through over-expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces these processes
Nerve stabilization takes place due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
Muscle relaxation or relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
Brochodilation - dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) by carbon dioxide, and their constriction due to hypocapnia
Blood pH regulation and regulation of other bodily fluids
CO2: Lung Damage Healer: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
CO2: Skin and Tissue Healer
Synthesis of Glutamine in the Brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
CO2 myth "CO2 is a toxic waste gas" myth
Breathing control How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven and erratic

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