Advanced Pranayama practices – Breath retention.

The breath practice we are focusing on this month is Breath retention, as the name suggests it is about retaining breath, and in this article, we are going to learn the way to do this safely and the benefits of this practice.

As always though, please consult your medical practitioner before starting any sort of breathing or exercise practice to make sure that it is suitable for your body and also become aware of how your body feels in each situation you wish to work with.

What are the benefits of Breath retention, also called Kumbhaka

The name is Kumbhaka, literally in sand script Breath retention and the benefits of this practice are.

• A reduction in Anxiety
• A reduction in Stress.
• Lowering the heart rate
• Improved circulations
• Improved metabolism

For this particular type of breathing practice, we need to break it down into interior and exterior practice.

For both interior and exterior breath retention we start in Easy Pose, sitting cross-legged with either a rolled-up blanket or pillow under your seat or if you are comfortable just crossed-legged on the floor.

You’re going to breathe in deeply through both nostrils.

Internal breath (Antara Kumbhaka) you’re going to pause when you have fully inhaled for a short while before exhaling out again.

To practice the Exterior breath retention ( Bahya Kumbhaka) you’re going to exhale after your full inhalation through both nostrils again, once you have fully exhaled you are going to pause here for a short while before inhaling again.

Both of these, exterior and interior breath retention are highly beneficial to the body, and with practice on either or both your body will slowly become more relaxed, less stressed, and more intuned with itself.

A short rundown on actual practice…

• Sit comfortably in a pose like Easy pose with a straight spine.
• Start with breathing regularly to help warm up the lungs.
• Decide whether to use interior or exterior breath retention.
• Beginners, start with holding your breath for no longer than 5 seconds and then gradually start to increase the length of time of holding your breath.
• You can practice either separately or both together.
• Please be aware that this exercise can cause lightheadedness and shouldn’t be attempted before strenuous exercises, standing, or balancing asanas.
• This particular Pranayama is best for meditation or at the end of a practice.
• Pranayama practices are not recommended for pregnant or people with hypertension.
• People with asthma, breathing conditions, or anxiety are advised to seek medical clearance before starting a practice like this and to also be aware of how they are feeling at the start of their practice.

With everything in life, we need to be aware of ourselves and know how we feel and what is best for us.

When we embark on something new we need to be honest with ourselves and responsible for our actions.

Anyone starting practices in any form of physical, mental, or spiritual types needs to be fully transparent with the teacher or medical professional about health or injuries that they may have and also take responsibility for their actions if they decide to proceed or engage in practices that they have been advised against.

Yoga, as with all other forms of exercise should be enjoyable, and this only occurs when we become responsible for who we are, our actions, and our decisions.

Have a safe and healthy pranayama practice everyone.

❤️ Megen 🙏🏼