9 Yogic Breathing Exercise For Mind-Body Balancing and Healing

Regular daily practice of deep breathing is the best way to improve your Mind-Body well-being. Yogic breathing exercise has many physical benefits to maintain, balance, and restore your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. But along with deep breathing, you should also know what is the right technique.

The deep breathing practices given in advanced yoga training show that the mind, body, and breath are so intimately connected that they influence each other profoundly. The benefits of regular deep breathing practice that we are familiar with are scientifically proven, including the following:

Rejuvenates the body and mind
Improve blood pressure
Muscle Relaxation
Reduced anxiety and depression
Restore energy levels
Improved immunity
Muscle Relaxation
Lower stress-induced cortisol levels
Reduction in PTSD symptoms
Releases bodily toxins
Improve the lung function
Sympathetic nervous system

Breathing Exercises in Yoga

Deep breathing techniques include a variety of rhythmic breathing exercises, each having a different effect on the mind and body. Regular and appropriate yogic breathing exercises strengthen the lungs, heart, and muscles in general and gain strength, but over-exercise and improper breathing techniques can lead to mental disturbances and even nervous tics.

You must learn the practice of breathing techniques with respect and caution from a qualified teacher who will also be able to guide you otherwise it becomes destructive for the practitioner.

9 Yogic Breathing Exercise For Mind-Body Balancing you should be familiar with:

1. Kapalbhati (Breath of fire)

First of all, let us tell you that Breath of Fire is known as Kapalbhati in Pranayama. Thus Kapalbhati is made up of two words, Kapal means forehead and Bhati means light. According to researchers, Kapalbhati Pranayama can purify the entire respiratory system of the body. This exercise named Breath of Fire can improve the skin as well as promote the supply of oxygen in the body. Apart from increasing mental concentration, Kapalbhati Pranam can also be very beneficial in reducing belly fat.

How to do the Breath of Fire (Kapalbhati Pranayama) breathing exercise?

Sit in any one of the three postures, Padmasana, Sukhasan, or Vrajasan.
Now straighten your waist and make your fingers in knowledge posture and keep them on your knees and close your eyes.
After this, while calming the mind and body, start taking long and deep breaths.
While pulling the stomach in, keep exhaling through the nose with a jerk. This process is done quickly.
In this process, keep the mouth closed and breathe through the nose, in this way do this process 15-20 times continuously, which completes one cycle of Pranayama.

2. Humming Bee Breath – Bhramari Pranayama

Another name for Humming Bee Breath is Bhramari Pranayama. According to researchers, Bhramari Pranayama can calm the mind as well as keep away anger and negative thoughts. Along with this, Bhramari Pranayama has also been considered beneficial in removing the problem of migraine, heart disease, and other disorders related to the brain. Apart from this, there are various benefits of Bhramari Pranayama, such as the problem of paralysis and problems related to sleep can also be relieved.

How to do Humming bee breath

Close your eyes after sitting on the mat.
After this, close the ears with your thumbs and keep your ring finger and middle finger on the eyes.
After this, close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose.
Keep the mouth closed, make the sound of hummmm like a bee, and keep exhaling.
Do this pranayama for 15-20 seconds.
Breathe again and keep repeating the same process after 3-4.

3. Deep Breathing Exercise

Yogic breathing exercises also include deep breathing exercises.

According to research, deep breathing has also been considered very useful for the lungs. Through this, problems like pneumonia and lack of oxygen can also be overcome. Deep breathing exercises can be very beneficial for children as well.

How to do deep breathing exercises

Sit on a clean place by spreading a mat and keep the spine straight.
Now take a deep breath through the nose and slowly exhale it.
Continue this process for about 15 minutes.

4.Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama is done for the purification of the Nadis i.e. the nervous system. This is a very simple pranayama and very useful too. Increase its sequence by concentrating the mind.

How to do Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

Sit in Padmasana.
Close the right nostril completely with the thumb and take long deep breaths through the left nostril.
Now close the left nostril completely with the ring finger and exhale slowly by removing the thumb from the right nostril.
Similarly, practice this for 5-7 minutes. Try that the time it takes to inhale is the same time it takes to exhale and the rhythm should be the same.

5. Lion Breathing Exercise

The lion breathing exercise is a variant of the breathing exercise known as Simhasana Pranayama. Simhasana is made up of two words, which Simha means lion and asana mean posture. This means the roar of a lion has to be applied while doing this exercise. According to the researchers, lion breathing exercises can remove problems related to chest, stuttering, etc. Along with this, the benefit of the Lion Breathing Exercise is also obtained to end the bad odor of the mouth and to clean the tongue.

How to do Lion Breathing Exercise (Simhasana Pranayama)

To do this exercise, first spread a mat on the floor.
After this, to do this lion breathing exercise, sit in Vrajasana.
After that keep your hands on the knees keeping your arms straight.
Take a deep breath through the nose, raise the shoulders, then press the knees while spreading the fingers of the hands.
After this start looking upwards by widening the eyes, and taking out the tongue.
While exhaling, start making a sound like the roar of a lion, the sound should come out of the stomach instead of the throat.
Before doing the lion breathing exercise, note that if your knee is injured then refrain from doing this exercise.

Along with this, during pregnancy, do lion breathing exercises only after consulting the doctor. If you have any pain in your wrist, do not put too much stress on the wrist while doing this Yogic Breathing Exercise.

6. Lip Breathing Exercise

Lip breathing is such a breathing exercise that can be done very easily anywhere, at any time. According to a study, lip breathing exercises can improve the oxygen level of the body. This breathing has also been considered a very beneficial exercise for patients suffering from inflammation of the lungs. Also may be able to relieve shortness of breath as well as strengthen its efficiency.

How to do lip breathing exercise

To do lip breathing exercises, sit in any clean place.
After this, keeping the mouth closed, take a deep breath through the nose.
After this, bring your lips in the shape of saying “O”.
Now slowly keep exhaling the breath taken from the nose through the mouth.
In this way, this process can be done 5 to 6 times by which one round of exercise is completed.
Before doing the lip breathing exercises, keep in mind that exhale slowly through the mouth.

7. Ujjayi or Ocean’s Breath

These deep breathing pranayama techniques are designed to calm your mind and improve energy levels in the body when you are irritable, frustrated, or angry.

How to do Ocean’s Breath

Keeping your spine straight, inhale slowly through both nostrils until the lungs are completely filled with air.
While inhaling, constrict your larynx and feel the air coming out of your throat. By doing this, there should be a sound like waves in the slow sea when the breath comes and goes from your throat.
Keep in mind that the breath should be long and deep.
Breathing is to be done through both the left and right nostrils as mentioned above.
In this way, one cycle of Ujjayi Pranayama is completed.
You can do this activity for 10 to 15 minutes.
If you are having trouble sitting, then you can do Ujjayi Pranayama lying down or even standing.

8. Bhastrika or the Bellows’ Breath

For example, a blacksmith in his workshop heats iron with the help of bellows to shape it and remove its impurities. Like it, this Bhastrika Pranayama also clears the mind and removes negativity from inside the body. In this yogic breathing, the impure air is expelled with a strong speed like a bellows, and the pure air is taken in at the same speed.

How to do the bellows’ breath

Close your eyes and keep your body stable, keep both hands in Gyan Mudra.
Now take a deep breath in through the nose like a bellow and exhale.
Remember, while breathing in, the lungs should expand and while exhaling, the lungs should contract. You have to do this process 12 times.
While doing this breath, the time of breathing and the time of exhalation should be the same.

9. Surya Bhedana or the Solar Breath

Similar to Nadi shodhana, performing Suryabhedana pranayama stimulates the root chakra, increases the vitality of the body as well as provides relief from anxiety, depression, and mental illness.

In Surya Bhedi Pranayama, inhalation is done only through the right nostril and exhalation through the left nostril only. The thumb is used to close the right nostril and the ring finger is used to close the left nostril.