breathing exercises

Bhastrika Pranayam

Sit in comfortable position. You may sit even on a chair.
Breathe in through your nostrils until your lungs are full. Feel the diaphragm move down to allow the lungs to expand and forcing the abdomen out, followed by the mid section of your chest expanding and finally your collar bone rising.
Breath out forcefully and uniformly, again through your nostrils. Again feel the collar bone dropping, chest deflating and the diaphragm moving up as the lungs collapse allowing the abdomen to be sucked in. This process of exhaling should be much faster than the process of inhaling.
Repeat the process. When correctly done, your chest will expand when you breathe in and deflate when you breathe out. Continue doing this for 5 minutes.

Kapalbhati Pranayam

Sit erect.
Inhale through your nostrils a little and exhale through both nostrils forcefully.
Inhale again a little and follow with another forceful exhalation passively and effortlessly.
Continue these cycles. The frequency should be about 60 strokes/minute.
Continue doing this for 15 minutes. You may take a minute’s rest after every five minutes.

Anulom Vilom Pranayam

Sit comfortably.
Close your eyes.
Close the right nostril with the right thumb.
Inhale slowly through the left nostril and fill your lungs with air.
Close your left nostril with the ring and middle fingers of the right hand and open the right nostril.
Exhale slowly and completely with the right nostril.
Again inhale through the right nostril and fill your lungs.
Close the right nostril by pressing it with the right thumb.
Open the left nostril, breathe out slowly. (This process is one round of Anulom Vilom Pranayam.)
Continue for 15 minutes. You may take a minute’s rest after every five minutes of exercise.

Bahya Pranayam

Breathe air out, touch chin to chest, squeeze stomach completely and hold for a while.
Release chin, breathe in slowly.
Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Bhramari Pranayam

Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three on base of nose touching eyes.
Breathe in. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Do this three times.

Udgeeth Pranayam