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Techniques of Sukha Pranayama

A human being can live for weeks without food, yet only for three days without water. How long can you survive if you cannot breathe? Well the answer is after four to six minutes, after which your brain cells begin to die.

Air is the single most important element necessary to sustain human life. Yet most people neglect to breathe in properly. The next time you’re stuck in a busy commute, take some time out to monitor your breathing. Are you breathing deeply and fully from the diaphragm? You are lucky if you are. Most of us forget how to breathe properly and take shallow breaths that do not provide our bodies with all the oxygen that is needed. Most of us actually need to be taught to breathe properly as this is one skill where our knowledge seems to be regressive from birth.

Well, fortunately for all of us, these breathing classes have already been around for thousands of years. They’re just known by a different name: yoga. “Isn’t yoga all about exotic contortions?” you think to yourself. Well that’s not exactly true. If there’s one thing that yoga emphasizes above all else, it is proper breathing. In fact, yoga breathing techniques are called Pranayama, ‘the breath of life’.

There are many different Pranayama breathing techniques that teach you how to breathe deeply and properly. Let us start with the most basic of Pranayama techniques: Sukha Pranayama. Keep in mind that it is best to learn any Pranayama or yoga technique from a qualified yoga instructor. Although books and DVDs are useful, there is nothing like some one-to-one interaction, especially when you are new to yoga.

Sukha Pranayama. This is the easiest Pranayama technique and conditions your body for the more advanced ones. The word ‘Sukha’ means peace or easy in Sanskrit. In order to perform Sukha Pranayama, you should first sit down in a comfortable posture. The ideal posture for Pranayama is the Padma Asana, or the Lotus Pose, however, sitting in this pose for any length of time requires some practice. You can even sit comfortably on a firm chair, or adopt the Sukha Asana, an easier variant of the Lotus Pose. The important thing is to keep your back straight.

Breathe naturally for a few minutes and feel all the tension leave your body. Once your body and mind have relaxed, start performing deep inhalations and exhalations. Each inhalation and exhalation should be done to a count of six. Repeat this process at least six times, slowly increasing the duration as you become more adept at controlling your breath.

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