Pranayama

Pranayama is the practice of breath regulation. It’s a main component of yoga, an exercise for physical and mental wellness. In Sanskrit, “prana” means life energy and “yama” means control.

The practice of pranayama involves breathing exercises and patterns. You purposely inhale, exhale, and hold your breath in a specific sequence.

In yoga, pranayama is used with other practices like physical postures (asanas) and meditation (dhyana). Together, these practices are responsible for the many benefits of yoga.

But pranayama has benefits of its own. These advantages are due to the therapeutic effects of breathing exercises and mindfulness.

Benefits of Pranayama

• Decreases stress.
• Improves sleep quality.
• Increases mindfulness.
• Reduces high blood pressure.
• Improves lung function.
• Enhances cognitive performance.
• Reduces cigarette cravings.