Yoga Breathing | What is Pranayama

Transcript

hey guys Kinga here from Kinga gisi yoga and today I'm going to be explaining what pranama is also known as yoga breathing if you're new to yoga and you're interested in this path this will help lay the foundation a little bit for you as you move forward in taking your first few classes at Studios and on that note be sure to stay to the end of this video where you can download your first yoga class guide I know how intimidating it can be to not only just try a new yoga class but anything new any Uncharted Territory so I'm here to just break it down for you get rid of those uncertainty te and I'm going to tell you everything that you need to know before you step foot in that studio so let's jump right into it let's start by breaking down the word pranama it sounds super long and difficult but it's really not pranayama is a Sanskrit term and it can be broken down into two parts so the first part Prana is life force or Life Energy it can go by a few different names depending on the teacher or different blogs that you read but basically it is just that innate energy within us all Yama means to control so pranama literally means to control your breath or breath control so you may be wondering well really what is the difference between just my regular day-to-day breathing and pranama well as we mentioned before it is the breath control but think of it more as focused breathing so a common characteristic in pranama techniques is an inhalation a retention at the top of the breath an exhalation and then also a retention of the breath at the bottom this helps to allow oxygen to circulate through the brain and it also just has a really profound calming sensation on your rest and digest or parasympathetic nervous system so the opposite of our fight or flight mode or our sympathetic nervous system so this allows the heart rate to come down the blood pressure to lower and all those good things really allowing that sense of calm and anxiety reduction to just flow right through the body and it's some good good stuff if you're new to yoga you may not know this but pranama is is just as important it's a key Foundation of a yoga practice perhaps even arguably more so than just those physical postures it holds the same weight as meditation and self-contemplation and Soulful virtues and all that awesome stuff there are several various styles of pranama as well ranging from very introductory skills to quite Advanced Techniques and of course this helps to ensure that you know you start at the beginning you lay down the foundations you have the proper understanding in form of those introductory skills before moving on to the more advanced VAR iations it also helps to ensure the safety of the practitioner before you get a little like you can hurt yourself Brea but I've been breathing all my life don't worry don't be thrown off what I mean by that is certain types of pranama for example require a forceful exhalation and if you recently had a stach surgery let's say that would be definitely a contraindication and not work well for your body and for your current state so you definitely have to be aware of which types of pranama you're are suitable for and which will serve you in the best way so not only do we use pranama with our physical movements but we also use it absolutely on its own it is so so wonderful for the body the mind the soul the spirit everything it has this wonderful way of removing any physical and emotional blocks that we even subconsciously experience from just daily stressors and things going on in our personal professional lives or otherwise and it helps to allow that Prana that life force energy within all of us within you within me trees nature it's awesome it allows that energy to flow through freely so you can really just come into yourself more wholly practicing any type of breath work really allows you to just get out of your head and more into your body into your gut into your diaphragm that deep big belly full breath as opposed to that shallow stilted chest breathing that we tend to develop as adults but in conjunction with a physical practice as well practicing breath work really allow us to invite some heat into the body have that sense of groundedness that centeredness to help keep your mind cool building that mental tenac as well as physical As you move throughout some of those challenging postures so there you have it guys prama control of the breath you got it there's your foundation and I'm so excited for you to continue moving toward your yogic journey whatever that may look like for you and get your butt into a studio try a variety of classes there's so much to learn out there and so many different styles so many different instructors just go see what fits for you to help support you on your yogic path go ahead and download my free first yoga class guide it's there for you to help just just navigate any of those questions you might have of what do I need what do I bring what is a studio etiquette I have no idea it's a great little checklist for you to get those worries out of sight and out of mind if you like this video and found it helpful and informative I would appreciate some love be sure to click the like button below and share this video with your friends those who do yoga together stay together thanks so much for jumping onto this video with me today guys always a pleasure sharing this space with you I will see you in the next video namaste n [Music]