Combine Pranayama with Asana

The ultimate yoga practice is one that can successfully combine pranayama with asana. Pranayama is the practice of breath control, and asana is the practice of physical postures. Therefore, combining these two elements makes for an ultimate yoga practice.

What is Pranayama?

Many yoga studios and yoga teachers will encourage students to practice pranayama and asanas separately, especially in the early stages of learning how to practice yoga. However, for many yogis, the ultimate workout is one where pranayama and asana do not follow each other, but instead combine pranayama with asana.

Pranayama is the harnessing of the life force through proper breathing techniques. It is thought that modern life has robbed many adults of the ability to breathe properly. Of course, people aren't dying because they forget to breathe; breathing is a natural occurence.

However, there is a difference between just getting enough oxygen to survive and breathing deeply enough to really enhance one's quality of life. Pranayama brain studies show how enhanced breathing function can positively affect one's physical and mental functioning.

Proper breathing techniques, resulting in enhanced oxygenation of all of the body's organs and cells, not only improves physical health, it also improves mental health. Deep, regular breathing is extremely relaxing, and people who practice yoga on a daily basis report being happier, in addition to being physically healthier.

Since proper breathing is so important to physical and mental health, the practice of pranayama is one through which an improved quality of life can be gained. Pranayama practice can be separate from one's yoga asana practice, or it can be an individual element of yoga that one practices. Even if you don't do physical yoga poses (asanas), you can still practice pranayama in order to improve your breathing.

How to Combine Pranayama with Asana

For those looking for the ultimate in a body-mind experience, the combination of yogic breathing and yoga asanas is the ideal workout. In order to successfully combine pranayama and asana, you should first be familiar with basic yoga asanas and pranayama exercises.

First, take the time to learn some yogic breathing exercises. Once you have been working on these exercises for a few weeks, you should notice a difference in the way you breathe even if you are not actively practicing. Try to bring your pranayama breath into your everyday breathing technique; this is, at first, extremely difficult. Don't lose faith. Learning this type of breathing might seem easy, but putting it into practice at moments when you are not necessarily conscious of your breathing is extremely difficult.

Adding Asanas

Once you have begun to have some success with pranayama and you feel that you are breathing more consciously from moment to moment, start learning some of the most common yoga asanas. At first, you'll want to focus on the physical poses and the flow from one pose to another; however, make sure that you are breathing well during your practice of the physical postures, even if you are not breathing as deeply as you had been doing when only practicing pranayama.

Practicing Both

It is difficult to combine pranayama with asana because when you first meld the two together, you have to consciously think about both your breath and your physical posture. Not to worry, this gets easier with increased practice. While it can be frustrating at first, don't give up on your practice of combining these two powerful yoga elements before you have a chance to experience the excellent benefits.

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