Yogic Breathing to Purify and Energize Self

The 3 pranayamas  (yoga breathing techniques) that make up this wonderful set are in and of themselves very effective exercises.  Each of them can be used independently to provide the many benefits they bestow and are a key part of many of the free online yoga classes offered on this site.  In today’s article though I will combine these 3 pranayamas to provide a particularly powerful effect, which will help purify and cleanse your systems as well as infuse you with tremendous energy.

This set is called, Yoga Breathing for Purification and the 3 techniques that make it up are…

• Bhastrika Pranayama
• Staccato Breathing
• Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

This combination is quite unusual and as you will experience it will create a great deal of energy within you and then allow the energy to propel itself internally.

Benefits of Purification Set:

• Increase lung capacity and improve the respiratory system
• Bestow peace and tranquility
• Energize the body and revitalize the organs
• Improve circulation
• Purify the subtle energy channels
• Increase mind power and inner strength

Cautions of Purification Set:

• As this set involves breath retention you should only do as much as comfortable and not push too hard.  Especially you will notice that after the vigorous exercises, when you do Anuloma Viloma you can have a lot of inner pathways bursting with energy and prana, so please be sensible in your approach.
• If you feel dizzy or nauseous when doing Bhastrika Pranayama or Staccato breathing, back off and either take a break or if its mild substitute with long deep breathing.
• Start off slowly with regard to the timings and build up as you get stronger and your capacity increases.

How to do the 3 Breathing Exercises:

Bhastika Pranayama has been explained in detail in the following article, so please study that for details: Yoga Breathing Exercise to Burn Fat.

Staccato Breathing:  Staccato breathing is segmented breathing done in the following way.  You will break up the inhalation into 5 parts.  Which means that you will take 5 small sniffs through the nose, one after the other, to complete 1 inhalation.  Make sure by the 5th sniff you have filled your lungs to capacity.  Then you will breathe out forcefully through the mouth in one explosive exhalation to empty the lungs of air.  So these 5 sniffs to make 1 inhalation and 1 exhalation through the mouth makes up 1 round.  The number of rounds you will do is explained below.

Anuloma Viloma has been explained in detail in the following article, so please study that for details:  Chakra Balancing Yoga Pranayama.   For the purpose of this set we are using a slight variation of this technique and that is explained below in the instructions.  Here is a video on how to do this exercise as well.

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama Video

Purification Set Instructions:

Beginner’s Version:

Do 10 rounds of Bhastrika Pranayama at a normal pace.

Do 10 rounds of Staccato Breathing.

Do Anuloma Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing) in the following sequence.  Breath in through left nostril, breathe out through right nostril, breathe in through right nostril, breathe out through left nostril.  Each segment should take 5 seconds, so count slowly from 1 to 5 as you do each part.  Do 3 rounds in this manner.

Once you are comfortable with doing the above sequence, move on to the next stage.

Intermediate Version:

Build up Bhaktrika Pranayama to 1 minute at a fast pace.

Build up Staccato Breathing to 1 minute.

Build up Anuloma Viloma to 3 minutes.

Advanced Version:

Build up Bhaktrika Pranayama to 3 minutes at a fast pace.

Build up Staccato Breathing to 3 minutes.

Do 8 rounds of Anuloma Viloma with the following variation.  Note each round will take 40 seconds.

• Inhale through left nostril counting slowly from 1 to 5.
• Hold your breath in for count of 5.
• Exhale through right nostril counting slowly from 1 to 5.
• Hold your breath out for count of 5.
• Inhale through right nostril counting slowly from 1 to 5.
• Hold your breath in for count of 5.
• Exhale slowly through left nostril counting slowly from 1 to 5.
• Hold your breath out for count of 5.

After doing the advanced version I suggest resting in corpse pose for 3 minutes to let the body assimilate the benefits of this set.

Yoga for Purification Conclusion:

The set can be practiced up to 2 times a day, morning or evening.  It is also fine to just practice is once if that is what your schedule allows for.

I do want to mention that this set is quite powerful when done correctly using the advanced techniques.  Especially doing Anuloma Viloma at the end.  You could have some profound experiences during that stage, but as it uses breath retention I want to again mention that you should progress gently.  Listen to your body and heart and don’t push too far too fast.

If you enjoy this set please do share it with others using the Social Bookmarking icons below :-).