How to Avoid the Seven Common Mistakes of Pranayama

Learn how to prevent common pranayama blunders. It is always preferable to understand the proper approach to yoga and breathing exercises. If you perform pranayama incorrectly, it may damage your nervous system and cause negative emotions like anger, irritation, and even illness.

In today’s hectic world, you may not have the time to go to the gym. But you can maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen at home.

In the midst of a hectic morning, have you considered taking a few deep breaths? The practice of daily pranayama, yoga, and meditation can help you prevent and overcome a variety of illnesses.

How to Avoid Mistakes of Pranayama

The practice of everyday breathing exercises helps to keep the lungs in good condition. This yoga pair is a reasonable choice for getting rid of a variety of respiratory issues. It also has the additional benefit of improving digestion. The only way for oxygen to enter the body is through breathing is extremely beneficial to the body. It is also feasible to treat various diseases with a different types of pranayama techniques.

In Sanskrit, prana means “vital life force”, and yama means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with the prana, thus, pranayama is a means to control the vital life force. It has many benefits. However, you must also be aware of the proper approach. Forgetting the fundamentals of pranayama might be detrimental.

The ancient scripture, Hatha Yoga Pradipika said “Just as an elephant, lion, or tiger can be controlled slowly and gradually, a practitioner should try to master his breath gently and gradually, or else it will kill the practitioner.” Here, you will learn how to prevent common pranayama mistakes. 

1) Have you been suffering from any illness for a long time? Be cautious to see a doctor before starting pranayama. In many circumstances, doctors suggest to avoid pranayama. Kapalbhati pranayama should not be done if there is an issue with heart disease and excessive blood pressure. People with low blood pressure are recommended to avoid sitali pranayam (chilly breathing exercises).

2) Not only do you have to practice pranayama, you also have to be skillful in yoga. Pranayama eliminates the lack of oxygen in the body, and via yoga that oxygen is disseminated throughout the body. The combination of these two boosts the operating capability of numerous organs of the body.

3) Always try breathing through the nose while breathing. Breathing through the mouth without specific pranayama can bring injury to the body.

5) Do not do any yoga practice for at least three hours after eating. The same rule applies to pranayama as it does to meditation. After consuming a large amount of food, it is important to provide time for optimal digestion. After that, do pranayama.

6) When practicing any form of pranayama, it is critical to hold your breath for a period of time. If you practice pranayama in accordance with the rules, you will get the benefits. As a result, only practice pranayama after learning the exact guidelines from your trainer.

7) It is not recommended to do pranayama when sitting in a closed environment. Breathe freely in a natural setting. You can practice pranayama by ascending to the roof of the home or sitting on the veranda of the residence.

Scientific studies [1,2] observed several health benefits of yoga breathing techniques. They observed that the Bhastrika pranayama is helpful to reduce anxiety and stress. 

There are 8 types of popular yoga pranayama breathing techniques. Regardless of the type of yoga breathing technique you practice, there are always three stages:

  • Purak (inhalation through nostrils)
  • Kumbhak (retention)
  • Rechak (exhalation)

There are 114 chakras in human body. Yoga breathing is very helpful to activate the blocked chakras. The  kapalbhati breathing is very helpful to remove the blockages of the 72000 nadis and the chakras.