Pranayama is the yoga technique of controlling your breath. Prana means ‘life energy’ and ayama means ‘to control or expand’. We might call it breathwork or breath control in English.
My pranayama teacher taught me that your breath is the fastest way to access your nervous system. There are some pranayama techniques that activate your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) to wake up your brain and body, but most of the techniques that I teach have the opposite effect and stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). In modern society, with our busy, stressful lives, these practices that deepen your breath can have a particularly soothing and calming effect on your nervous system.
Useful resources
- What is pranayama – Art of Living article
- Light on Pranayama by B.K.S. Iyengar
- Breath by James Nestor