What Is Pranayama? Breath And Sound Meditation Explained

Pranayama: the short answer

Have you noticed how one long, slow breath out can settle you when nothing else will? That is where this practice begins. Pranayama is an ancient practice of sound and breath meditation. Prana means energy. Pranayama means the extension, expansion, regulation, restraint, control and prolongation of the breath. You lie or sit, supported, and you work with the breath deliberately rather than letting it run itself.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. This page is part of our breath and pranayama notes.

Pranayama in short form

• What it is: breath meditation, not breathing exercises. The breath is how you reach a quiet, clear mind.
• Where to start: lying down, in supported Savasana over blankets, with the chest opened.
• The process: deep inhale, deep exhale. Retention only when you are ready, and often never.
• Four techniques: Ujjayi, Viloma, Bhramari and, later, Nadi Shodhana.
• Why a sequence: different techniques switch on different parts of the nervous system.
• Evidence: promising but still early, with small studies of varying quality.
• Timing: sunrise and sunset suit it best, 3 to 4 hours after eating.
• Next step: your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.

This page is drawn from a presentation by Chris Lalor of Flametree Yoga Studio, given at the Bali retreat.

What does pranayama mean?

Prana is energy. In the Indian tradition it is energy that carries awareness with it, which is a bigger idea than simply the breath or the oxygen in it.

Ayama covers extension, expansion, regulation, restraint, control and prolongation. So pranayama is not one technique. It is a whole family of ways of working with the breath, each doing something different.

The ancient Chinese energy practices went in a different direction with the same raw material. They focused mainly on everyday health. The Indian tradition went towards exploring prana in order to alter consciousness.

Mr Iyengar wrote about it simply in Light on Life. Everyone wants more energy, he said, and it is not found in packets or shops: “it is first everywhere and second it is free.” He called it prana, universal energy.

Pranayama and the modern “breathwork” boom

In recent years breath meditation has surged in popularity under the name breathwork, helped considerably by the writer James Nestor and his book Breath.

Nestor makes the case for nose breathing in the most direct way available. He describes an experiment in which he blocked his own nose for 10 days and breathed only through his mouth, and reports that his sleep and mood got worse. That is one man, and it is not a clinical trial. But it makes the point that the nose is not an optional route for air. In pranayama you breathe through the nose, and that instruction is not decoration. Our note on nose or mouth breathing goes further.

How breathing actually works

Understanding the mechanics changes what you do in the pose, so it is worth a minute.

Inhalation. The diaphragm (the big breathing muscle under the lungs) descends. That descent creates a vacuum in the chest, and air is pulled in to fill it. You do not push air in. You make space for it.

Exhalation. The diaphragm simply relaxes back up. In ordinary breathing the out breath costs no effort at all.

The nostrils are not identical. In the yoga tradition, the right passage is said to be heating and stimulating, and the left cooling and soothing to the nervous system. When the two work evenly together, energy is said to flow up the spine and the brain becomes clear and calm. That is the whole basis of alternate nostril breathing.

Energy comes from the abdomen, the body’s energy factory, and pranayama is how you draw on it deliberately.

Why can’t you force the breath?

Because forcing it makes it tighter. Mr Iyengar compared the breath to a horse in a field: you coax it, you don’t chase it. Most people try too hard at first, and trying hard tenses the ribs and belly, which is the opposite of what the breath needs.

In the Iyengar method, the body is prepared first. Supported poses, gentle inversions and forward bends open the chest, broaden the ribs and quieten the brain. Then the breath is invited in. Many students find that this makes pranayama feel steadier and quieter.

Chris describes the first attempts honestly. At first the lungs can feel as if they are full of concrete, and nothing moves. It is also less exciting than learning new poses. She says that if you stay with it, it becomes a quiet friend you can return to.

How to set up for pranayama

Start lying down in supported Savasana. The blankets are arranged to extend and expand the chest, which is to say to open it, rather than to prop you up comfortably.

Add a shoulder stand pad or a second blanket under the head. The head needs to be slightly higher than the chest so the throat stays soft and the brain stays quiet.

If the lower back or a tight chest makes Savasana uncomfortable, a bolster under the legs and just one blanket along the spine can help. Savasana is often called the bridge between the poses and pranayama: once you can relax in it, you can begin to watch the breath. Our note on how to relax properly in savasana covers the props and the mind.

When the spine is stronger and the mind is quieter, move to seated pranayama. You can use a chair for this. There is no virtue in sitting on the floor if the back is collapsing.

The basic process, once you are set up: deep inhale, deep exhale, and add retention only when you are ready for it.

The pranayama techniques, in order

Ujjayi, the Ocean Breath

Four stages, learned one at a time.

• Ujjayi 1. Conscious observation of the normal breath. Nothing is changed.
• Ujjayi 2. Deep exhalation, normal inhalation.
• Ujjayi 3. Deep inhalation, normal exhalation.
• Ujjayi 4. Deep inhalation and deep exhalation, with a normal breath in between.

A typical first session in the Iyengar method looks like this: lie in supported Savasana over blankets, relax, and watch your normal breaths for five to eight minutes. Then try Ujjayi 2, with a normal inhalation and a deep exhalation, taking normal breaths in between to recover. After a few more minutes, remove the blankets along the spine and lie quietly for five minutes. Learn it with a qualified Iyengar teacher so the alignment is safe.

Viloma, the Staircase Breath

Viloma is breathing in, or out, in small steps with a pause at each one, like climbing a staircase. For the full steps, and Chris Lalor’s own story of how it changed a shallow breather, see viloma pranayama, Iyengar style.

• Viloma 1. Interrupted inhalation, then a deep uninterrupted exhalation.
• Viloma 2. Deep inhalation, followed by interrupted exhalation.
• Viloma 3. A combination of 1 and 2.

Bhramari, the Bumble Bee Breath

Normal inhalation, followed by a deep humming exhalation. The sound is the point. It is the simplest of the techniques to feel working, and it is often the one people take home first. We have a full guide in Bhramari pranayama benefits.

Nadi Shodhana, Alternate Nostril Breathing

This comes later, with the hand in San Mukhi Mudra. When the right and left nostrils work evenly together, the tradition says, energy flows up the spine, and the brain becomes clear and calm.

What pranayama does to your brain waves

Early studies suggest pranayama changes the mix of brain waves. Brain waves are electrical rhythms picked up by an EEG (a scalp sensor). Alpha waves, at roughly 8 to 13 Hz, are associated with creativity, flow state and focus. Theta waves sit below them and are associated with deep relaxation, the state on the edge of sleep, and memory.

Most of us spend the day dominated by beta waves. Some beta is necessary for alert thinking. Too much of it, relatively speaking, is linked with active anxiety.

What pranayama does, in the teaching and in the early studies, is alter the mix. You are not switching one thing off. You are changing the balance, and the balance is what you feel as your state of mind.

The research is small. A 2017 review of studies on Bhramari (the humming breath) found only six, none of them randomised trials, and rated their quality as very low. They did point to a calming, “rest and digest” pattern in the body, and the authors called for larger trials (Kuppusamy and colleagues, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2017, doi 10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.02.003). Not yet tested at scale is not the same as wrong, and it is why we describe what students experience rather than promise outcomes.

In animal work, Stanford scientists working with mice found a small group of nerve cells that connect the brain’s breathing centre to the area that drives arousal. It is early research in mice, but it fits the old observation that slow breathing feels calming (reported by Neuroscience News).

The benefits of pranayama

Pranayama creates a meditative state, and students commonly tell us the benefits that come with meditation follow: feeling calmer, handling stress better, sleeping better, thinking more clearly and being more aware of themselves. Research on meditation and slow breathing is growing, with small studies of varying quality.

The mental benefits tend to arrive first and the physical ones follow. Both are worth having. Strengthening the lungs to deal with your own life force is how Chris puts it, and that is a fair description of what the practice is for.

Chris practises most mornings, soon after waking, and says she feels out of sorts, short tempered and less accepting when she misses a day. When she does it she feels present, alert and calm, “like coming home”. That is one teacher’s experience, not a trial result, but it is why she says consistency matters more than length.

Common questions about pranayama

What is pranayama in simple words?

Pranayama is the yoga practice of working with the breath on purpose, usually lying or sitting, to quieten the mind. Prana means energy, and ayama means extension or control. It is learned in stages, one technique at a time, with a teacher.

Why is pranayama hard at first?

Most people try too hard, which tightens the ribs and belly and makes the breath feel stuck. At first it can feel as though the lungs are full of concrete. Starting lying down on supported blankets, and going slowly, usually helps.

How long should I practise when I start?

Many Iyengar students start with 15 to 30 minutes, and build towards 30 to 40 minutes several times a week. Slow and steady is better than long and occasional. A teacher can set the right length for you.

When is the best time to practise pranayama?

Sunrise and sunset. Both are naturally quiet, and the body is between things rather than in the middle of them.

How long should you wait after eating before pranayama?

Three to four hours. A full stomach presses up into the diaphragm and the breath has nowhere to go.

How long after your asana practice before doing pranayama?

After restorative asana, immediately, because the body is already quiet. After anything more active, wait about half an hour so the nervous system can settle before it does this kind of work.

Why apply a chin lock, or Jalandhara Bandha?

To hold the heat and the energy in the chest, with less impact on the brain. Without it, a strong practice can leave the head feeling pressurised.

Which pranayama is best to do at night?

Ujjayi 1 and 2 (Ocean Breath), Viloma 2 (Staircase Breath), Bhramari (Bumble Bee Breath), and Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breath). All four are settling rather than energising.

Which pranayamas should you avoid before bed?

Ujjayi 4 and Viloma 1, because both are energising. Do them in the morning and you will be glad of them. Do them at 9pm and you may be awake at midnight.

How much pranayama should you do?

Preferably a 30 to 40 minute practice, several times a week. Slow and steady is better than long and occasional.

How many types of pranayama are there?

Many, and the classical texts list dozens. In practice you only need four to get the whole effect, which is why Flametree teaches Ujjayi, Viloma, Bhramari and Nadi Shodhana and builds patiently on those.

Is pranayama the same as breathwork?

Not quite. Pranayama is the traditional practice: slow, supported, done lying or sitting, and learned in stages with a teacher. Breathwork is a modern name used for many kinds of breathing practice. For our view on safety, see Is Pranayama Safe?

Is pranayama safe?

The observation stages are safe for almost anybody. The retention work is where care is needed, and it is left until much later, or left out entirely. Tell your teacher if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, epilepsy, a heart condition, or are pregnant, and talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish.

Do I need to be able to sit on the floor?

No. You start lying down, and when you do move to sitting, a chair is perfectly acceptable.

Where can I learn pranayama in Darwin?

Flametree teaches breath and meditation classes alongside yoga at Woolner (near Parap) and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online. See the class times on the timetable. Your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.

Download the full pranayama presentation

This page is drawn from Chris Lalor’s pranayama presentation, given at the Flametree Bali retreat in July 2026. The complete 60 slide deck is available as a PDF.

Download the pranayama presentation (PDF)

What people notice

“You will feel more grounded, focussed and energised.” N

“It’s given me relief from stiffness and aches. Plus, aligning my movement with breath. It’s extraordinary how effective and enormously helpful quiet measured breathing can be.” L

“Each day I feel the level of calm intensify. I have a more rested sleep after pranayama.” J

“A large and sustained increase in energy and clarity. It lasts through the day, and beyond. I was also calmer, and less grumpy.” Stuart

Start pranayama in Darwin or online

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. See the half price pass. To get a link to join an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link.

Already practising yoga? The same half price 10 class pass for new students, and for anyone away three months or more, is also available as the non-beginner half price pass.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish. Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online.

Sources: Iyengar BKS, Light on Life. Nestor J, Breath. Kuppusamy M and colleagues, Effects of Bhramari pranayama on health: a systematic review, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2017, doi 10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.02.003. Neuroscience News report on the Stanford breathing and arousal study in mice.