प्राणायामprāṇāyāma · extension of the breath

Breath, pranayama and bandhas

Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026

The Ganga flowing out of the Himalayan foothills into Rishikesh — Photo: RKDas09, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

In short

Prāṇāyāma is the regulation of the breath. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika teaches it after posture: sit steadily, breathe slowly through the nose, never force, and progress gradually. Start with simple techniques such as alternate nostril breathing without retention, and learn retentions and forceful breathing with a teacher.

The second chapter of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is devoted to the breath, and it insists on gradual progress: the air is to be let out "slowly and not forcibly" (2.9 in Pancham Sinh's translation). The third chapter turns to the mudras and bandhas, the seals and locks that hold the breath. Breathing techniques are powerful, which is exactly why each page here starts with its precautions.

The order of the texts

The haṭha texts build a practice in layers, and this chapter follows them:

Posture first. "Once the posture is established", says the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (2.1), the yogi practises pranayama as taught by the teacher. Patañjali says the same (Yoga Sutra 2.49).
Cleansing, if needed. The six cleansing actions are reserved for those who need them (HYP 2.21).
The breath. Pranayama, from nadi shodhana to the eight kumbhakas.
Seals and locks. The bandhas and the great mudras, which hold the breath and the attention.
Towards meditation. Trāṭaka, the inward gaze and the hum of bhramari lead to the Meditation chapter.

By level

Level	Breath	Mudras and bandhas	Start here
Beginner	breath observation, longer exhalation, nadi shodhana and ujjayi without retention, bhramari, resonant breathing	añjali, jñāna and dhyāna mudrā, the tongue to the palate	breathing exercises for beginners
Intermediate	short retentions (1:1:2), box breathing, the 4-7-8 breath, short rounds of kapālabhāti, the cooling breaths	the three bandhas one at a time, ṣaṇmukhī mudrā, short śāmbhavī; jala neti, trāṭaka	pranayama
Advanced	longer ratios (1:2:2 towards 1:4:2), bhastrikā with retention	mahā bandha, mahāmudrā, viparīta karaṇī with retention	with a teacher, after months of practice

The levels guide explains how the same scale applies to postures and meditation. Whatever your level in postures, begin the breath as a beginner.

Classical and modern

Not everything called "yogic breathing" today comes from the texts. Nadi shodhana, ujjayi, bhramari, kapālabhāti and bhastrikā do; box breathing, 4-7-8 and resonant breathing are modern techniques built on the same principles. Each page says which is which, and the breathing timer can pace both.

In this chapter

प्राणायामPranayama, yogic breathing from the texts to practiceprāṇāyāma · extension and control of the breathThe fourth limb of yoga explained from the Yoga Sutras and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, with a safe way to begin.श्वासYogic breathing exercises for beginnersśvāsa · breathSeven gentle exercises, in the order of an Indian pranayama class, with timings, a daily plan and the precautions.नाडीशोधनNadi shodhana, alternate nostril breathingnāḍī-śodhana · cleansing of the channelsAlternate nostril breathing step by step, with the beginner rhythm, the four stages and the verses it comes from.समवृत्तिBox breathing, the square breathsama-vṛtti · equal movementFour equal phases, in, hold, out, hold: how to do it, where it comes from, and what research really says.Resonant breathing, six breaths a minuteSlow breathing at about six breaths a minute: the method, the heart rate variability research, and its quiet link with mantra and pranayama.4-7-8 breathing, origin and practiceAndrew Weil's relaxing breath explained honestly: the steps, the yogic roots, the evidence and the precautions.बन्धBandhas, the three locks of yogabandha · lock, bindingRoot, abdominal and throat locks from the texts: how to learn them one at a time, how to combine them, and who should not.मुद्राMudras, the seals of yogamudrā · seal, signHand gestures and the great seals of hatha yoga: what the texts list, what each gesture means, and how to practise them safely.अञ्जलिAñjali mudrā, the gesture of namasteañjali · the joined hands of offeringThe joined palms of greeting and prayer: the Sanskrit words, the gesture in the Gita, and how to use it in your practice.षट्कर्मṢaṭkarma, the six cleansing actions of hatha yogaṣaṭ-karma · the six actionsDhauti, basti, neti, trāṭaka, nauli and kapālabhāti as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes them, what can be learned safely, and what never alone.जलनेतिJala neti, rinsing the nose with a neti potjala-neti · nasal cleansing with waterThe yogic nasal rinse done safely: the right water, the steps, drying the nose, what research shows and the warning signs.त्राटकTrāṭaka, the steady gazetrāṭaka · steady gazingCandle gazing as the hatha texts describe it: a cleansing of the eyes and a training of attention, step by step, with its precautions.कुम्भकThe types of pranayama, from the textskumbhaka · retention, like a potThe eight kumbhakas of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the different eight of the Gheranda Samhita, Patañjali's four, and a simple way to choose your practice.उज्जायीUjjāyī, the victorious breathujjāyī · the victorious (breath)The whispering breath heard in yoga classes, learned in three steps, then its older form with retention as the hatha texts describe it.भ्रामरीBhrāmarī, the humming bee breathbhrāmarī · the bee's (breath)The gentlest of the classical breaths, step by step, with the six-gated seal, the two bees of the Sanskrit verse and what studies do and do not show.शीतलीŚītalī and sītkārī, the cooling breathsśītalī · the cooling one; sītkārī · the one that hissesThe only classical breaths taken in through the mouth: how to do each one, what the texts promise, and what a study of body temperature actually found.कपालभातिKapālabhāti, the skull-shining breathkapāla-bhāti · skull shiningShort active exhalations through the nose, learned in short rounds: the precautions first, then the steps, the texts and the research.भस्त्रिकाBhastrikā, the bellows breathbhastrikā · the bellowsThe most forceful of the classical breaths, both phases active: precautions first, the difference from kapalabhati, three stages and the verses.जालन्धरबन्धJālandhara bandha, the throat lockjālandhara-bandha · the lock that holds the netThe first lock to learn: the chin lowered to the breastbone during a held breath, step by step, with the verses and the neck precautions.मूलबन्धMūla bandha, the root lockmūla-bandha · the root lockThe lift of the pelvic floor learned in three stages, from the horse seal to the subtle lock, with the verses on apāna and what research has looked at.उड्डीयानबन्धUḍḍīyāna bandha, the abdominal lockuḍḍīyāna-bandha · the upward-flying lockThe lock the texts call the best of all: the belly drawn in and up on empty lungs, learned standing, with the precautions first and the two studies that exist.नौलिNauli, the abdominal churningnauli · the churning (laulikī in the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā)The most spectacular of the cleansing actions: what the texts actually describe, how it is learned in stages with a teacher, and who should never try it.ज्ञानमुद्राGyan mudrā and chin mudrā, the seal of knowledgejñāna-mudrā · the seal of knowledge; cin-mudrā · the seal of consciousnessThe most familiar gesture of meditation: how to form it, what the circle of thumb and index finger means, where it really comes from and what claims to ignore.शाम्भवीमुद्राŚāmbhavī mudrā, the gaze between the eyebrowsśāmbhavī-mudrā · the seal of Śambhu (Śiva)The seal named after Śambhu, Śiva: two descriptions in the texts, a gentle way to practise the gaze, and the eye precautions.खेचरीमुद्राKhecarī mudrā, what the hatha texts describekhecarī-mudrā · the seal of moving in spaceThe most secret seal of hatha yoga, read from the sources: the tongue turned back, the cutting of the frenulum the texts describe (never to be attempted), the symbolism, and the safe form.

Questions people ask

Where should a beginner start with pranayama?

With breath observation, a longer exhalation and alternate nostril breathing without retention, five to ten minutes a day. The breathing exercises for beginners page gives the order.

What is the difference between pranayama, mudras and bandhas?

Pranayama regulates the breath; mudras are seals or gestures, of the hands or the whole body; bandhas are the three locks of the throat, abdomen and pelvic floor used during retention. The hatha texts teach them in that order, after posture.

Are box breathing and 4-7-8 part of yoga?

They are modern techniques, absent from the classical texts, but built on principles of pranayama: counting, slowing the breath and retention. Their pages explain where they come from.

Sources

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, translated by Pancham Sinh, Sacred Books of the Hindus vol. XV part 3 (1914), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
Svātmārāma, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 17, 2026
Yoga: What You Need To Know — National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) checked October 17, 2026

Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.