Pranayama For Beginners | Mark Whitwell

4 min readNov 19, 2020

Pranayama directs the Agni (the fire of life) onto the Muladhara chakra to burn the obstructions that block the nurturing flow of life from flowing into the Sushumna (central channel).

The obstructions are caused by our reaction to our experience. Therefore, the principal Yoga is not to react to experience but to merge with experience. Then, prana flows in its own intelligent directions.

Pranayama (and Yoga as a whole) is a remedial practice that removes obstructions so that we can abide within the related condition so that we can eat our experience rather than our experience eating us! It is a good deal all round.

Pranayama proceeds after the preparatory practice of asana each day.

Prerequisites for Pranayama

Reasonable mastery of asana practice: this does not mean that the practitioner needs to become a super-flexi asana guru! It simply means that whatever asana is being done in the practice should be done as per the definition of ‘mastery of asana’.
Mastery of the breath in asana: because pranayama is focused on the breath then it is essential to become comfortable and in control of the breath during asana. The breath does not have to be amazingly long, with huge retentions after, just smooth, deep and in control.
The ability to sit comfortably with a straight back: because the spine is so involved with the breathing it is necessary to maintain correct spinal posture. However the actual sitting posture should be whatever one will be the most comfortable and not likely to distract the practitioner.

Mark Whitwell | Heart of Yoga

Qualities of Pranayama

Attention is focused on the breath: naturally to begin with the mind often wanders off somewhere else. Simply bring it back to focusing on the breath. Remember — focused attention in one direction. This also serves to keep us very aware of how our breath is doing in the pranayama practice we have chosen to do.
Incorporating dirga and sukshma: this is similar to sthira and sukha in asana. Dirga means the breath is long and steady, sukshma means the breath is fine and subtle. Ideally, both are equally present. Each one can affect the other, for example, trying too hard to make the breath very long and steady might also make it loud and heavy which then compromises the sukshma.
Three stages of practice: As with asana practice, we begin pranayama gradually with shorter breaths, building up to the peak of longer breaths with retention/suspension, then gently reduce the breaths back to where we began.
Suits the individual: As with all of our yoga practice the pranayama also needs to be relevant to the person doing it. For example, asking an atheist to focus on a Hindu mantra during breath retention might not be the most appropriate choice. Likewise, the practitioner who’s goal is to maximize relaxation will be better served with suspension after the exhale rather than retention after the inhale.
Pre-determined breath/count ratio: This helps to keep our focus on what we are doing rather than making it up as we go along! There are many different methods of pranayama (which will be discussed shortly), and some can get quite tricky so it is good to establish exactly what is going to happen prior to beginning.
Asana practice prepares and supports pranayama: Asana physically prepares us by warming up and stretching the body, when we get to sit in pranayama we are not distracted by the body. It also physically builds up the strength of our breath, and we are already establishing the habit of being attentive to what we are doing. Furthermore, we can incorporate some of the aspects of our pranayama into the asana for further preparation e.g.; if our pranayama involved the use of breath retention after inhale, we could choose some postures in the practice to be done with retention after inhale.
Result should be positive: for this to happen we must be very attentive to the whole asana and pranayama practice. If there is any disturbance of breath, something needs to be adjusted. Incorrect use of these techniques can be dangerous and reinforce blockages or impurities rather than releasing them. That is why guidance of a good teacher is important. In addition, the practitioner should feel good during and after the practice. Certainly after continued daily practice there will be a noticeable increase in mental clarity.