Pranayama and Three-Part Breathing: What it is and Why it's So Important

In the practice of yoga and a yogi’s life, one of the most important and yet most often forgotten components is your breath. Breathing is such a simple and obvious motion that it’s something that a lot of us often forget about, myself included. But in reality, keeping a strong focus on the air flowing in and out of your lungs is one of the best ways to not only begin a good yoga session but is also a great way to practice and meditate in its own right. While many devout yogis keep an emphasis on the postures and their intricacies as the primary focus of yoga, strong yogis, yoga teachers, and yoga masters always come back to the breath as the focal point of the practice ultimately using it to bring a deeper state of meditation and peace. In mastering your breath, you master yourself and it’s one of the best tools a yogi has to cleanse their mind and body. This focus on your breath in your practice and in your yoga life is known as ‘pranayama’, a Sanskrit term loosely translated as ‘extension of the prana (life force)’ or ‘breath control’. It is so important that is mentioned as one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and most teachers and yogis follow the belief that pranayama should be contained in each and every yoga practice in some form.

There are many different forms of pranayama from the Ujjayi ‘conquering breath’ to the Agni Prana or ‘Breath of Fire’ technique. One of the best and most common techniques of breathing is called the Three-Part Breath or ‘Dirga Pranayama’ in Sanskrit. The ‘three parts’ mentioned in the English name are the three parts of the body your breath enters into as you are practicing; the abdomen, the diaphragm, and the chest. Dirga Pranayama teaches a yoga to breathe deeply, completely, and effectively and is the first breathing technique often taught to new yogis and yoga teachers. It’s one of the most calming and stress-relieving exercises a yoga practitioner can do particularly in transition before a practice as it allows for rest and preparation before the session begins.

In practicing and using the power of the Three-Part Breath (described in instructional detail below as if for a first time student), it is good to remember to practice and begin with caution especially if you have a lung or respiratory disease or if you are ill. Practice in any comfortable position on anything comfortable for your body but the recommended way to practice this technique is in a cross-legged position or lying down on your yoga mat as a way of focusing and clearing your mind of any distractions as you begin breathing.

1. Close your eyes, relax your body, and breathe as naturally as you can with a closed mouth through your nose. Observe how you are breathing and allow your mind to come to a state of rest and non-engagement of any thoughts that may come to mind.

2. As you enter this meditative state, begin to take deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling fully.

3. When you are ready to fully start, slowly begin to take a longer inhale allowing the air to fill your belly up like a balloon.

4. Upon exhale, expel it out through your nose with intention. It also helps to elongate your spine and draw your navel inward to make sure your belly is empty of air as you exhale. This is the first part of the three part breath.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 five to ten more times.

6. On your next breath, inhale in to your belly as in steps 3-4. As your belly fills with air, continue inhaling and allow your diaphragm and rib cage to expand and fill with air as well. Let your ribs widen apart with your inhalation.

7. On the exhale, expel your chest of air slowly, drawing your ribs and lower chest back together and then from your belly. This is the second part of the three part breath.

8. Repeat steps 6-8 five to ten more times.

9. On your next breath, slowly inhale in to your belly and diaphragm as in the previous steps but now try to let just a little more air in and allow it to fill your upper chest. You should be able to feel it all the way up in to the area of your heart and collarbone and those areas will be expanding.

10. On exhale, let the air slowly expel from your upper chest, then your lower chest and diaphragm, and then your belly in a final push. This is your first full three-part breath.

11. Repeat steps 9-10 for about 10 breaths. Congratulations! You are practicing the technique of the Three-Part Breath.

Eventually, continuous practice will allow your body to let the three parts happen smoothly and without pausing in between parts and breaths. It’s a beautiful breathing exercise that upon mastery brings true peace, relaxation, and meditation to your yoga practices.

Until next time fellow yogis, ~Namaste!

About the Author: Michael Joseph Goleniewski

Michael is a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT) and is RYT 200-hr through Yoga Alliance. He is the founder of Regen Yoga, a Jnana (Knowledge-Based) Vinyasa style with major elements of Hatha, Yin, and Ashtanga and minor elements of Kundalini, Iyengar and Power Yoga. The primary goal of this style is to allow us as yogis to get to know, accept, and regenerate our bodies through physical, mental, and spiritual yoga practices with an energetic awareness.

Find more about Michael and Regen Yoga at www.michaelgoleniewski.com