In his third book Gregor Maehle aims at bringing about a renaissance of pranayama, the yogic school of breathing. For millennia pranayama was considered to be the quintessential yogic limb, yoga's main motor for spiritual evolution. To show pranayama's importance Maehle supports his findings at every turn with hundreds of quotations from yogic scripture. With unprecedented detail the author shows how pranayama is used to connect posture practice to yogic meditation and why it will accelerate your progress in both. Also covered are: - how pranayama creates health and its use in therapeutic application - mental and spiritual benefits of pranayama - the function of prana and the effects of pranayama - effect of pranayama on brain hemisphericity and balance of the nervous system - purpose of breath retentions and their precise technical application - in depth guidelines for the practice of pranayama - illustrations of the major pranayama and kriya techniques - the use of mantra and digital counting during pranayama - the appropriate diet and postures for pranayama - the importance and use of bandhas and kriyas before and during pranayama - how to set free your breathing pattern through exercising breath waves - descriptions of the classical pranayamas such as Nadi Shodhana, Bhastrika, Surya Bhedana with never before seen detail - how pranayama relates to raising Kundalini - a workable order in which techniques are to be learned and put into sequence with other yogic limbs - pranayama as it relates to the stages of life Gregor Maehle is practising and researching all aspects of yoga since 1982. He lived for several years in India studying with a variety of yogic masters and sadhus. He has previously published Ashtanga Yoga Practice and Philosophy and Ashtanga Yoga The Intermediate Series, which have been translated into several languages.

Increase energy, relieve stress, find balance—yogic breathing for every level Pranayama, translated as the extension of one's life force, can help you improve focus, relieve stress, and deepen your yoga practice—simply through breathing. Essential Pranayama offers clear, approachable breath techniques and exercises for all levels of practitioner. Whether you're experienced with yoga and breathwork or just beginning to explore, this guide will help you quickly feel the benefits of pranayama techniques. Discover both the modern scientific perspectives and the traditional wisdom around the effects of pranayama on the body and mind. Learn the building blocks of the techniques and find out how to sequence them to address your specific needs. You can use the short practices during a brief quiet moment in your day—or expand your yoga and meditation routines with longer combinations. Essential Pranayama includes: 60 breathing exercises—These individual techniques and sequences have the power to energize, calm, improve digestion, cool your body, and much more. Simple and concise—Each technique can be performed in 15 minutes or less, making it easy to fold pranayama methods into your daily habits. Practical—Optimize your experience with tips for arranging your physical space, using equipment, and keeping your practice comfortable. Unlock greater peace and wellness with the simple techniques of Essential Pranayama.

One of the most common issues clients face is lack of energy, vitality or prana and this book presents a simple yet revolutionary breathing approach to restore balance. Grounded in the yogic teachings, this text introduces the Buteyko breathing method as a more contemporary way of understanding the original intention of pranayama. Through extensive research, Robin Rothenberg establishes that as with Dr. Buteyko's breath retraining technique, the ancient yogis prescribed breathing less not more. Vedic science and physiology are broken down and explained in accessible ways. The book presents a new understanding and application of breathing to address a wide range of ailments, including COPD, asthma, hay-fever, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, sleep apnoea and neurological conditions.

Step-by-step instruction in pranayama---the yogic breathing practices, Levels I and II---by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Detailed guidance in how to incorporate these most powerful of healing practices, for physical and mental purification and centering, into your daily routine. Suitable for complete beginners as well as more advanced students.

Discover how to heal both body and mind using only your breath and your hands. In The Power of Breath and Hand Yoga, Christine Burke shows how you already have all you need to heal both physical and emotional conditions and improve your overall wellbeing. Breath awareness has been linked to calming the body and brain, regulating blood pressure, improving memory and immune function, preventing heart attacks and easing chronic pain and asthma. Mudras are known as 'yoga for the hands': they are hand poses and positions that channel energy and offer a point of focus during meditation. First, Christine teaches you a range of breathing techniques and reveals the background behind mudras and how best to use them, and then she offers breath and mudra practices for 36 conditions, divided into body and mind. Each practice also includes a 'jewel thought' meditation, which can accompany the breath technique and/or mudra.

For serious students of yoga who have an established pranayama practice, this book is a follow-up to Rosen’s previous book, The Yoga of Breath. Here he picks up where he left off, offering a selection of traditional yogic techniques for those who wish to deepen their practice of pranayama and their understanding of the ancient wisdom of yoga. Rosen skillfully puts forward an array of awareness disciplines, breathing practices, mudras, and seals, interspersed with anecdotes and quotes from ancient texts. A free audio program available online offers a variety of guided practices so that listeners can create their own pranayama series, with guidance from the author in the appendix. (Download instructions available in the book.)