Grounding Pranayama: Yoga Breathing for Beginners

Pranayama, the art of conscious breath control, transforms the simple act of inhaling and exhaling into a powerful tool for holistic well-being. Welcome to the world of Grounding Pranayama, where we explore the essence of grounding through this ancient practice.

This post delves into the vital role of breath, the science behind the practice, the benefits of grounding pranayama for yoga beginners, and how it integrates into your daily or weekly routine.

Key Takeaways

Understanding Pranayama

The Essence of Grounding

Preparation for Grounding Pranayama

Essential Grounding Pranayama Techniques

Guided Grounding Pranayama Practice

Benefits and Takeaways

Final Thoughts

FAQs about Grounding Pranayama

• Breath’s Vital Role: Pranayama is the heartbeat of yoga, uniting body and mind through conscious breath control.
• Rooted Presence: Grounding Pranayama fosters stability and balance, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
• Soothing Sounds: Embrace the gentle hum of Humming Bee Breath for stress reduction and emotional well-being.
• Endless Exploration: Begin your journey with beginner-friendly techniques, and dive into a world of mindful breathing, enriching your yoga practice.
• Scientific Support: ​Practice with the knowledge that these beginner-friendly ancient techniques have the seal of approval from modern science.

Pranayama lies at the heart of yoga’s transformative journey. It guides us beyond the physical asana, nurturing a profound connection between body, mind, and spirit. Through deliberate inhalations and exhalations, Pranayama begets a plethora of benefits including balancing and calming the mind, and also energizing the body.

Pranayama is a compound Sanskrit word. “Prana” means “life force energy” and “Yama” means “gain control over”. So, the practice of Pranayama is the practice of gaining control over your energy through controlled breathing practices.

Pranayama practices are separated into three main categories: balancing, cooling, and heating. These adjectives refer to both the body and the mind. Balancing pranayama includes Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana). Heating Pranayama includes Bellows Breath (Bhastrika Pranayama) as well as Skull Shining Breath (Kapalabhati Pranayama).

This article focuses on cooling pranayama practices, as this is somewhat synonymous (not always, but often) with grounding. Cooling, grounding practices include Adham Pranayama (Belly Breath), Dirga Pranayama (three-part Breath), Humming Bee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama), Sama Vritti (Box Breathing), and Ujjayi Pranayama among others.

So, how does it actually work? Is it really all that good for my overall health? Our breath has a bidirectional relationship with our autonomic nervous system. This is the system that comprises our fight-or-flight response (the sympathetic nervous system), and our rest-and-digest response (the parasympathetic nervous system).

Sometimes in life, we experience something that causes shock or leads us to feel worried, nervous, anxious, frustrated, and even experience panic attacks. It’s our parasympathetic nervous system’s job to get us out of that state as quickly as possible.

However, sometimes we are exposed to stressors for prolonged periods of time, meaning our body can get stuck in fight-or-flight. Over time, this can have hazardous effects on our health.

The body might switch the parasympathetic nervous system on into overdrive in a desperate attempt to regain equilibrium. This can lead us to experience lethargy, disconnection, chronic fatigue, and even depression and dissociation.

What we want is to be in what modern science calls our “Window of Tolerance“. This is where we feel most like ourselves, calm, grounded, and responding appropriately to the ups and downs of daily life.

Pranayama can help us get there, more frequently, and for longer periods of time. If you’re experiencing bouts of stress and anxiety, or have fraught moments in your day that could benefit from a few moments of calm, or even have something big coming up that is causing you to lose sleep (like a promotion-worthy presentation), then grounding pranayama can help alleviate those unwanted symptoms.

Yoga, especially yoga in the West, is replete with creative English that often confuses the curious yoga beginner. I’ve attended many classes where a well-meaning teacher assumes that basic, logical instruction is boring for the student. As such, they try to inject some creativity, but this often leads more toward frustration than clarity (Shine your chest forward, anyone?).

Some of the language may appear to be creative but actually be rooted in yogic philosophy. “Grounding” is one such example. So, what does it mean to “ground” in yoga?

Sthiram Sukham Asanama (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:46). 

The Asana is steady, strong, and at ease.

​Grounding is essentially the ability to find a solid, stable, balanced pose or state without over-exerting in effort. So, this means that not only must we aim for a Tree Pose that is stable and strong, but also a mind and outlook that resembles the same.

By cultivating this bond, practitioners traverse a pathway to self-awareness and embodiment. Yet, the journey to grounding isn’t without its struggles. Part of the process is falling out of yoga poses, and struggling to stay present in meditation.

This is where we begin to nurture inner resilience that also translates off the mat. A grounding practice of pranayama also helps to get us there.

Before embarking on the journey of Grounding Pranayama, setting the stage is paramount:

1. Seek solace in a space free from distraction, your own little sanctuary for undisturbed practice (for many of us, that might be the bathroom). This could be a little corner of the room with a blanket thrown over discarded toys, or (like me) behind the sofa in the living room. Somewhere quiet and low in traffic.

2. Prepare some blankets and cushions, especially if you’re new to extended periods of sitting in an upright position (and if it’s cold and you need a little insulation).

3. Sit up on a chair, or cross-legged on the floor. If you find your back rounds while in a chair, place a book or block lengthways on your back to support the upper body. If you’re on the floor and you notice your knees are higher than your hip points, sit up on a couple of cushions or folded blankets until your knees are in line with or lower than your hips.

4. Relax your hands in your lap, relax the shoulders away from the ears, and if it feels right for you, close your eyes.

5. Before delving into a pranayama practice, the first breath practice is deep breathing to foster breath awareness. Take 10 deep breaths in and out of your nose, focusing on where you feel the breath and how you feel generally. Then return to normal breathing.

These grounding pranayama breathing exercises lay the foundation for a harmonious journey of self-discovery and mindfulness. They’re great to do before or after asana practice, before meditation, or as stand-alone practices as part of your everyday life.

Before attempting any new practice, always consult with a trusted medical professional to ensure that you won’t be impacted by the technique’s accompanying contraindications.

This breath work practice is great for increasing present-moment awareness and supporting the process of relaxation. It’s a must for beginners to spend several weeks at least on just this one technique to allow the mind and body to acclimate, before moving forwards with other techniques, especially ones like Box Breathing that involve breath retention:

1. Find a quiet space, and sit or lie down comfortably.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
3. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise.
4. Exhale gently through your mouth, letting go of all stress.
5. Continue this rhythmic pattern, savoring the present moment.

For a more detailed look at this technique, try this article.

Enter the cocoon of calm with Bhramari Pranayama, where breath and sound intertwine. This practice focuses on inhaling deeply, then exhaling to the hum of a bee. Feel the vibrations resonate within, releasing stress’s grip. This gentle hum fosters emotional well-being, a balm for turbulent minds. For more on exactly how it does that, read this article all about Humming Bee Breath. It’s also a fabulous practice to do with kids.

1. Sit comfortably, eyes closed, shoulders relaxed.
2. Inhale deeply through your nose.
3. Exhale slowly while producing a gentle humming sound.
4. Feel the vibrations and let them soothe your entire being.
5. Continue for several breath cycles, embracing tranquility.
6. Return to normal breathing for a few breaths before attempting another round.

In this realm of grounding Pranayama, beginners can unfurl their wings, embracing the gentle cadence of breath. With each inhalation and exhalation, a greater connection between body and mind is developed.

This well-rounded 15-minute practice is suitable for beginners, as long as you’ve been cleared by a doctor to practice. Each technique boasts numerous benefits, but also some contraindications. The aim here is to develop calm, not exacerbate existing conditions.

Once you’ve got the medical go-ahead, and completed the Preparation for Grounding Pranayama (3 mins) laid out above, it’s time to delve into practice. Between each practice and each round, make sure to return to normal breathing for a few breaths to reset.

1. Begin with Diaphragmatic Breathing: inhale, belly swells; exhale, belly retracts. Try this for a maximum of 3 rounds of 5 breaths. For many of us, this might be the totality of our practice for now (3 mins)

2. Move on to Three-Part Breath: Bring your awareness now not just to your belly, but also to the outward expansion of your ribs and the very subtle lift of the upper chest on the inhale, and then the opposite movement for the chest, ribs, and belly on the exhale. Keep the breaths slow and controlled. Try a maximum of 3 rounds of 3 breaths. (3 mins)

3. Humming Bee Breath: As this is beginner-focused, we will focus only on the first stage (the easier way) of this technique. If you want to extend this practice a little, read more here about how to do that. Take a deep inhale through the nose, and exhale a long, low, monotonous hum on the exhale. Try three rounds of three breaths. (3 mins)

4. Sit for a while – about 10 breaths – just breathing normally, reflecting on how you feel without judgment. Allow the body and mind to settle before you go about your day. Feel free to spend a few minutes in corpse pose to really integrate the benefits. (3 mins).

Embarking on the path of grounding Pranayama bestows numerous transformative rewards upon beginners, including:

• More energy, more calm, more clarity: Through deliberate breath, stress unravels, and inner calm blossoms. Physical vitality is rekindled, while mental clarity emerges. You might begin to notice a greater sense of balance and rejuvenation.
• Integration and Well-Being: The mind-body connection deepens, leading to heightened self-awareness and, perhaps the holy grail for me, a sense of autonomy and agency within the body.
• Endless Exploration: This journey has no destination—only horizons. As you familiarize yourself with grounding Pranayama, the door to a vast realm of breathwork opens wide, each offering its unique range of benefits. This works wonders for keeping us coming back to the mat as both our curiosity and discipline deepen.

Time Recommendations:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: 3 minutes
• Three-part Breath: 3 minutes
• Humming Bee Breath: 3 minutes
• Preparation and Closing: 3 minutes each.

Overall Practice Time: Approximately 15 minutes

Embarking on the path of grounding Pranayama bestows numerous transformative rewards upon beginners, including:

• More energy, more calm, more clarity: Through deliberate breath, stress unravels, and inner calm blossoms. Physical vitality is rekindled, while mental clarity emerges. You might begin to notice a greater sense of balance and rejuvenation.
• Integration and Well-Being: The mind-body connection deepens, leading to heightened self-awareness and, perhaps the holy grail for me, a sense of autonomy and agency within the body.
• Endless Exploration: This journey has no destination—only horizons. As you familiarize yourself with grounding Pranayama, the door to a vast realm of breathwork opens wide, each offering its unique range of benefits. This works wonders for keeping us coming back to the mat as both our curiosity and discipline deepen.

Time Recommendations:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: 3 minutes
• Three-part Breath: 3 minutes
• Humming Bee Breath: 3 minutes
• Preparation and Closing: 3 minutes each.

Overall Practice Time: Approximately 15 minutes

For more tidbits all about yoga, follow me over on Instagram. For a friendly little yoga community, join my Facebook Group for yoga beginners, we’d love to welcome you in there. To get access to my free Home Yoga Prep guide complete with another grounding pranayama practice, click the button above and it will be winging its way to you in no time.

1.What is Grounding Pranayama?

Grounding Pranayama involves controlled breath techniques in yoga that enhance stability, mindfulness, and well-being.

2. How does Grounding Pranayama benefit beginners?

It calms the mind, improves focus, and fosters a strong mind-body connection, creating a solid foundation for yoga practice.

3. Can anyone practice Grounding Pranayama?

Yes, it’s suitable for beginners. Start with simpler techniques like Diaphragmatic Breathing before progressing.

4. What’s the role of Mula Bandha in Grounding Pranayama?

Mula Bandha, an energy lock, aids grounding by enhancing stability, energy flow, and awareness during breathwork.

5. How can I incorporate Grounding Pranayama into my routine?

Dedicate a few minutes daily to techniques like Diaphragmatic Breathing and Three-Part Breath to enrich your yoga practice and daily life.