Dirga Pranayama

Published on May 11, 2012

The 3 part breath or complete breath is nourishing, calming and relaxing.

Dirga Pranayama is called the three part breath because you are actively breathing into three parts of your abdomen. The first position is the low belly (on top of or just below the belly button), the second position is the low chest (lower half of the rib cage), and the third position is the low throat (just above the top of the sternum). The breath is continuous, inhaled and exhaled through the nose. The inhalation starts in the first position, the low belly; then moves to the second position, the low chest; then to the third position, the low throat. The exhalation starts in the low throat, moves to the low chest, and finishes in the low belly.Rest your hands on the individual positions to feel the breath rising and falling through each position. When you start practicing, you may want to individually isolate the movement in each position, using the hands. When you have a good feel for the breath moving in and out of each position, practice without the hands. Eventually relax the effort of the pranayama and breathe into the three positions gently, feeling a wave of breath move up and down the torso.

Audio: Dirga Pranayama

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22 responses to “Dirga Pranayama”

  1. apii Avatar
    apii

    yoga is my life

  2. wy2kewl Avatar
    wy2kewl

    that is very kewl

  3. chirag72002 Avatar
    chirag72002

    nice one…

  4. dilshancv Avatar
    dilshancv

    I m new commer to yoga
    anyway this is so clear and nice article

  5. eric_b Avatar
    eric_b

    Hi – I am logged in as a premium member, but this audio content is not available to me. Please help.

  6. Timothy Avatar
    Timothy

    eric_b – please use our contact page to send a message to customer service. We need your email address to look up your account to see what the issue might be.

  7. amy213 Avatar
    amy213

    I was dreaming how to learn yoga..thanks I found your website at least i can start how to practice by myself…I wish I could get more information in you…

  8. dejesuscd Avatar
    dejesuscd

    How do I get the Audio? Im a premium member.thanks

  9. Timothy Avatar
    Timothy

    dejesuscd – Please contact customer support for help.

  10. rainer Avatar
    rainer

    Ideally, how many seconds would each stage of the breath take if you were to break it down into inhaling and exhaling? Should exhalation take longer?

  11. Timothy Avatar
    Timothy

    rainer – The time will vary depending on the person, try to breathe as slowly and deeply as possible without strain or discomfort. The inhale and exhale should be about the same length.

  12. sue1987 Avatar
    sue1987

    Why did I tingle after few minutes of practicing this type of breathing? is that normal for a beginner? My upper nose started feeling heavy as well that cause me to have a hard time inhaling.

    1. Timothy Burgin Avatar
      Timothy Burgin

      Tingling can be a sign of you activating and moving the prana in your body. I’m not sure about the upper nose feeling heavy… maybe try to focus your breath in the lower belly more and less in the upper chest.

      1. beginner Avatar
        beginner

        I am beginning yoga and have taken a few classes so far. I find when I try to breath (in/out) according to what the instructor is telling you to do, I start to feel dizzy and unbalanced. I really like yoga but the past 2 times I did it, I became anxious while doing it. Help!!

        1. Timothy Burgin Avatar
          Timothy Burgin

          You should not be feeling dizzy, unbalanced or anxious while breathing in yoga. Breathe at your own pace, and just do your best to work towards following what the instructor is telling you. Or find a different teacher that is a better match for you.

  13. Sudarshan kriya Avatar
    Sudarshan kriya

    Yes Yoga is everything

  14. aidhaa Avatar
    aidhaa

    i cant see video

    1. Timothy Burgin Avatar
      Timothy Burgin

      There is no video, only audio stream or audio track download. To access the audio you need to be logged in as premium member. If you are logged in as a premium member and can’t see the link or audio player please contact customer support.

  15. Geethani Avatar
    Geethani

    I m new commer to yoga.I found your website at least i can start how to practice by myself.How do I get the Audio?

    1. Timothy Burgin Avatar
      Timothy Burgin

      Hi Geethani, you can sign up for a paid premium membership to listen and download the audio tracks.

  16. Tiffany Avatar
    Tiffany

    Looking for mt Zen…….

  17. Johnc675 Avatar
    Johnc675

    An interesting dialogue is worth comment. I feel that you must write more on this topic, it won’t be a taboo subject but typically people are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers kkaaadbgbdfe

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Timothy Burgin Avatar
About the author
Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has studied and taught many styles of yoga and has completed a 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training. Timothy has been serving as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com since 2000. He has authored two yoga books and has written over 500 articles on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Timothy is also the creator of Japa Mala Beads and has been designing and importing mala beads since 2004.
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