Breathwork, Breath Awareness & Pranayama: Understanding the Breath Through Yoga
Breathwork, Breath Awareness & Pranayama
Understanding the Breath Through Yoga Therapy
If you've searched for breathwork in Perth, you've probably noticed there are countless breathing techniques promising to regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, improve sleep and increase energy.
But what exactly is breathwork?
How does it differ from breath awareness?
And what is pranayama, the traditional yogic practice of working with the breath?
These terms are often used interchangeably, yet they describe very different approaches.
As I continue my Yoga Therapy studies through Svastha Yoga Therapy with Dr Ganesh Mohan, I've learnt that before changing the breath, we first need to understand it.
That understanding begins with awareness.
What is Breathwork?
One of the challenges when discussing breathwork is that the term doesn't refer to a single technique.
Instead, breathwork describes a broad range of breathing practices used in health, wellbeing, performance and personal development.
Some approaches encourage slow, gentle breathing.
Others use rapid or continuous breathing patterns for longer periods.
Because these methods differ considerably, asking "Does breathwork work?" is difficult to answer.
The more useful question is:
Which breathing technique?
Each technique has a different purpose, different physiological effects and different considerations.What is Breathwork?
One of the challenges when discussing breathwork is that the term doesn't refer to a single technique.
Instead, breathwork describes a broad range of breathing practices used in health, wellbeing, performance and personal development.
Some approaches encourage slow, gentle breathing.
Others use rapid or continuous breathing patterns for longer periods.
Because these methods differ considerably, asking "Does breathwork work?" is difficult to answer.
The more useful question is:
Which breathing technique?
Each technique has a different purpose, different physiological effects and different considerations.
What is Breath Awareness?
Breath awareness is where I begin with almost every student.
Rather than changing the breath...
We observe it.
Breath awareness involves becoming curious about your natural breathing pattern without trying to improve it.
Questions we might explore include:
• Does my breathing feel comfortable?
• Where do I notice movement?
• Is there unnecessary effort?
• Does my breath change throughout the practice?
Observation develops sensitivity.
Sensitivity develops understanding.
Understanding prepares us for regulation.
What is Pranayama?
Many people assume Pranayama simply means breathing exercises.
In classical yoga, it is much more than that.
Pranayama is one of the eight limbs of yoga described in the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali and refined throughout the Haṭha Yoga tradition.
Its purpose is not simply to breathe more deeply.
It is a gradual practice of refining the breath, cultivating awareness and developing greater ease and steadiness.
Through Yoga Therapy, these practices are adapted to the individual rather than taught as one-size-fits-all techniques.
Can Breathing Techniques Help Reduce Stress?
Research suggests that certain breathing techniques may help support stress management.
One reason is their relationship with the autonomic nervous system.
Gentle breath regulation influences heart rate variability (HRV)—the natural variation in heart rate from one breath to the next.
Heart rate variability is strongly influenced by the vagus nerve, an important part of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Evidence suggests that comfortable, rhythmic breathing may support vagal activity and improve resilience to stress.
Importantly, more isn't always better.
Breathing should feel comfortable, sustainable and appropriate for the individual.
Why I Don't Begin With Breathing Techniques
People are often surprised when I don't immediately teach breathing exercises.
Instead, I invite students to notice.
Observe.
Become familiar with their natural breath.
From a Yoga Therapy perspective, awareness comes before regulation.
Once we understand the breath, we can begin working with it more skillfully.
Learn More About Yoga Therapy & Breath Awareness
If you're curious about Yoga Therapy in Perth, breath awareness, or how breathing practices may support your wellbeing, I'd love to help.
At Citta Flow Yoga in Kalamunda, we offer:
Hatha Yoga
Restorative Yoga
Yoga Therapy
Individual breath awareness and pranayama education
Every person's breath is unique.
Every practice begins with understanding.
References
Mohan, A.G. Connecting with the Breath, Svastha Yoga Therapy Programme, July 2024.
Mohan, A.G. & Mohan, I. Yoga Therapy.
Patañjali. Yoga Sutras, II.49–II.51.
Jerath, R. et al. (2006). Physiology of Long Pranayamic Breathing: Neural Respiratory Elements May Provide a Mechanism That Explains How Slow Deep Breathing Shifts the Autonomic Nervous System. Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566–571.
Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: How and Why Does It Work? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 756.
Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psychophysiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.
