Kumbhaka (Breath Retention) Pranayama

In this post and a few of the upcoming posts, I will be describing pranayama techniques which involve breath retention (kumbhaka). Some of these techniques also involve application of the three bandhas, as appropriate.

Samavritti Pranayama

The word "sama" means equal or same number and "vritti" means rotation or simply action.  If you recall, in a previous post, we talked about four phases of a breathing cycle:

• Puraka – inhalation
• Rechaka – exhalation
• Antar-kumbhaka – breath retention after inhalation
• Bahya-kumbhaka – breath retention after exhalation

In samavritti, we make all these four components of the breathing cycle equal in duration. For most people, the duration of breath retention after exhalation is the shortest of the four. So, the effort in this pranayama would be to make all four the same duration as the duration of retention after exhalation.

Step-by-step

1. Sit in any comfortable cross-legged sitting posture with the spine upright, arms and shoulders relaxed.
2. Start with simple deep, ujjayi breathing, without any retention, keeping the durations of inhalation and exhalation equal. Take four to five deep breaths.
3. Introduce retention of breath after inhalation only, none after exhalation. Over a period of four to five deep breaths, gradually increasing the duration of retention after inhalation, make the three components – inhalation, retention and exhalation – of equal duration.
4. Now introduce retention after exhalation also. Over a period of four to five deep breaths, gradually increasing the duration of retention after exhalation, make all the four components – inhalation, retention, exhalation and retention – of equal duration.
5. Continue with Samavritti practice for 8 to 10 breaths.
6. End the practice with relaxed, regular breathing pattern.

Viloma Pranayama (Interrupted Breathing)

This is another controlled breathing pattern where we interrupt the breathing cycle every two seconds for a duration of two seconds. During the breathing cycle, no strain should be felt.

Step-by-step

1. Sit in any comfortable cross-legged sitting posture with the spine upright, arms and shoulders relaxed.
2. Start with simple deep, ujjayi breathing, without any retention. Take four to five deep breaths.
3. For the next 3 to 4 deep breaths, interrupt the inhalation every two seconds for  a duration of two seconds. Make sure there is no strain while breathing. At the end of inhalation, the lungs should be filled to capacity.
4. Exhale with a natural deep breath with no interruption.
5. For the next 3 to 4 breaths, take a natural deep inhalation (no interruptions) followed by deep exhalation which is interrupted every two seconds for two seconds.
6. Now you can introduce interruption of breath, every two seconds for a duration of two seconds, both during inhalation and exhalation.
7. At the end of interrupted inhalation, try to hold the breath for five to ten seconds. The duration of retention should be such that the quality and depth of the following exhalation is not impacted. If you are able to hold the breath for more than five seconds, then apply Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock) during retention.
8. Continue the interrupted breathing cycles for about five to seven breaths.
9. End the practice with relaxed, regular breathing pattern.

Benefits

Both Samavritti and Viloma pranayama involve total concentration on the breathing pattern in order to maintain the appropriate durations of breath and retention. As such, these techniques help us stay in the present moment, not letting the mind drift away. Moreover, they are helpful techniques as preparation for meditation as they provide a form of pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and dharana (concentration).