WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRANAYAMA AND CIRCULAR BREATHING PRACTICES?
Words by Liv Stig Reading time: 7 minutes
If you practice yoga, there is a great chance you’ve encountered some Pranayama practices at some point during one of your yoga classes. Pranayama is a set of breathing practices to calm the mind and body and, traditionally, to prepare yourself for meditation. On the other hand, ‘breathwork’ practices are becoming more and more popular. But what is the difference between Pranayama and breathwork? Is there any difference at all, or are they just the same? Let’s dive into the differences and the similarities here.
Table of Contents
What is Pranayama?
Pranayama is a series of techniques that stimulate and increase vital energy by controlling the flow of Prana in the body. Two ancient sources defined how we practice Pranayama still nowadays: the Yoga Sutra by Patanjali in 1450 CE and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika from the 14th Century. But the earliest references to breathing come from the Rig Veda, which stems from 1500-1000 BC.
While we don’t consider the terms breath, vitality, and spirit interchangeable in English, they are in Sanskrit. They are all the meaning of one word: Prana. The words Spirit and Breath are mostly connected in ancient Indian wisdom. Our ‘outer prana’ or ‘outer winds’ are called our physical breath, which has a massive influence on our ‘inner prana’: our spirit (or ‘Atman’ in Sanskrit).
‘The Slower you Breathe, the Longer you Live’
In ancient Yogic wisdom, they even go as far as saying that the time you have on earth here in your bodily vehicle depends on how many breaths you take. Your lifespan was not measured in years, but in the amount of respritations you take in total. They believed each person has a fixed number of breaths to take in their lives. Depending on which person you are. The longer you make your breaths, the longer you live. In other words, the more control you have over your breath, the slower you can breathe, the longer you live.
Pranayama consists of three main parts: breathing in, breathing out, and holding the breath. Pranayama consists of a series of practices with different techniques and slightly different aims, but the most crucial goal is to control the active mind. Controlling the breath will control the mind and is typically a preparation for mediation.
“The purpose of Pranayama is not simply to exercise the lungs or bring in more oxygen, but its initial phase. It is to calm and deepen our Prana and link our outer Prana, intimately connected with breathing, with our inner Prana, ultimately the energy of our deeper consciousness, our inner spirit or Atman.”
The power of the breath has been forgotten and re-invented over and over again throughout history. An excellent read on this is the book Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, which gives a fascinating historical overview of what he calls ‘Pulmonouts’: pioneers that dug up ancient references on the power of breathing and implemented the magical practices to improve health, mental wellbeing and bring change in the world.
Revival in the ’60s
Breathing practices and Pranayama got a significant revival in the ’60s, alongside the first psychedelic wave and Holotropic Breathwork that originated from this wave by the godfather of psychedelic psychotherapy godfather, Stanislav Grof. Also, the method of Rebirthing was ‘invented’ during the ’60s, helping people resolve bright trauma that is stored in our subconscious. Both have different techniques, but they all use a circular breathing technique, meaning that there are no pauses between inhalation and exhalation.
What is Circular Breathing?
Circular breathwork is an umbrella term for breathing practices that leave no pause between inhalation and exhalation and are practiced to reach a state of altered consciousness. The methods include deep breathing towards the belly and inhaling more oxygen than you release. Circular breathing can help bring what may be hidden in the subconscious to the surface – where it can be observed and revised. This breathing technique eliminates the pauses between inhalation and exhalation and vice versa. Without any intermissions, our breath becomes circular. Our inhalation is intense; our exhalation is entirely relaxed. Both the in and out-breath proceed through the mouth. This breathing technique results in attaining an altered state of consciousness that allows you to release energy that may be stored in your body, which results in a deeply cleansing and joyfully liberating experience. (Read more: What is Conscious Connected Breathing?) And find an overview of different Circular Breathing styles here.
The world is inventing new styles and recovering old existing styles of breathwork over and over again. This also is the case today. For example, Conscious Connected Breathing is getting more and more popular. But what is the difference between this new style of circular breathing and the ancient practice of Pranayama?
Paul Nicklen
The Difference Between Pranayama and Conscious Connected Breathing
Pausing or flowing
The most significant difference is in the pause between the respirations. Remember that Pranayama always has the three components of breathing in, breathing out, and pausing/breath retention. The power of Conscious Connected or ‘Circular’ Breathing is that there is no pause between the inhale and exhale. The aim of all circular breathing practices is to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, increasing the flow of energy or ‘prana’ in the body and, with that, bringing movement inside the body.
Nose versus Mouth Breathing
Another big difference between Pranayama and Circular Breathing is nose versus mouth breathing. As Pranayama mainly focuses on breathing through the nose, circular breathing is ideally performed through the mouth. The reason behind this is that Pranayama aims for control over the mind but is also connected to the right and left nostrils, Ida & Pingala Nadi, which are the feminine and masculine energy channels inside the body. Each nostril is connected to a specific energy channel and one brain hemisphere. Knowing how to make use of these energy channels and the nostrils connected to them can help with reaching stillness and balance inside the body and mind. Circular breathing practices, on the other hand, use mostly (temporarily) breathing through the nose as one of the primary tools that make this practice so powerful.
What is the motivation for your practice?
A big difference between the two is the aim you have for your practice. As said, Pranayama is being practiced to reach a place of stillness, bliss and to calm your system. In contrast, circular breathing practices are practiced to experience a profound inner journey comparable with a psychedelic trip. (article: The Differences and Similarities between a Breathwork Journey and a Psychedelic Experience). The intense breathing and oversaturation of oxygen in the blood will bring the breather into an altered state of consciousness.
To sum up, it’s essential to ask yourself why you would want to practice breathwork in general. Are you in search of more calm and clarity in your life? Then, hundreds of Prayayama techniques are waiting for you to be discovered. Give our Spinoza App (iOS, Android) a try, as you can find some simple Pranayama practices inside the practice section. Are you more in search of an integration practice after a psychedelic experience, for example, or do you want to take a deep dive into your subconscious? Then, Conscious Connected Breathwork could be what you are looking for. Explore the possibility of joining one of our upcoming breathwork ceremonies in Amsterdam.
This article was greatly inspired by the teachings of my Tantric Teacher, Sara Tonini. Inner Camp Tantric Practitioner Course – ‘What is Pranayama?’
Breathwork has the potential to balance your stress levels; improve your sleep; positively affect your immune system, bring your body into a state of optimal health; and has a positive influence on your mental well-being.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRANAYAMA AND CIRCULAR BREATHING PRACTICES?
If you practice yoga, there is a great chance you’ve encountered some Pranayama practices at some point during one of your yoga classes. Pranayama is a set of breathing practices to calm the mind and body and, traditionally, to prepare yourself for meditation. On the other hand, ‘breathwork’ practices are becoming more and more popular. But what is the difference between Pranayama and breathwork? Is there any difference at all, or are they just the same? Let’s dive into the differences and the similarities here.
What is Pranayama?
Pranayama is a series of techniques that stimulate and increase vital energy by controlling the flow of Prana in the body. Two ancient sources defined how we practice Pranayama still nowadays: the Yoga Sutra by Patanjali in 1450 CE and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika from the 14th Century. But the earliest references to breathing come from the Rig Veda, which stems from 1500-1000 BC.
While we don’t consider the terms breath, vitality, and spirit interchangeable in English, they are in Sanskrit. They are all the meaning of one word: Prana. The words Spirit and Breath are mostly connected in ancient Indian wisdom. Our ‘outer prana’ or ‘outer winds’ are called our physical breath, which has a massive influence on our ‘inner prana’: our spirit (or ‘Atman’ in Sanskrit).
‘The Slower you Breathe, the Longer you Live’
In ancient Yogic wisdom, they even go as far as saying that the time you have on earth here in your bodily vehicle depends on how many breaths you take. Your lifespan was not measured in years, but in the amount of respritations you take in total. They believed each person has a fixed number of breaths to take in their lives. Depending on which person you are. The longer you make your breaths, the longer you live. In other words, the more control you have over your breath, the slower you can breathe, the longer you live.
Pranayama consists of three main parts: breathing in, breathing out, and holding the breath. Pranayama consists of a series of practices with different techniques and slightly different aims, but the most crucial goal is to control the active mind. Controlling the breath will control the mind and is typically a preparation for mediation.
The power of the breath has been forgotten and re-invented over and over again throughout history. An excellent read on this is the book Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, which gives a fascinating historical overview of what he calls ‘Pulmonouts’: pioneers that dug up ancient references on the power of breathing and implemented the magical practices to improve health, mental wellbeing and bring change in the world.
Revival in the ’60s
Breathing practices and Pranayama got a significant revival in the ’60s, alongside the first psychedelic wave and Holotropic Breathwork that originated from this wave by the godfather of psychedelic psychotherapy godfather, Stanislav Grof. Also, the method of Rebirthing was ‘invented’ during the ’60s, helping people resolve bright trauma that is stored in our subconscious. Both have different techniques, but they all use a circular breathing technique, meaning that there are no pauses between inhalation and exhalation.
What is Circular Breathing?
Circular breathwork is an umbrella term for breathing practices that leave no pause between inhalation and exhalation and are practiced to reach a state of altered consciousness. The methods include deep breathing towards the belly and inhaling more oxygen than you release. Circular breathing can help bring what may be hidden in the subconscious to the surface – where it can be observed and revised. This breathing technique eliminates the pauses between inhalation and exhalation and vice versa. Without any intermissions, our breath becomes circular. Our inhalation is intense; our exhalation is entirely relaxed. Both the in and out-breath proceed through the mouth. This breathing technique results in attaining an altered state of consciousness that allows you to release energy that may be stored in your body, which results in a deeply cleansing and joyfully liberating experience. (Read more: What is Conscious Connected Breathing?) And find an overview of different Circular Breathing styles here.
The world is inventing new styles and recovering old existing styles of breathwork over and over again. This also is the case today. For example, Conscious Connected Breathing is getting more and more popular. But what is the difference between this new style of circular breathing and the ancient practice of Pranayama?
The Difference Between Pranayama and Conscious Connected Breathing
Pausing or flowing
The most significant difference is in the pause between the respirations. Remember that Pranayama always has the three components of breathing in, breathing out, and pausing/breath retention. The power of Conscious Connected or ‘Circular’ Breathing is that there is no pause between the inhale and exhale. The aim of all circular breathing practices is to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, increasing the flow of energy or ‘prana’ in the body and, with that, bringing movement inside the body.
Nose versus Mouth Breathing
Another big difference between Pranayama and Circular Breathing is nose versus mouth breathing. As Pranayama mainly focuses on breathing through the nose, circular breathing is ideally performed through the mouth. The reason behind this is that Pranayama aims for control over the mind but is also connected to the right and left nostrils, Ida & Pingala Nadi, which are the feminine and masculine energy channels inside the body. Each nostril is connected to a specific energy channel and one brain hemisphere. Knowing how to make use of these energy channels and the nostrils connected to them can help with reaching stillness and balance inside the body and mind. Circular breathing practices, on the other hand, use mostly (temporarily) breathing through the nose as one of the primary tools that make this practice so powerful.
What is the motivation for your practice?
A big difference between the two is the aim you have for your practice. As said, Pranayama is being practiced to reach a place of stillness, bliss and to calm your system. In contrast, circular breathing practices are practiced to experience a profound inner journey comparable with a psychedelic trip. (article: The Differences and Similarities between a Breathwork Journey and a Psychedelic Experience). The intense breathing and oversaturation of oxygen in the blood will bring the breather into an altered state of consciousness.
To sum up, it’s essential to ask yourself why you would want to practice breathwork in general. Are you in search of more calm and clarity in your life? Then, hundreds of Prayayama techniques are waiting for you to be discovered. Give our Spinoza App (iOS, Android) a try, as you can find some simple Pranayama practices inside the practice section. Are you more in search of an integration practice after a psychedelic experience, for example, or do you want to take a deep dive into your subconscious? Then, Conscious Connected Breathwork could be what you are looking for. Explore the possibility of joining one of our upcoming breathwork ceremonies in Amsterdam.
This article was greatly inspired by the teachings of my Tantric Teacher, Sara Tonini. Inner Camp Tantric Practitioner Course – ‘What is Pranayama?’
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