Dirgha Pranayama - Breathing Practice

Dirgha Pranayama, or the Three-Part Breath, is a calming and grounding practice that gently guides you into presence. By breathing deeply into the belly, ribs, and chest, you reconnect with your body and quiet the mind.

This full, spacious breath soothes the nervous system, supports digestion, and brings clarity to the moment. If you are seeking a pause in your day, this practice offers a soft landing—one breath at a time.

Transcript

Welcome,

And thank you for joining me.

Today I'm going to guide you through a Durga Pranayama,

Also known as three-part yogic breath meditation.

Durga in Sanskrit means long and extended,

So this practice invites us to consciously lengthen our breaths into three parts,

Which are the diaphragmatic,

Thoracic,

And clavicular breathing.

So to start our practice,

Begin to ease your way into a comfortable position,

Whatever that means for you,

Gently closing down the eyes if that feels right,

Or simply lowering your gaze.

Let's start by taking three deep,

Cleansing breaths.

Inhale through the nose,

And open them out to let it all out.

Another deep inhale,

And a slow,

Long exhale.

And finally,

Last breath in,

And an open mouth sigh.

Make sure your spine is long,

And you can breathe with ease.

We'll begin this practice by checking in with the abdomen.

Is there any squeezing,

Clenching,

Or restriction in the abdomen?

Soften the space,

And let it fully relax as you breathe.

On the inhale,

Feel the belly as it rises.

On the exhale,

The belly floats back,

Expanding on the inhale,

Releasing on the exhale.

And one more time.

Begin to draw your attention to the movement of the ribs.

Notice the expansion and contraction of the rib cage.

With each inhale,

The ribs open out wide,

And with each exhale,

They hug back into the body.

And finally,

Gently bringing your awareness to the chest.

Feel the gentle expansion of the chest on the inhale,

And a soft release on the exhale.

Inhale,

And exhale,

And out.

And finally,

Putting it all together,

Inhale through the nose,

Allowing your belly to expand as the breath moves through your ribs,

And then to the chest.

Then exhale from the chest,

Ribs,

Belly.

Again,

Inhaling into the belly,

Ribs,

Chest,

And then exhaling chest,

Ribs,

Belly.

Inhale belly to chest.

Exhale chest to belly.

Just keep flowing with the breath like this for the next couple of cycles.

Now let's complete our last cycle before returning to your natural breathing pattern.

And now,

Begin to notice your feet on the ground.

Start to bring a little movement back into your body.

Perhaps a gentle wiggle in the fingers,

Or a slow stretch out.

And when you are ready,

Gently blinking your eyes open,

And return your attention to the room.

Thank you for practicing with me.