Dirga Pranayama Breathing Technique

A great way to reduce stress is to simply focus on the breath. Dirga Pranayama is a yogic breathing exercise focusing on deep and intentional breath control. This involves an expansion through the belly, followed by the ribs and lastly, the chest, creating space around the heart. By practicing this breathing technique, we begin to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging the rest and digesting response from the body. *If you are pregnant or have asthma, please consult your general practitioner before practicing this meditation.

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome.

My name is Tremaine and today we will explore a breathing technique called Durga Pranayama or three-part breathing.

This simple practice involves breathing deeply into three parts of the body.

The belly,

The lungs,

And lastly the chest.

This technique is used to soothe the nervous system,

Calm the mind,

And increase the awareness of lung capacity.

Durga Pranayama can be practiced at least once each day.

If you are pregnant or have asthma,

Please consult your physician before trying this technique.

Whether seated or laying down,

Rest comfortably here.

If you choose,

You can soften your gaze or close your eyes.

As you relax naturally,

Take a moment to find your breath.

Are you breathing fast?

Are you breathing slow?

Are you breathing at all?

Notice the lengths of your breath,

The depths of the breath.

Notice the pauses between each inhale and exhalation.

You can take three full cycles of breath here.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

On your next inhale,

Allow your belly to rise all the way to the sky and as you exhale,

Belly falls navel to spine.

Inhale.

Belly rise.

Exhale.

Belly falls.

Stay and breathe,

Taking a deep breath into a soft open belly.

Going a bit further here.

Inhale.

Belly rise.

Ribs expand to the sides,

Feeding your lungs.

And as you exhale,

Ribs contract and belly falls.

Inhale.

Belly rise.

Ribs expand to the sides.

Exhale.

Ribs contract and belly falls.

Stay and breathe,

Perhaps noticing with each exhale the body softening and letting go.

Deepening the breath one last time.

Inhale.

Belly rise.

Ribs expand to the sides and your chest will lift to the sky,

Allowing the breath to surround your heart.

As you exhale,

Belly falls,

Ribs contract,

And chest falls.

Inhale.

Belly.

Ribs.

Chest.

Exhale.

Chest.

Ribs and belly.

Stay and breathe.

Slow and steady inhalation.

Slow and steady exhalation.

As you rest here,

Notice how the breath feeds the body,

Heals the body,

Eases the body from tension.

Continue to breathe deeply.

You can choose to rest here a bit longer,

Enjoying the remnants of your practice,

Or when the body is ready,

You can gently open your eyes,

Coming back to this place and space.

Thank you for sharing this space with me.

Go in peace and namaste.

Reviews

Very nice delivery and I love your voice

Thank you 🙏🏾 5/27/25

Very good when anxious, thank you

Thanks Tramaine . Feeling refreshed after laying on my mat to do this .I will play again at bedtime to release my day with breath

Exactly what I needed before starting my day. Thank you 🙏

Very calming practice and such a soothing voice. Thank you 🙏🏼💕