Types of Pranayama in Yoga (Explained Simply)
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A full list of pranayamas, classified based on their energetic effects and benefits.
By VINEET KAUL | Updated: May 9, 2025
Over centuries, yogic masters have developed dozens of pranayamas—each with a unique energetic effect, purpose, and method. Some calm the nerves and activate our intuitive feminine energy. Others generate heat, sharpen focus, and stimulate our dynamic, masculine energy.
This variety exists because each pranayama serves a unique function and suits a specific stage of practice. Classifying them helps students practice safely and progressively—and helps teachers prescribe techniques based on goals, constitution, or experience.
In this guide, we’ll explore the major types of pranayama in two ways: a) traditional forms as taught in classical yoga texts, and b) modern categories based on nervous system impact, energetic qualities, and practical applications. To make learning easy, we’ve compiled a list of nearly two dozen pranayamas with their English and Sanskrit names, as well as insights on how and when to practice them.
Pranayama Techniques: Categories and Effects
Breath is one of the few bodily functions that is both automatic and voluntary. We breathe unconsciously every moment of the day, yet we can also control our breath deliberately—slowing it down, lengthening it, pausing it, or directing it through specific nostrils.
This simple fact is the foundation of all types of pranayamas and their effects on us.
Behind the scenes, the breath is tightly linked to the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which governs the body's involuntary functions, such as heart rate, digestion, temperature, and stress response. This makes pranayama a powerful tool to regulate how we feel, think, and respond.
The ANS has three distinct regulatory states:
Sympathetic Dominance – Activates the body’s fight-or-flight response: energy, focus, and readiness for action.
Parasympathetic Dominance – Initiates the rest-and-digest state: calmness, emotional regulation, and physical recovery.
Balanced State – A state of equilibrium where both systems (sympathetic and parasympathetic) are harmonized. The body is still and at ease, while the mind is alert and receptive.
Yogic texts describe a similar polarity through Pingala Nadi (solar, activating) and Ida Nadi (lunar, calming). When these two are balanced, Sushumna Nadi—the central channel—is activated.
This balanced state corresponds to what some call “relaxed alertness”: a calm body paired with a focused, meditative mind. It is considered the ideal mental state for deeper spiritual practices.
Table: How Pranayama Affects the Nervous System
Different pranayama techniques stimulate different branches of this system, and based on these effects they can be classified into three distinct categories:
Nervous System Response | Effect on Mind | Yogic Association |
Parasympathetic Dominance: Rest-and-digest mode | Downregulates the nervous system, reduces stress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure levels, encourages inner awareness | Ida Nadi: lunar, feminine, introspective) |
Sympathetic Dominance: Fight-or-Flight mode | Energizes the body, increases heart rate and alertness, sharpens mental focus, generates internal heat | Pingala Nadi (solar, masculine, activating) |
Balanced State: Relaxed Alertness | Creates mental clarity with physical calm, brings both branches of the ANS into balance | Sushumna Nadi (central, spiritual, meditative) |
By understanding the nervous system effects and energetic associations of pranayamas techniques, practitioners can select practices that are aligned with their current mental state and intention—whether it's calming the nerves, increasing vitality, or preparing for entering deep states of meditation.
Functional Categories of Pranayamas
Each yoga pranayama can produce distinct effects on the mind, body, and energy systems by activating or deactivating different mechanisms. To understand their purpose and applications, we can categorize pranayamas into the following six functional categories:
1. Relaxing vs Energizing Pranayamas
One of the most common ways to classify pranayama types is by their energetic effect. Some techniques are calming and relaxing, designed to help you unwind and let go. Others are stimulating and energizing, used to sharpen focus and prepare for challenging activities.
In yoga philosophy, this duality mirrors the flow of prana through Ida and Pingala nadis—the lunar (feminine) and solar (masculine) energy channels. In modern physiology, it corresponds to the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.
Understanding the distinction between these two types of pranayama can help you select the right practice for your mood, time of day, physical needs, or emotional state.
Here’s a comparison of how relaxing and energizing pranayamas differ across key factors:
Aspect | Relaxing Pranayamas | Energizing Pranayamas |
|---|---|---|
Primary Effect | Calms the nervous system, reduces stress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure levels | Activates the nervous system, sharpens focus, may increase heart rate and blood pressure |
ANS Shift | Parasympathetic (PNS) | Sympathetic (SNS) |
Yogic Association | Ida (lunar, feminine) | Pingala (solar, masculine) |
Examples | Bhramari (Bee Breathing), Anuloma (Extended Exhalation), | Pratiloma (Extended Inhalation), Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) |
Breath Quality | Slow, smooth, often with extended exhalation | Sharp, forceful, rapid, or rhythmic |
Best for: | Insomnia, mental-emotional reset, hyperarousal | Fatigue, sluggishness, low motivation, lack of focus |
Dosha Suitability (As per Ayurveda) | Good for Pitta and Vata (excessive heat or air). Use cautiously in Kapha (may increase lethargy) | Good for Kapha (dull, heavy). May aggravate Pitta (heat) and Vata (anxiety or restlessness) |
Cautions | Avoid in cold weather, sluggishness, lethargy, and low blood pressure | Avoid in anxiety, burnout, overstimulation, overheating, and high blood pressure |
Both relaxing and energizing pranayama play essential roles in a well-rounded breathwork practice. Relaxing techniques support calmness and sleep, while energizing ones boost vitality and focus. When used consciously, both can shift your internal state in a matter of minutes.
Did You Know: A 2014 study in the Med Science Monitor Basic Reasearch found that alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) significantly reduced blood pressure and improved heart rate variability within 10 minutes of practice. (Reference: Telles et al., 2014) |
2. Cooling vs Heating Pranayamas
In yoga and Ayurveda, the breath doesn’t just move air, it modulates heat and energy too. Thus, some pranayamas are cooling and help reduce excess internal heat, inflammation, or emotional intensity. Others are heating, designed to boost circulation and metabolic function.
In this context, excess heat can be both physical and mental. For instance, experiencing intense passion, anger, or agitation is believed to generate heat within the body. Cooling pranayamas help diffuse internal heat—whether it stems from weather, emotion, or exertion.
Here’s a comparison of how cooling and heating pranayamas differ across key factors:
Aspect | Cooling Pranayamas | Heating Pranayamas |
|---|---|---|
Primary effect | Reduces internal heat, soothes the nervous system | Generates heat and energy, both physical and mental |
ANS Shift | Parasympathetic | Sympathetic |
Yogic Association | Summer, after spicy food or intense workouts, acidity or heartburn, | Winter, mornings, before yoga or physical work |
Examples | Sheetali and Sitkari | Kapalbhati and Bhastrika |
Breath quality | Inhaling through the mouth, drawing cool air through the teeth or tongue | Rapid, forceful, and sharp breaths, using abdominal pumping techniques |
Best for | Anger, irritability, hot flashes, acidity, heartburn, high blood pressure | Sluggish digestion, cold limbs, dullness, low blood pressure |
Dosha Suitability | Balances Pitta. Cautious use in Vata or Kapha excess | Balances Kapha. Cautious use in Vata or Pitta excess |
Cautions | Avoid in cold weather or with low blood pressure. BP | Avoid if overheated, irritable, restless, or hypertensive |
These two types of breathwork are traditionally used to balance opposing states—overheating vs. sluggishness, burnout vs. lethargy, excess Pitta vs. excess Kapha. Understanding which type to use, and when, helps yoga practitioners always stay in energetic and emotional balance.
Editor’s Note: The cooling or heating effect of a pranayama can be influenced by factors like breath retention, intensity, and mental focus. Ujjayi (Ocean Breath), for example, is considered mildly heating, but it can feel relaxing and balancing when done slowly and gently. |
3. Cleansing and Balancing Pranayama
In classical yoga texts, several pranayama techniques are described as shodhana (cleansing). These practices aim to purify the nadis (energy channels), clear excess mucus, and remove stagnant energy. They are tools for internal purification—physical, mental, and energetic.
By contrast, balancing pranayama techniques focus less on purging and more on equilibrium—bringing the mind and nervous system into a steady, lucid rhythm. These techniques induce a balance ANS state (relaxed-alertness), making them ideal before meditation.
Here’s a comparison of how cleansing and balancing pranayamas differ across key factors:
Aspect | Cleansing Pranayamas | Balancing Pranayamas |
|---|---|---|
Primary Effect | Purifies the body, nadis, and respiratory tract | Bring balance and harmony |
ANS Shift | Varies | Relaxed Alertness |
Yogic Association | Clears Ida and Pingala | Prepares Sushumna |
Examples | Kapalbhati, Bhastrika, Surya/Chandra Bhedana | Nadi Shodhana, Sama Vritti, Samaveta, Sukha Purvaka |
Breath Quality | Varies | Alternate or double nostril breathing |
Best for | Detox, congestion, energy blockages | Mental-emotional balance, spiritual preparation |
Dosha Suitability | Balances Kapha. Cautious use in Vata depletion | Balances all three doshas (Tri-doshic) |
Cautions | Check contraindications for each practice | Generally safe and suitable for most conditions |
That said, it’s worth noting that some pranayamas fall into multiple categories. For instance, Chandra Bhedana (Left-nostril Breathing), has a relaxing effect (parasympathetic dominance) but it is also used in yoga to purify the Ida Nadi (the Lunar, feminine energy channel).
Likewise, Kapalbhati (Skull-Shining) is heating, cleansing, and energizing. It sharpens focus, generates internal heat, and also clears the sinuses and pranic pathways.
Types of Pranayamas in Yoga
With over two dozen classical and modern pranayama practices found in yoga texts and traditions, it can be helpful to see them all in one place—organized clearly and simply.
Here’s an alphabetical list of the major types of pranayama techniques, each paired with its English name and categorized by its primary energetic effect (relaxing, balancing, etc.).
Sanskrit Name | English Name | Type/Effect |
|---|---|---|
Anuloma | Prolonged Exhalation | Relaxing, Cleansing |
Anulom-Vilom | Alternate Nostril Breathing | Balancing |
Bhastrika | Bellows Breath | Heating, Energizing, Cleansing |
Bhramari | Humming Bee Breath | Relaxing |
Beej Pranayama | Seed Mantra Chanting | Spiritual, Meditative |
Chandra Bhedana | Left Nostril Breathing | Relaxing, Cleansing |
Dirgha | Three-Part Breath | Relaxing |
Kapalbhati | Skull Shining Breath | Heating, Energizing, Cleansing |
Kumbhaka | Breath Retention | Balancing |
Murccha | Swooning Breath | Spiritual |
Nadi Shodhana | Alternate Nostril Breathing | Balancing, Cleansing |
Plavini | Floating Breath | Cleansing |
Pranava | Silent Om Chanting | Spiritual, Meditative |
Pratiloma | Prolonged Inhalation | Energizing |
Samaveta | Double Nostril Breathing | Balancing |
Sama Vritti | Box Breathing | Balancing, Relaxing |
Sheetali | Cooling Breath | Cooling, Relaxing |
Sitkari | Hissing Breath | Cooling, Relaxing |
Simha | Lion’s breath | Energizing |
Sukha Purvaka | Comfortable Breath | Balancing, Relaxing |
Surya Bhedana | Right Nostril Breathing | Energizing, Cleansing |
Udgeeth | Loud Om Chanting | Spiritual, Meditative |
Ujjayi | Ocean Breath | Heating, Energizing |
How to Use Different Types of Pranayamas
Now that you understand the six categories of pranayama—relaxing, energizing, cooling, heating, cleansing, and balancing—you can make better choices about how to structure your breathwork sessions.
Each technique offers a unique energetic imprint. The ideal practice depends on your current physical state, emotional needs, constitution (dosha), time of day, and broader spiritual intention.
For example:
Feeling scattered or overstimulated? Choose a relaxing or balancing pranayama.
Cold and sluggish? Try an energizing or heating technique.
Recovering from illness or feeling congested? Start with cleansing breathwork
Preparing for meditation? Use a balancing practice to settle the mind
To make it even easier, the previous section includes a reference table of the most commonly used pranayama techniques, showing how each one fits into these categories.
Final Thoughts + What to Read Next
Whether you’re building your own breathwork routine, deepening your understanding of yoga, or just curious about the many forms pranayama can take—this guide offers a clear and comprehensive reference that we hope will remain useful for many years to come.
That said, this article was quite the challenge, as it required extensive research, collaboration, and hours of thoughtful editing. If you’ve found this resource valuable, please consider sharing it with your community and supporting our work. A one-time or monthly donation helps us keep publishing high-quality, accessible yoga education for sincere seekers around the world.
Before you go, here are some pranayama articles that may interest you:
What is Pranayama: A Yoga Beginner's Guide - First in the Series
The Benefits of Regularly Practicing Pranayama - Next in the Series
How to Sit for Pranayama: Yoga Postures & Props for Breathwork
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