The Yoga Tutor

Vibhagha Pranayama
[ Excerpt from The Science of Yoga, page 45 ]

The lungs have 3 distinct regions (or lobes), which we will explore further in the next lesson. The Sanskrit word vibhagha means "section," or "division."

Vibhagha pranayama teaches lobular or sectional breathing-control of the breath within each of these three distinct regions of the lungs.

This practice is the A-B-C of pranayama and is the foundation for good breath control and the bedrock of good health.

The lungs are divided into three major sections:
  1. Adhama, the inferior or lower abdominal area.
  2. Madhyama, the mid or intercostal (ribcage) area.
  3. Adhyama, the superior, high or clavicular area.

When all three aspects of this lobular breathing are practiced together in succession, this is what referred to as mahat yoga pranayama, or the 'complete yogic breath'.

The capacity to breath into each of the three sections, or lobes of the lungs reveals effects on different regions of the body and their associated disorders. In general:

  • Adham Pranayama affects abdominal and lower limbs
  • Madhyam Pranayama affects the chest and upper limb
  • Adhyam Pranayama affects the head and neck
  • Mahat Yoga Pranayama affects the whole body

In the practice of vibhagha pranayama, we divide the breathing practice into three parts, focusing on each area individually and then, at the end, perform them all together as the mahat yoga pranayama.

The breath (both inhalation and exhalation) should move through the nostrils only. When breathing, both the incoming and the outgoing breath should be of equal length and volume...

[Continued...]


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NOTE: This yoga article is an excerpt from The Science of Yoga, an online yoga training program with streaming yoga videos and 600 pages of step-by-step yoga instruction.


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Learn More About
The Science of Yoga Course

Foreword
About Yoga Home Study
Section 1 - Getting Started
Section 2 - Foundations of Yoga (1)
Section 3 - Foundations of Yoga (2)
Section 4 - Classical Ashtanga Yoga
Section 5 - Modern Yoga
Section 6 - The History of Yoga
Section 7 - Yama Niyama Introduction
Section 8 - Awareness
Section 9 - The Yoga Diet
Section 10 - Yoga Philosophy
Section 11 - The Yoga of Perception
Section 12 - The Yoga Path
Section 13 - The Virtue of Restraint
Section 14 - The Classical Yoga Texts
Section 15 - Yoga Cleansing
Section 16 - The Law of Cause and Effect
Section 17 - The Yoga of Digestion
Section 18 - Yoga Psychology
Section 19 - Yoga Psychology (Part 2)
Section 20 - Yoga Psychology (Part 3)
Section 21 - Yoga Psychology (Part 4)
Section 22 - Controlling The Senses
Section 23 - The Higher Stages of Yoga
Section 24 - Higher Stages of Yoga (Part 2)