Breathing in Yoga for Beginners: Natural Breath, Ujjayi and What to Avoid

This page is information only. It does not replace advice from your own clinician. It does not teach breath holding or forceful breathing, and it asks you never to practice breath work in or near water. If you have lung, heart or blood pressure conditions, are pregnant, or have a history of panic or fainting, check with a clinician first (see who should check with a clinician before yoga).

Where breathing fits in yoga

NCCIH says yoga as practiced in the United States typically emphasizes physical postures, breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation. [1] Breath control, pranayama, is the fourth of the eight limbs described in Patanjali's system. [2] An encyclopedia article summarizing the scholar Andrea Jain says that in classical texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras, pranayama meant "complete cessation of breathing," quite unlike the breath that is matched to movement in many modern classes. [3] The full picture is in pranayama: cultural overview and specific practices.

Start with your natural breath

Nothing in the sources we read requires a special breathing method on day one. If a teacher simply asks you to notice your breathing, that is a fine place to start. As an example of a gentle, widely published breathing exercise (not a yoga technique), the NHS describes letting the breath flow "as deep down into your belly as is comfortable, without forcing it." [4] It suggests breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, breathing in gently and regularly, and repeating for at least 5 minutes. [4] The NHS page was reviewed in June 2026 and is aimed at stress, anxiety and panic. See also breathing exercises for stress and breathing and relaxation basics.

What ujjayi is

Ujjayi (from a Sanskrit word meaning "victorious" or "conquering") is a breathing technique practiced together with postures in modern yoga as exercise, especially in Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga yoga. [3] The same article describes it as diaphragmatic breathing with the throat slightly narrowed, "causing the air to produce a whispering sound." [3] In Ashtanga, the sound is meant to be heard by the practitioner but not by someone standing six feet away. [3] B.K.S. Iyengar's 1966 Light on Yoga describes a seated version that includes short holds of the breath, which we do not describe here. [3]

If a class uses ujjayi, you can tell the teacher you prefer to breathe naturally, and you can ask what the cue is meant to do. The sources we read do not say beginners must use it.

What research shows about ujjayi

• Claims by teachers. Iyengar claims ujjayi soothes the nerves, and Saraswati says it helps insomnia and is useful for people with high blood pressure, but the article notes both made these claims without adducing any evidence or citing a source. [3] Label: traditional use only / marketing claim.
• One small trial. A 2022 trial randomized 54 healthy young women to yoga with slow breathing instructions, yoga without them, or seated rest with or without them. [5] Yoga conditions reduced state anxiety, but yoga with or without slow breathing had no effect on heat pain sensitivity. [5] It was a single session, not a long-term program. Label: insufficient evidence for ujjayi on its own.
• Pranayama in general. A meta-analysis of six randomized trials (517 patients with PTSD, depression and other mental disorders) found symptom reductions against passive controls, but overall risk of bias was high in four studies, and the authors say pranayama should not be used instead of standard therapies. [6] Label: promising but limited.

Proper evidence not found for ujjayi compared with ordinary breathing in beginners. We searched PubMed for "ujjayi" and read the single trial above that separated its slow breathing from the postures.

What to avoid, and why

• Forceful breathing. NCCIH advises people new to yoga to avoid extreme practices including forceful breathing. [1] A 2004 case report described a healthy 29-year-old woman who developed a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) from Kapalabhati pranayama, "breath of fire." [7] Its authors called it the only known such report, which means it is rare, not that it is risk-free.
• Fast breathing techniques. In the pranayama meta-analysis, adverse events were more frequently associated with fast than with slow techniques. [6]
• Case-report patterns. A 2026 review of 84 adverse events in case reports found forceful pranayama was among the most frequently implicated practices (8 cases, 10%), and 54% of people had pre-existing vulnerabilities. [8] Case reports cannot say how often harm happens.
• Breath holding and intensive breath work. We do not describe these. See breath practices in yoga safety and intensive breathwork.
• Water. Never practice breath holding or intensive breathing in or near water.