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With a consistent uptick in individuals turning to holistic wellness to enhance their lives, people are uncovering the immense life-changing power of breathwork, Pranayama, and meditation. Each of these disciplines offers a unique approach to the practitioner as they continue their journey. But what is the difference between Pranyama and deep breathing? Is there a difference between meditation and breathwork? What are the core differences between these breathing disciplines?
What is the difference between Breathwork, Meditation, and Pranayama?
Breathwork, Meditation, and Pranayama may seem similar at first glance and while these terms have been used interchangeably, they are fundamentally different. Each practice has its own innate benefits, outcomes, and lessons to be learned. While breathwork and Pranayama focus similarly on using breath to improve your health, meditation uses breath control as a mindfulness technique. On the other hand, meditation and Pranayama have ties to religious and spiritual practices while breathwork is not tied to any dogma or culture.
While each technique is different, they share many similarities. They can all be used to help reduce stress, improve health and happiness, and improve quality of life. Read on to discover more about the core differences between these life-changing breathing techniques.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the intentional manipulation of breath to create a desired outcome. Breathwork uses a variety of techniques including nostril breathing, mouth breathing, rapid breathing, shallow breathing, breath holds, forced exhalation, pursed lip exhalation, and more. Many of these techniques have roots in the ancient yogic practice of pranayama. However, breathwork itself is free of any dogma or religious affiliation and can be practiced by anyone regardless of spiritual or cultural identity.
Breathwork allows practitioners to learn to control their minds and body by controlling their breathing. Whether you are looking to add physical and mental endurance to your workouts, want to add pain management to a birthing plan, hoping to squash any lingering nerves before a big presentation, or want to stop an anxious spiral from happening, breathwork offers the tools to do all these and much more.
What is Pranayama?
Pranayama is an ancient breathing technique that was laid out as the fourth limb of yoga in the Yoga Sutra by Patanjali. Most people think of the fifth limb, the asanas (physical postures) when they think of yoga. However, yoga itself is a lifestyle and not an exercise guide. The Yoga Sutra maps out an entire plan on how to live and act to be the most content version of yourself. Pranayama is a combination of two words “prana” meaning breath and “ayama” which has a meaning similar to expansion, length, or rising.
Pranayama, just like the asanas, has detailed and traditional directions for each breathing exercise. These breathing exercises are also used in certain instances like Kapalbhati Pranayama which is a conscious breathing exercise that can detoxify the body and clear nasal congestion. Other types of Pranayama include:
- Nadi Shodhana / Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Agni Sara / Fire Breath
- Bhastrika / Bellows Breath
- Samavritti / Square Breath
This list is not exhaustive of Pranayama techniques. Many breathwork exercises pull from the tradition of Pranayama. However, breathwork and Pranayama are different disciplines.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is an activity in which the practitioner uses physical and mental techniques to attempt to clear their minds and ground them to the present moment. Meditation has been used for thousands of years as a way for people to destress, calm down, and live more mindful lives.
In a society where we are always racing off the next thing to try to stay ahead, it can be hard to slow down and stay in the present moment. Meditation gives us the ability to pause and look within, slowing down.
There are many different types of meditation including:
- Emotion Centered Meditation has you focus on a specific emotion like how to be kind to others or finding what makes you feel happy in life.
- Mantra Meditation is perhaps the most commonly thought-of meditation practice. During this meditation, you repeat a specific phrase or mantra either in your head or out loud, focusing on the phrase or sound.
- Visual Bases Meditation involves focusing on something that you can see. Whether the object is in your field of vision physically or if you close your eyes and imagine it, the focus should be on that specific item.
- Mindfulness Meditation helps create an anchor to the moment by allowing you to feel everything that is happening in and around you while trying not to let your mind wander to the past or the future.
What’s the difference between meditation and breathing exercises? Well, the main difference is the intention. While breathwork focuses almost solely on the breath, meditation almost always brings your attention to something else.
There are many deep-breathing meditations that you can find and participate in. However, during these meditations, the intent is to be mindful and live in the moment while feeling all the things happening in and around you. Breathwork meditations offer the physiological and emotional benefits of breathwork and also create space for mindfulness and focus to take center stage. Read more about the differences between breathwork and meditation here.
What are the Benefits of Breathing Exercises?
Today, more and more people are feeling stressed as they try to keep up with the demands of society, their social lives, and their jobs. High levels of stress are linked to many diseases and ailments including:
- Headaches
- Overeating and Obesity
- Muscle Aches and Fatigue
- Low Energy and Irritability
- Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, and Strokes
- Weakened Immune System
- Increased Alcohol or Substance Use
- Lack of Motivation
- Memory Problems
When you experience stress, your cortisol levels spike in your body. This causes physiological symptoms like rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure. While short-term stress won’t have a hugely negative impact on our overall health, chronic stress has been thought to overload our nervous systems, keeping us in fight-or-flight mode for long periods of time. Breathwork helps break this cycle by regulating our central nervous systems and creating a neural pathway to easily stop the cycle by engaging in breathing exercises.
Luckily, you have access to the tools that can help you overcome chronic stress and take control of your health. Breathwork, meditation, and Pranayama offer an array of benefits for your emotional, physical, and mental health. Many of these benefits are chain reactions, creating the opportunity to do your body a lot of good in a short amount of time. In as little as 5 minutes a day, breathwork has had people reporting they are feeling happier, calmer, and more focused while experiencing less anxious thoughts.
Benefits of having a breathwork regime include:
- Lowered Blood Pressure
- Reduced Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
- More Restful Sleep
- Lowered Feelings of PTSD
- Increased Immune System
- Better Mental Focus and Clarity
- Feelings of Contentment and Joy
- Having a Better Outlook on Life
Can I use Breathwork, Pranayama, and Meditation Together?
While breathwork, meditation, and Pranayama are similar, they still have fundamental differences. These differences can make them stronger and more beneficial when used together in a planned regime. While breathwork can be the foundation for your breathing technique journey, including some traditional Pranayama and adding the mindfulness of meditation can give your practice a diverse and mentally stimulating experience to help keep you motivated and on track.
Many coaches who have been through the Breathwork Facilitator Training take the time to study and add meditation and Pranayama to their clients’ regimes. This is just one of the reasons that SOMA Breathwork Coaches are some of the industry’s best. Having the tools and the knowledge to best serve yourself and your clients on their journey is key.
Why Breathwork?
Breathwork, Pranayama, and meditation are all amazing techniques on their own. While they are different, they complement each other well. Where one technique may fall short, another picks up. However, when it comes to choosing just one area to focus on, breathwork is perhaps the quickest and simplest way to achieve your desired goals.
- Breathwork provides a more enriching environment than just sitting on your yoga mat and breathing in and out. At SOMA, breathwork is done to music, making it way more enjoyable and easier to want to come back for another session.
- Breathwork can be a little less intimidating than meditation or Pranayama. Meditation requires you to shut down your mind, which can be difficult for some people. Pranayama requires a lot of prior knowledge and can feel overwhelming.
- While meditation can offer stress relief, in the beginning as you’re learning how to quiet your mind, it can be frustrating and stress-inducing to keep policing yourself every time your mind wanders. Breathwork works much quicker and is easier to stay in the moment.
At the end of the day, whether you are choosing Pranayama, breathwork, or meditation to help destress your life, you are making moves to help raise the vibration of the planet. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and breathe!
