How to Practice Dirga Pranayama; Three-Part Breathing

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Dirga Pranayama translates to three-part breathing and is often one of the first breath techniques taught to yoga practitioners. This breath helps focus our mind and invites us to tune into the sensations of our bodies. By intentionally manipulating breath into three separate parts of our body, dirga pranayama takes us into the present moment and out of worries or fears in our minds.

The three areas we focus on while practicing this breath are our belly, ribs, and chest. On a daily basis, we perform very shallow breathing patterns. Predominantly, we stick to surface level chest breathing. By training ourselves in three-part breathing, we can take advantage of the space in our diaphragm and lungs. Three-part breathing increases our oxygen intake and stimulates our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system. In turn, we can experience an improvement in our digestion, immune system, and stress levels.

How to Practice Dirga Pranayama

Finding a comfortable seat, or standing up nice and tall, take one hand to your belly and one hand to your heart. You don’t have to place your hands here every time you want to practice this breath, however, it’s extremely helpful in the learning process as it allows us to feel where our breath is moving in our body.

Start by inhaling through your nose filling up your belly first, then the sides of your ribs, letting your breath lift to your lungs, and up into your collar bones. Keeping your mouth closed, exhale out your nose. First releasing the air from your belly, then ribs, then lungs. Continue to breathe in and out using that same pattern.

As you explore this breath you can deepen this practice by trying to make your inhales and exhales even in length. Maybe breathing for a beat longer to lengthen the span of your breath. Some teachers will even teach a gentle retention at the top of your inhale and bottom of your exhale. The more comfortable you become with this breath, the more you will begin to naturally explore this practice on your own.

Dirga Pranayama and the Diaphragm

It’s also important to know how our diaphragm plays into this breath. Typically, when we breathe into our diaphragm it’s natural inclination is to expand our belly outward. However, in order to move our breath from our belly and into our ribs, we need to allow our diaphragm to lift our torso and expand horizontally like an accordion. By doing this, we can allow our breath to flow seamlessly through all three spaces in our body.

The Yoga Anatomy book by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews has a great section dedicated to yogic breath and the diaphragm. I highly recommend checking it out so you can gain a deeper understanding of how your diaphragm plays into both pranayama and posture.

Typically, Dirga Pranayama is taught at the beginning or end of a yoga class. It is an extremely effective tool in getting you out of your mind and into your body. Due to its calming effects on the nervous system, Dirga Pranayama is also a great way to prepare for meditation, help you sleep, and release fears and anxiety. I hope you find this breath helpful in both your yoga practice and your daily life!