Pranayama (breathwork): our built-in magic pill
- Grazie Prokopetz
- Dec 28, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Why deep breathing is one of the most powerful habits that exists.
n Ayurveda, Prana is the vital force. It is what animates the body, sustains the mind, and keeps all systems functioning in harmony. Prana permeates all living beings, nature, and the cosmos itself.
Prana does not come only from the air. It is also present in food, soil, light, and the environment. Still, breathing is the main gateway through which Prana enters the human body. Through it, we regulate energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance.
Other traditions call this same force Qi, Ki, or Vital Energy. This force flows through subtle channels in our body known as nadis or meridians.
🌬️What is Pranayama
Pranayama is exactly that: the conscious practice of regulating Prana through the breath. It is learning how to direct vital force, directly influencing energy levels, the mind, the nervous system, and emotional states. It is not just a relaxation technique.It is a physiological and energetic training, with deep and cumulative effects.
💊 The magic pill
If there is a simple and extremely effective solution for dealing with both external and internal frustrations, it goes by a very unglamorous name:
Deep (diaphragmatic) breathing, also known as yogic breathing.
Yes. Just that. And it works better than you might imagine.
What science already knows:
Deep, conscious breathing is one of the most effective tools for bringing the body out of a chronic state of alert. Studies show that it:
🛡️ strengthens resilience to stress
😮💨 reduces anxiety and irritability
🔥 decreases inflammation in the body
🩹 reduces pain perception
🧠 improves focus and mental clarity
🍏 reduces gastrointestinal symptoms
🦠 supports detoxification processes
🚿 cleanses and balances the nadis (meridians)
🧬 improves hormonal regulation
😴 supports better sleep
🧘♀️ increases emotional self-regulation
And no, this is not something to use only when a crisis hits.The idea is to train the nervous system daily, so that when chaos appears, you don’t collapse at the first email from your boss.
⏰ How much time do you need?
10 minutes: the path of a Zen monk
5 minutes: partial enlightenment
1 minute: better than nothing (participation trophy 🏆)
Ideally, practice at least twice a day: upon waking and before going to sleep. During periods of stress or anxiety, it can also be used throughout the day — before replying, before reacting, before exploding.
🫁 How to practice diaphragmatic breathing
Sit or lie down comfortably, shoulders relaxed.
Place one hand on the chest and the other on the belly.
Inhale through the nose for about 5 seconds, feeling the belly expand first and the chest follow.
Exhale slowly through the mouth for at least 8 seconds, fully emptying the lungs.
If this feels difficult at first, great. That usually means you need this practice even more. Stay with it for a bit and observe the effect unfold.
Yes, there are many breathing techniques out there. But this is the foundation behind all of them. How you breathe every day matters more than adding a new technique to the list.
🪂 The role of the diaphragm and the vagus nerve
The diaphragm is the essential muscle of breathing, and yet many people go through life barely remembering it exists.
Shaped like a dome, it separates the chest from the abdomen. When it contracts, air enters. When it relaxes, air leaves. Simple. Vital.
The vagus nerve passes through it, one of the main pathways of the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for relaxation, recovery, and reduced reactivity. This means that when you breathe deeply and consciously, you increase vagal tone and activate the system that tells the body:“Everything’s okay. You can leave panic mode now.”
Short, shallow breathing, on the other hand, makes the body believe danger is constant.Result: everything shifts into emergency mode. Energy, defense, and nutrition are diverted to deal with stress and anxiety that, let’s be honest, 99% of the time are imaginary scenarios.
And when all resources are spent trying to survive what isn’t happening, they are missing where you truly need them. That’s how imbalances arise. Breathing well helps the body move out of alert mode and into regulation mode, where recovery, regeneration, and healing finally occur.
When the breath moves, the mind moves. When the breath becomes still, the mind also becomes still. Thus, stability is attained. — Hatha Yoga Pradipika
To a balanced life!
Grazie Prokopetz,
Doctor of Ayurveda
Comments