Sama Vritti Pranayama (Box Breath or Equal Breathing) • Yoga Basics

Many yogis consider breath to be a powerful and essential part of their yoga practice. If a yogi can control his breath, he can control his prana or life energy, which governs everything he thinks, feels, and does. One of the best breathing techniques that you can use to create a calm and peaceful mind is Sama Vritti Pranayama. This is a simple but very effective yoga breathing exercise that can be practiced by almost anyone at any time. Mastering this technique will help you center your mind to improve your meditation and yoga. Practicing this breath also creates a basis for learning the more advanced pranayamas.

What is Sama Vritti Pranayama?

Sama Vritti Pranayama is a yoga breathing exercise also known as equal breath or box breathing. Sama means “equal” and vritti means “mental fluctuations”, hence Sama Vritti Pranayama means “equal mental fluctuation breathing”. Samavritti Pranayama is a ratio breathing technique that uses a set length of equal inhalations, exhalations and breath holding. The main goal of this technique is to reduce mental chatter and distractions.

The benefits of Sama Vritti Pranayama

The main benefit of this pranayama practice is to balance, harmonize and balance the prana flowing through the nadis or energy channels of the body. This four-part breathing technique is primarily practiced to calm and balance the mind and body in order to reduce psychological stress and worry. Deliberately using the diaphragm to increase the flow of air into your lungs is a great way to improve your ability to breathe deeply and bring oxygen to your lungs. Sama Vritti can also help slow your heart rate, increase oxygen supply to the brain, and reduce anxiety. People who practice this yoga breathing technique regularly will find that they are more focused and able to experience deep, restful states of relaxation.

Use kumbhaka (breath holding)

An essential part of Sama Vritti Pranayama is holding the breath after inhaling and exhaling. Kumbhaka is a Sanskrit word that translates as "holding your breath". We practice Kumbhaka to strengthen our breathing, stabilize our senses, increase inner awareness, calm the mind and energize the body. It is important not to hold your breath past the point of discomfort. Advanced yoga students can add one or more bandas with kumbhaka to intensify the practice.

Precautions and Contraindications

While Sama Vritti Pranayama is safe, there are some precautionary measures to be followed. Pregnant women and people with high blood pressure, lung, heart, eye or ear problems should not hold their breath. Instead, just work on balancing the lengths of inhalation and exhalation. If you feel dizzy, light-headed, or unwell, stop and return to normal, relaxed breathing.

When to do Sama Vritti Pranayama. use?

Sama Vritti Pranayama can be practiced at any time of the day, but the best time to practice is when you need to cultivate inner peace, balance, and being down to earth. Ideally, find a quiet place away from distractions so that you can fully concentrate on your breath and tune in. It is recommended to practice before other exercises as it helps prepare the body and mind for yoga asana practice, meditation, and other types of pranayama. You can also use this technique while holding yoga poses to deepen your focus.

How to Practice: Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Find your seat – Find a comfortable sitting position cross-legged on the floor with the back of the body straight. Place the back of your hand on your legs, palms up, index fingertips and thumb touching (Jnana Mudra). Make sure that your body is not tense and take special care that your shoulders are relaxed. If you are uncomfortable on the floor, you can use a chair, but make sure your feet are flat on the floor and your back is straight. You can also practice this while lying on your back, perhaps with your knees slightly raised, by placing your legs on a cushion.
2. Find your breath – With your mouth closed, breathe in and out slowly, evenly and continuously through your nose. Use diaphragmatic breathing to help the abdomen rise and fall with little or no chest movement.
3. Set your pace – Slow down and deepen your breath as far as is comfortable. Most importantly, you breathe in and out of your body at your own pace. As you start struggling, shorten the length and number of counts.
4. Start your breathing cycle
   • Inhale count to 4.
   • Hold your breath and count to 4.
   • Exhale and count to 4.
   • Hold your breath and count to 4.
5. Find your flow – Repeat the four-part cycle for another 2-6 breaths. When you are satisfied with the exercise, you can increase the duration to 10-30 breaths or a maximum of 10 minutes. Only continue as long as you can stay present and focused with the breathing exercise.

Practical tips

• For a more advanced version, add ujjayi breathing to your technique. This adds a warming effect and helps block out external noise.
• To make this breathing exercise more intense and challenging, you can increase the counting time up to 6.
• If you find yourself struggling with your breath, just shorten the count and lower it to 2 or 3 until it feels lighter. You can also hold your breath and just override the breathing cycle with just inhaling and exhaling.
• Daily pranayama practice is recommended in order to quickly learn this technique and take advantage of its many benefits.
• Most importantly, you do not switch to unequal breathing as this will affect the quality and benefits of the pranayama practice. If you cannot keep the same ration, it is best to stop taking a few breaths and then try again.