LESSON 18/20 · HELD BREATHS & THE WHOLE PICTURE

Holding the breath (Kumbhaka) and the map of the whole set: tying every practice together

We reach the closing lesson of the main arc — and the deepest part of the art of the breath: the silence between two rounds, that is, holding the breath (Kumbhaka). The old texts regard the held breath as the “heart” of pranayama; but precisely because it is strong, it needs the most careful approach of all. Having understood it, we will lay out the map of the whole set — tying every practice you have learned to its posture, mudra and lock — so that you hold one diagram for choosing your tools for any session at all, closing with the professional boundary of someone who teaches the breath.

1HOLDING IN & HOLDING OUT (KUMBHAKA)

The silence after breathing in fully, and the silence after breathing all the way out

Kumbhaka, the held breath: a moment of stillness — Kumbhaka is deliberately extending the natural silence between rounds — after breathing in fully, or after breathing all the way out.

REMEMBER Antara Kumbhaka = holding after breathing IN fully · Bahya Kumbhaka = holding after breathing OUT fully.

Kumbhaka is deliberately holding the breath. There are two kinds: Antara Kumbhaka — holding after breathing in fully; and Bahya Kumbhaka — holding after breathing all the way out (the lungs empty). Science of Yoga and the classical texts alike regard held breaths as the core and the strongest part of pranayama. For a teacher of general classes, we touch it only very lightly: a short two- or three-second pause arising naturally at the top of the in-breath, as in Sama Vritti (Lesson 15). Never extended, never strained.

REMEMBER Held breaths carry the same contraindication list as the forceful group.

This is the vital safety point: the texts record that extended holding carries the same warnings as the cleansing breath — not for anyone with high blood pressure, a heart condition, who is pregnant, has glaucoma, or is prone to dizziness. The reason: holding the breath changes the pressure inside the chest and affects the heart rate and blood pressure. So in a general class, do not teach extended held breaths; let only very short pauses arise naturally, and always leave students free to drop the hold if they are uncomfortable.

On the mat: If you want a healthy room to feel a held breath, do it within the frame of Sama Vritti with a hold of only two or three seconds, and always say in advance “anyone who feels tight drops the hold and just breathes evenly in and out”. Never turn a held breath into a contest of “how long can you hold it”.

2THE BREATH THAT HOLDS ITSELF (KEVALA KUMBHAKA)

When the breath settles almost to a stop — the summit comes from letting go, not from forcing

Kevala Kumbhaka, the breath holding itself in deep meditation — Kevala Kumbhaka: the breath settling almost to a stop in deep meditation — a state that arrives of itself, not from deliberately holding.

GRASP THIS Kevala Kumbhaka = a SPONTANEOUS held breath, not a deliberate one — the summit of pranayama.

The old Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes Kevala Kumbhaka — the “absolute” held breath: in a very deep meditative state, the breath settles almost to a stop of its own accord, not because the practitioner is deliberately holding it. This is regarded as the summit of pranayama. What matters for students to understand: this state cannot be forced — the harder you hold to “achieve” it, the further away it goes. It is the sweet fruit of a long process of breathing well with a settled mind, not a technique you can train directly.

GRASP THIS Why it is still worth knowing about.

You will not “teach” Kevala Kumbhaka as an exercise. But knowing it exists lets you pass on to students a message both beautiful and true to the spirit of yoga: the deepest states come from letting go, not from striving. It is also the antidote to the competitive feeling in a room — when students understand that the summit is not holding the longest, they practise more safely and more durably.

On the mat: Use the idea of Kevala as a closing cue after meditation: “nothing left to do with the breath now — just let it breathe itself, let it settle”. That is how you plant the right experience without any complicated technique.

3THE THREE REMAINING CLASSICAL PRACTICES — TO KNOW ONLY

Murcha, Plavini, Sahita: understood for completeness, not taught to a general room

The eight classical held breaths in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika — The old Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists eight held breaths; the last three are highly specialised and today are mostly a matter of academic understanding.

GRASP THIS Murcha · Plavini · Sahita — completing the classical “eight held breaths”, but NOT taught to a general room.

To complete the eight held breaths of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, there are three remaining names you should know without practising: Murcha — an extended hold with the chin lock, carried to a light-headed, deeply inward state (with a risk of faintness and fainting, only to be practised with a teacher directly present, never alone, never in a class); Plavini — a technique of taking air into the belly, associated with floating on water, which today is almost always presented academically only and not taught as practice; Sahita — the “supported” hold, meaning a deliberate hold combined with breathing in and out, the counterpart of the spontaneous Kevala, regarded as the framework for training held breaths.

GRASP THIS Knowing where your own limit is, is knowledge too.

Why include these three and then say not to practise them? Because a professional teacher needs a complete map — knowing what exists, what is yours to teach, and what lies outside your scope and belongs back with the specialist masters. When a student asks about the “mystical” techniques they have read about online, you can answer calmly, knowledgeably, and draw the safety line in the right place — which is exactly the signature of someone decent at this job.

On the mat: If a student is curious about these advanced techniques, satisfy the curiosity with accurate knowledge, and then turn them back to the foundation: “those need a path and a teacher beside you; for now let's make the foundational breath really solid — that is the root”. That answer is both honest and protective of the student.

4THE MAP OF THE WHOLE SET

Practice ↔ aim ↔ posture ↔ mudra — a diagram for choosing your tools for any session

A map of the breathing practices grouped by what they do — The whole body of practices gathers into four groups by aim — pick the group by what your students need that day.

REMEMBER Choose a practice by the AIM of the session, not by its difficulty.

Here is how the whole toolkit arranges itself in your mind by aim:

• To SETTLE, sleep well, worry less → alternate-nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana), left-nostril breathing (Chandra Bhedana), the even breath (Sama Vritti), the uneven ratios / 4-7-8 (Vishama Vritti), the bee breath (Bhramari), the Om breath (Udgeeth).
• To COOL, bring the heat down → the rolled-tongue cooling breaths (Sitali / Sitkari), the crow's beak (Kaki).
• To WAKE, energise, warm → the cleansing breath (Kapalabhati), the bellows breath (Bhastrika), right-nostril breathing (Surya Bhedana).
• To HOLD THE RHYTHM while moving → the ocean breath (Ujjayi).
• To build CONTROL & lengthen the breath → the staircase breath (Viloma), Anuloma / Pratiloma.
• To RELEASE tension in the face and neck, to shed stress → the lion breath (Simha).

Posture, mudra and breath working together as one whole — Each practice comes with a steady seat and a fitting hand mudra — three layers making one whole.

GRASP THIS Pairing a practice with its posture & mudra.

The second layer of the map — tying back to Lessons 13 and 14: most practices are done in a steady seat (Lesson 13), hands on the knees in Chin / Jnana mudra. The single-nostril and alternate-nostril practices (Nadi Shodhana, Chandra and Surya Bhedana, Anuloma) need the nostril-closing mudra (Nasagra / Vishnu). The bee breath suits closing the ears (Shanmukhi). And Ujjayi is the elegant exception: it works while you are moving, with no need to sit still. The locks (bandha) are only combined with held breaths at an advanced level, with a teacher present.

On the mat: Before each session, ask yourself one question only: “What does this room need today — settling, cooling, waking, or rhythm?” The answer points straight to the group of practices and the posture and mudra that go with it. That is the whole art of designing the breathing part of a session.

5THE PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARY — A CLOSING WORD

You LEAD the breath; you do not treat illness

What it means to lead the breath professionally — Teaching the breath is a trade built on care and trust: lead well, know when to stop, know when to refer on.

REMEMBER Three boundaries: education (no diagnosing or treating) · ask and exclude before a strong practice · refer on when it is beyond your scope.

To close the whole set, three professional boundaries to carry with you always: (1) An educational role — the breath supports health and ease, but you do not diagnose, do not treat, do not promise therapy; this material is education and not a substitute for medical advice. (2) Always ask and exclude the contraindicated group (pregnancy, heart conditions, high blood pressure, eye conditions, epilepsy…) before any forceful practice or held breath. (3) Know when to refer on: when you meet a student whose health problem is beyond your scope, advise them to see a doctor — that is a strength, not a weakness.

REMEMBER The root of all seventeen lessons: the breath is the root, and a good breath TEACHER begins with SEEING and with SAFETY.

From Lesson 1's “the breath is the root” to here, the thread has not changed: your value lies not in knowing many exotic practices, but in being able to see how a student is breathing, choose the right tool for the right person, and keep the whole room safe. The body of practices is now complete in your hands — from the foundation, settling and cooling to waking–heating and the held breaths. But remember: one foundational breath led well, safely, for the right person is always worth more than a lofty practice used in the wrong place. That is the whole of teaching the breath.

On the mat: Write yourself a pocket “safety card”: the contraindication list + the screening question + the three professional boundaries. Carry it to every session. When a student's breath is in the hands of a teacher as knowledgeable and as careful as you, they really are safe — and that is the greatest gift this work has to give.

You have been right through the eighteen lessons of “Teaching the breath”. From the root of the breath, the breathing apparatus and reading your students, to the call, and on to the whole body of named practices with their postures, mudras, locks and safety. This is the foundation — the real depth comes from leading classes, watching, and refining session by session. If you want to go further with Tuấn Anh — studying properly on video, along a structured path — look at the 45 Energy Yoga masterclasses and the training courses. May you lead many people into an easier breath.

Professional sources: Hatha Yoga Pradipika (ch. 2) — Kumbhaka, Kevala, Murcha, Plavini & the eight held breaths; Gheranda Samhita — Sahita & Kevali; DK Science of Yoga (Ann Swanson) — held breaths & contraindications; Swami Satyananda, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha; B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama. This material is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.