Pranayama can be grouped into 5 different types:
- Fast breathing – Fast breathing is often used before pranayama proper to clear the lungs.
- Balancing – Balancing pranayama such as alternate nostril breathing are fundamental to pranayama practice.
- Relaxing, deep, slow breathing – When doing pranayama, the breathing is slow and deep, and it continues to be slow and deep at the end of the session. But certain techniques are especially good at bringing about a state of relaxation, and as preparation for meditation.
- Heating – Fast breathing and breathing through the right nostril stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and heats the body.
- Calming & Cooling – Breathing through the left nostril will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm the body/ Techniques that use the mouth for inhalation (e.g., Sheetali) will cool the body.