Struggling with meditation? Try adding a Breathwork technique (Pranayama exercise)

If you’re struggling to get into meditation or with keeping thoughts at bay while sitting in meditation, rest assured: you’re not alone. Getting into the practice of meditation can be very frustrating and challenging, not only in the beginning, but at any stage. After all, even renowned Benedictine monk Pema Chödrön admitted in her books and teachings that after 30 years of meditation practice, she still struggled almost daily to let thoughts go and calm her mind.

The good news is that there are specific techniques that you can use that have a high chance of improving your meditation game. In particular, adding a breathwork exercise to your routine might be the ticket to making your meditation practice stick, or taking it to the next level. Breathwork is widely leveraged to help people to calm down, relieve stress, and concentrate their minds, and as such is an ideal companion to a meditation practice.

What we think of in modern day as “breathwork” is actually an ancient Hindu invention that is referred to as “Prāṇāyāma” in Sanskrit. Pranayama is a compound Sanskrit word that combines prana (life force) and yama (control) and is often translated as “extension of life force.”

When it comes to pranayama exercises, there are many different types, each with…