Viram
  1. Viram
  2. Getting started with pranayama

Learn

Getting started with pranayama

Begin with one gentle technique for a few minutes, sitting comfortably and breathing softly. Viram’s beginner program, Pranayama Foundations, starts with Sama Vritti (box breathing) for 3 minutes, then adds one technique at a time: extended exhale, then ocean breath, then alternate nostril breathing, then humming bee breath.

Written by Viram from the app’s own guides. Updated . How we write our guides.

The beginner path

Learn five classical techniques one at a time, then join them. Each new technique plays its introduction first. These are its single-technique sessions, in order:

  1. Session 1 · 3 min Box breathing Sama Vritti In 4 · Hold 4 · Out 4 · Rest 4
  2. Session 2 · 5 min Extended exhale Visama Vritti In 4 · Out 6
  3. Session 3 · 5 min Ocean breath Ujjayi In 5 · Out 5
  4. Session 4 · 5 min Alternate nostril breathing Nadi Shodhana In 4 · Out 6, each side
  5. Session 5 · 5 min Humming bee breath Bhramari In 4 · Hum 8

Your first practice in Viram

  1. Choose. Begin the practice ready on Breathe, pick a technique from Practices, or start Pranayama Foundations under Programs.
  2. Settle. The first time you practise a technique, a short spoken introduction explains it. Then three quiet seconds to settle, with the technique’s care note.
  3. Follow the guide. A voice, soft tones, or haptics mark each step, with the on-screen guide. Pause anytime; ending asks first, and the practice is saved to History.

How long, and how often?

Any length from 1 to 60 minutes, or a set number of rounds. Most guides start at five minutes; 4-7-8 breathing is taught in rounds and starts at four. Pranayama Foundations moves on one session at a time, and Viram can remind you once a day if you’d like.

Practising safely

  • Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, tingly, short of breath, or anxious.
  • Chest pain, fainting, or a pounding heart with dizziness: stop and get medical help.
  • Don’t practise while driving or operating machinery.
  • Never practise breath holds in or near water, including the bath.
  • Living with a heart or lung condition, or pregnant? Check with your clinician first, especially before holds.
  • If focusing on your breath makes you more anxious, stop. That happens to some people and is normal.
  • Breathing practice is not a treatment and doesn’t replace medical care.

Read every technique guide

A wellness practice, not medical advice. Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and return to your normal breath.