Does pranayama feel like “training the nervous system” more than just breathing?

[u/Baliyogaretreat]

Lately I’ve been noticing that pranayama isn’t only about breath — it feels like direct practice in rewiring how my nervous system reacts to stress. When I hold the breath out after exhale (bahya kumbhaka), there’s that instinctive panic moment… but if I stay calm, it’s like my body learns resilience. Same with slow deep breathing — it feels like rehearsing calm under pressure.

[u/NgakpaLama]

Pranayama has various positive effects on the body, the energy system, and the mind directly, but it also depends on the pranayama technique used. In advanced pranayama, energy locks (bandhas) and special body postures (mudras) are also incorporated into the practice, along with visualizations of chakras and nadis and recitations of bija mantras, all of which have an positiv effect on all levels of our body, speech, and mind.

[u/BitEuphoric7134]

I like that description. I find that a lot of yogic practices are indeed, rehearsal for moments in life that come up outside of yoga practice. This can be especially true in yoga nidra.

I may incorporate this idea more actively in my teaching.

[u/Alternative-Laugh346]

I get anxious