"Pranayama is to yoga as the heart is to the human body."
—B.K.S. Iyengar
Types
The following are 10 pranayama techniques I've found useful in my own yoga practice. Depending on who you ask there are anywhere from 5 to upwards of 20 different techniques. While the yoga sutras clearly lay out the three stages of breath, they do not mention pranayama techniques specifically. These techniques can be attributed to Hatha Yoga practitioners from the 10th to 18th century.