Natural Breath
This is your natural effortless breath. Notice where you feel your breath. Do you feel it in your chest? Abdomen? Is it short and shallow? Or long and deep?

Benefits: Helps develop mindful awareness and calmness.

Cleansing Breath
Take a deep inhale through the nose. Fill your lungs all the way up. Exhale through the mouth creating a soft and audible sigh. (This exhales make a soft "ha" sound)

Benefits: Helps relieve stress and tension.

Deep Abdominal Breath
Lying in a comfortable position on your back, rest your hands on your abdomen. Deliberately inhale a little more deeply thought the nose. Exhale completely through the nose. Feel your abdomen rise on the inhales and fall on the exhales. Find your own rhythm.

Benefits: Strengthens the diaphragm muscles, stimulate the Relaxation Response, increases awareness of mind, body, and breath.

Three Part Breath (Dirga Breath)
Inhale through the nose expanding the abdomen, ribcage, and upper chest. Followed by a natural exhale. It is called Three Part Breath because it refers to the expansion of the three areas during the inhalation. When done correctly it should feel like a wave moving through your body.

Benefits: Exercises the lungs fully, quiets the mind, and deepens inner awareness. Good preparation for prananyama practice, advance yogic breathing techniques.