Pranayama

thumb|upright=1.35|A group practising Nadi Shodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) on the [[International Day of Yoga in Kolkata, India, in 2017 ]]

term for "body locks" in Hatha Yoga

alt=|thumb Kapalabhati (, "Skull-polishing") is an important shatkarma, a purification in hatha yoga. The word kapalabhati is made up of two Sanskrit words: kapāla meaning "skull", and bhāti meaning "shining, illuminating". It is intended mainly for cleaning the sinuses but according to the Gheranda Samhita has magical curative effects.

thumb|upright=2.0|Kumbhaka terminology of breath retention in pranayama Kumbhaka is the retention of the breath in the yoga practice of pranayama. It has two types, accompanied (by breathing) whether after inhalation or after exhalation, and, the ultimate aim, unaccompanied. That state is kevala kumbhaka, the complete suspension of the breath for as long as the practitioner wishes.

Ujjayi (, IAST ujjāyī, "victorious" or "conquering") is a pranayama (breathing technique) practised simultaneously with asanas in modern yoga as exercise. It is practised especially in Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga, where it accompanies vigorous asana flow exercise. It is described as a seated practice in B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 book Light on Yoga.

Alternate nostril breathing

Bhastrikā is an important breath exercise in yoga and pranayama. It is sometimes treated as a kriya or 'cleansing action' along with kapalabhati to clear the airways in preparation for other pranayama techniques. Bhastrika involves a rapid and forceful process of inhalation and exhalation powered by the movement of the diaphragm. The movement of air is accompanied by an audible sound. One inhale and exhale equals one round of bhastrika, and it may be repeated for many consecutive rounds. B. K. S. Iyengar explains that the similar "process or kriyā of kapālabhāti is a milder form of Bhastrikā P