Pranayama

Breathing is the only vital life function you can influence directly. This property is extensively used in yoga by practicing pranayama. These are regulated breathing patterns and exercises. It is one of the eight limbs of yoga. As long as you can breathe you can practice yoga.

Yogic long deep belly breathing for instance is one of the first things I learned as a beginning yogi. It balances the nervous systems and speeds up healing processes. A pranayam frequently practiced in kundalini yoga is called 'breath of fire'. Its effect corresponds to its name.