Lengthing your life through Pranayama

I have been thinking a lot lately about breathing in my yoga practice. I find that the emphasis on breath that Krisnamacharia (a mid-20th century yoga guru) included in his teaching on yoga have fundamentally changed my experience with yoga and by extension my experience with life. Breathing exercises in yoga, known as Pranayama (meaning the extension of prana- the life force) all have the same fundamental goal--to make one more present in their practice. By using the breath in a focused way one can more efficiently enter into a zone of awareness stepping out from our usual, less mindful, experience of the world and into one where each moment is harnessed and examined because we are aware of our breath in each moment. Nadishodina (alternate nostril breathing) is one exercise I find really useful when I am just waking up. Sometimes my mind is jumping all over the place and I know I wont be able to just sit and meditate so instead I'll close my mouth and alternately breath in through my left then right nostrils for fifteen minutes. Kumbaka (breath retention) is another centering pranayama technique I'll use. I tend to incorporate this into my three part yogic breathing as I was shown to do by my mentor yogi Thomas Fortel. Laying back onto two stacked blankets I'll breath in from the belly up to my collar bone and hold the breath, then exhaling out I'll hold my breath when my belly is empty of air. Each hold is for a few moments. Some traditions restrict the teaching of Pranayama until one has completed many years of yogic training. My personal experience is that some of the simpler exercises can complement and support a more physical asana practice. I think pranayama has something to offer all yogis.