Doing Pranayama Safely
Even though pranayama looks simple and you may be tempted to try it on your own, ancient yogic texts stress that you need to be very careful. Do too much and you risk agitating your nervous system and there are reports of people developing heart arrhythmias and even psychological decompensation from doing the practices incorrectly. Particularly worrisome are long retentions of the breath.
For these reasons, it is generally recommended that you only engage in anything other than the simplest breathing exercises under the guidance of an experienced teacher. It's also key to build up your practice slowly and regularly over months and even years before engaging in more demanding exercises.
