What Most Yoga Teachers Get Wrong About Preparing for Pranayama

What Most Yoga Teachers Get Wrong About Preparing for Pranayama

From Let's Talk Yoga by Arundhati Baitmangalkar

June 7, 2026 · 19 min · Episode 224

About this episode

In this episode, Arundhati Baitmangalkar discusses the key areas of asana practice that are essential for preparing the body for pranayama.

Most yoga teachers are taught that chest opening is the key to better pranayama, but what if that’s actually the last thing to focus on? In this solo episode, I share the five areas of asana practice that matter most when preparing the body for pranayama. We explore lung anatomy, spinal mobility, nervous system regulation, hip flexor tension, diaphragm function, and why true breath expansion comes from working with the whole body, not just the chest. If you want your pranayama practice to fe...

People in this episode

Host: Arundhati Baitmangalkar

Topics covered

  • pranayama
  • asana practice
  • lung anatomy
  • spinal mobility
  • nervous system regulation
  • diaphragm function

Keywords

  • yoga
  • pranayama preparation
  • chest opening
  • breath expansion
  • hip flexor tension
  • whole body breathing

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