The Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā presents prāṇāyāma as a disciplined science of breath whose purpose is to regulate prāṇa, purify the subtle system, and prepare the ground for higher realization. It is framed as the natural sequel to steady āsana, assuming a foundation of ethical conduct, moderation in food, and regulated daily habits. Breath is analyzed in terms of pūraka (inhalation), kumbhaka (retention), and recaka (exhalation), and these are to be practiced in a clean, quiet place, at regular times, with particular emphasis on gradual increase rather than force. The text recommends practice several times a day and stresses that excess or misuse can cause disturbance or disease, hence the need for guidance, moderation, and patience.

A distinctive feature of the text is its insistence that prāṇāyāma begins with purification of the nāḍīs through nāḍī-śodhana, often in the form of alternate nostril breathing. Only when the subtle channels are cleansed does it recommend moving into more intense kumbhakas. The main techniques described include Sūrya-bhedana, Ujjāyī, Śītalī or Sītkārī, Bhastrikā, Bhrāmarī, Mūrchchhā, and Plāvinī, each characterized by particular patterns of inhalation, retention, and exhalation. These are frequently combined with bandhas such as mūla-bandha, uḍḍīyāna-bandha, and jālandhara-bandha, which serve to contain and direct the prāṇa.

The text portrays progress in prāṇāyāma as unfolding in discernible stages. Initially, there may be signs such as sweating or internal agitation, understood as the burning away of impurities. As practice matures, the body becomes lighter and more stable, and the breath grows subtler, with kumbhaka arising almost effortlessly. Throughout, the practitioner is cautioned to expand capacity slowly, increasing the length and number of retentions only as the system becomes ready. This measured approach is presented as the safeguard that allows the transformative power of prāṇāyāma to work without harm.

Regarding its effects, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā attributes to prāṇāyāma a wide range of physical, energetic, mental, and spiritual outcomes. On the bodily and subtle levels, it speaks of nāḍī-śuddhi, the balancing of doṣas, the destruction of certain diseases, strengthening of digestion, and an overall increase in vitality and resilience. On the psychological plane, it links control of prāṇa with control of mind, suggesting that as the breath is stilled, distraction diminishes and the capacity for concentration and meditation deepens, bringing joy and inward absorption. At the highest level, the regulated breath, combined with bandhas and mudrās, is said to direct prāṇa into suṣumṇā, awaken kuṇḍalinī, and support the transition from haṭha to rāja-yoga, with mastery over prāṇa associated with freedom from the ordinary limitations of karma, time, and death.