Within the sevenfold yoga path taught in the Gheranda Samhita, the discipline of pranayama is presented through a set of eight principal techniques, each shaping the movement of prana in a distinct way. The text describes **Surya Bhedana**, right-nostril breathing in which inhalation is through the right nostril and exhalation through the left, as a means of working with the solar current of energy. **Ujjayi** employs a gentle constriction of the throat to produce a soft sound, directing awareness inward as the breath becomes more subtle. **Shitali**, the cooling breath, uses a curled tongue to draw air in through the mouth, emphasizing a soothing, pacifying quality of prana.

Alongside these, the Samhita sets forth more vigorous and transformative practices. **Bhastrika**, the bellows breath, involves forceful inhalations and exhalations, likened to the action of a blacksmith’s bellows, and is associated with burning away impurities and stirring latent energies. **Bhramari**, the humming bee breath, uses a resonant buzzing sound on exhalation to calm and delight the mind, turning attention away from external distractions. **Moorchha** (or Murchha), the “swooning” pranayama, relies on deliberate breath retention to induce a faint, blissful state that loosens the grip of sensory attachment.

The remaining techniques point toward refinement and culmination. **Kevali** (or Kevali Kumbhaka) is described as a spontaneous, effortless suspension of the breath, beyond deliberate inhalation and exhalation, regarded as the highest form of pranayama and linked to the deeper states of yoga and samadhi. Some presentations of this teaching also acknowledge **Sahita** pranayama, breath practiced either with mantra (sagarbha) or without mantra (nirgarbha), as a structured approach that prepares the aspirant for the more subtle kevali state. Taken together, these eight pranayamas are portrayed as purifying the subtle channels, kindling inner fire, awakening dormant spiritual potential, and supporting the journey toward liberation.