Within the Shiva Samhita, pranayama is presented as a graded discipline, moving from supported regulation of the breath toward more subtle and spontaneous states. The text speaks of **sahita pranayama**, a structured form of breathing that can be practiced either with mantra (sagarbha) or without mantra (nirgarbha), indicating that breath and sound are woven together as a single contemplative thread. This supported regulation includes deliberate **kumbhaka**, or breath retention, which is treated not as a mere physiological exercise but as a means of refining attention and pranic flow. In this way, pranayama is framed as both a technical and a devotional art, uniting method with inner orientation.

Alongside this foundational approach, the Shiva Samhita outlines a series of distinctive techniques, each shaping the pranic field in a particular way. **Surya Bhedana** emphasizes right-nostril breathing to generate heat and energy, while **Ujjayi** employs a gentle constriction of the throat to produce the so‑called “victorious” breath. **Shitali** introduces a cooling current through the tongue, and **Bhastrika** adopts a bellows‑like pattern of forceful inhalation and exhalation. These are complemented by **Bhramari**, the humming bee breath, and **Murcha**, a swooning or fainting breath associated with altered states of consciousness. Together, they illustrate a spectrum of methods, from heating and energizing to cooling and introverting.

The text also points toward an ultimate refinement in **kevali (kevala) pranayama**, where the breath becomes spontaneously suspended, without deliberate inhalation or exhalation. This is not presented as a technique in the ordinary sense, but as a culmination of prior disciplines, when effort gives way to an effortless stillness. Both **sahita** (supported) and **kevala** (spontaneous) kumbhaka are thus integral to the vision of pranayama in the Shiva Samhita, forming a bridge between bodily regulation and contemplative absorption. Throughout, the practices are closely linked with bandhas and mudras, and are said to purify the nadis, awaken kundalini, and orient the practitioner toward spiritual realization.