Types of breathing exercises (pranayama):

Here are few simple breathing exercises (Pranayama) that you can start without much trouble.

Cleansing Breath:
Get comfortable in a chair. Loosen tight clothing or belts. Relax. Breathe normally. Now exhale forcefully and then begin to inhale deeply. When the lungs are really full, exhale through your nose. This is done rather quickly. Assist this exhalation by contracting your stomach muscles. Let the stomach relax completely as the air begins to come back in through your nose. Fill lungs again, exhale through nose quickly once again with the aid of those stomach muscles. (If the exhalation is really complete, you will find that the act of breathing in again is quite sudden and automatic, so that a rhythm is established) Do this inhale-exhale pattern four to six times. Depending on time constraints, you can repeat this cycle once more.

One Nostril Breathing:
This type of breathing is to breathe in and breathe out with just one nostril.

Close one nostril with a finger. Breathe in slowly through the other nostril, and exhale through this same nostril. Continue breathing thus through one nostril for five breaths. Then switch sides. Having completed this pattern on both sides, you may repeat the pattern if time allows, adding one repetition per day. Two repetitions will still be quite effective, however.

Alternate Nostril Breathing:
This type is to breathe in through one nostril and breathe out through the other.

Using your right hand, close the right nostril with your thumb, and breathe in through the left. Having inhaled thus, now close the left nostril with your ring finger of the same hand, and breathe out through the right nostril. Immediately breathe in again through that same (right) nostril, and exhale through the left. This pattern: in left, out right, in right, out left, is one unit. Repeating this unit four times makes one round. One is enough to begin with. Increase by one round daily, again depending on time constraints.

Complete Yoga Breath:
This might be difficult for you in the beginning but its simple and you will get used to it with practice.

Sitting straight, standing, or lying flat when possible, begin by expanding the abdomen and breathing into the lower lungs. Continue filling the middle lungs, expanding your lower ribs, then the middle ribs, and then lifting the upper ribs, expand the upper chest. Finally, to get that air into the lungs highest areas, contract the abdomen just a bit. Hold your breath for just five seconds, no more. Finally, exhale through your nose, slowly, again contracting your stomach muscles. Now, relax all over. Breathe normally for a breath or two, and repeat the complete breath. Twice is good; daily, gradual increases are beneficial.

That’s all! You can accomplish the entire series in five minutes, with minimal repetitions. It will still be effective, and you will return to the task at hand refreshed and relaxed. These exercises are good to everyone as it clears the lungs and make you feel relaxed. People suffering with problems like asthma, or any other lung infections should practice them frequently.

Do them more in leisurely times for longer time, but do it gradually, gently with attention and with the love, as this is a wonderful form of self-care.

After the breathing exercises you need to move slowly into the neck exercises, as neck exercises are important as most of the time our neck is bent to certain positions where the flow of blood is carried only in that particular way. With the neck exercises it helps it to be flexible.

Many people neglect neck as a important part of our body, one should know that the nerves from the neck go to the eyes, ears and brain, a spinal misalignment in the neck can cause vision and hearing problems, as well as problems such as headaches and poor sleep.
Secondly, since major blood vessels pass through the neck to the brain, a neck misalignment can put pressure on the blood vessels and reduce the blood flow to the brain. This is a very common cause of chronic fatigue.

You can do the neck exercises even in your workplace (at your desk or kitchen watching TV)

Just drop your head forward, and then rotate it clockwise several times. If the rolling goes smoothly without any grinding or crackling noises you have nothing to worry about; if it doesn't you need to start the neck exercises at once. This crunching sound is certainly a warning of unnecessary trouble.

Usually the trouble begins when the joints, or rather their linings, are inadequately lubricated and begin to stiffen from accumulation of calcium deposits-a sign of old age regardless of your age. This helps one to preserve one's elasticity, health, and youthful appearance by spending a few minutes a day doing the right type of exercise.

Technique: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed, your back straight and keep the hands on the knees. If you prefer to sit on a chair, choose a hard one to keep your back straight.

Relax the whole body. You should be conscious of it only from the neck up-the rest should remain motionless. Slowly close your eyes and gently let your head drop forward and backward keeping your facial muscles relaxed and the lips slightly apart when the head is thrown back, then again forward and backward. Do each exercise four times to begin with and you may increase it gradually.

Second exercise is to turn your head to the extreme right and return it to normal position; then turn to the extreme left and return to normal again repeating for five times. These turns help the sides to contract the muscles. Return to the normal position and relax.

In the third exercise you bend your head to the right as if someone were pulling your right ear towards the right shoulder, (do not lift your shoulder or tilt your head) and straighten the head, bend it to the left and straighten again. Repeat five times. You should feel a pull in the left side of the neck when the head is bent to the right, in the right side when the head is bent to the left.

The fourth exercise resembles the neck movements of a turtle, for you should literally "stick your neck out" as far as you can, then draw it back again. In doing so, you will make a gliding movement forward with your chin, as if trying to reach far out with it and thus to lengthen the neck. Here the pull will be felt in the back of the neck on both sides between the ears as well as in the middle. Repeat this exercise five times.
The above neck exercises improve the flexibility of your neck and improve vitality, sleep, vision and hearing. It prevents headaches as the nerves and blood vessels in the neck go to the head and brain.
There may be people doing the roll exercises where the neck is rotated clockwise and then anti clockwise, but it is advised not to practice this as it jams the side joints of the neck that may cause inflammation in few.