Course curriculum

    1. Downward Pranic Wind: Apana Vayu

    2. Deep or Shallow: Dirgha Pranayama

    3. Victory over the Mind: Ujjayi Pranayama

    4. Brain Balancing: Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

    5. Keeping Count: Insight-Boosting Kumbhaka

    6. Cool & Refreshed: Sheetali Pranayama

    7. Boosting Radiance: Bhramari Pranayama

    8. Layers of Being: The 5 Koshas

    9. Bell Curve: Penetrating Sequencing

    10. Deepening: Adding Kumbhaka to Nadi Shodhana

    1. Pranayama Self-Study Survey

  • $29.00

10-Lesson Audio Course (2.5 hrs)

Life-force energy (prana) is a potent ally for healing and enlivening the entire body. In this 10-lesson audio course (15min/lesson), you’ll be invited to discover your ability to control prana through classic techniques that soothe and energize. Whether you feel sluggish or scattered, breath-work can allow you to gain control over fluctuating energy, helping to restore balance, harmony, and radiance. Through the use of educational theory and skill-building experience, you’ll come to cherish pranayama as a precious practice of self-care and self-discovery, serving as a powerful tool to enhance clarity, enrich meditation, regulate mood, and boost overall health. This course will help you to gather the knowledge you need to practice pranayama on your own, allowing you to deeply enhance your radiance and well-being, and incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life. 

Pranayama Instructor

Larissa Hall Carlson

Ayurveda Practitioner & Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist

With an M.A. in Mindfulness Studies, Larissa brings more than 25 years of teaching experience to every course and training she leads. A nationally certified Ayurvedic Practitioner (NAMA) and E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance), Larissa is known as a trusted guide in the field of optimal performance and mindful living. For over two decades, she has served as Lead Faculty for the Kripalu Schools of Yoga and Ayurveda, where she also held the role of Dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda. She has guided thousands of students through teacher trainings across the globe and co-created Ayurveda 101 and 201 with Yoga Journal, making ancient wisdom accessible for modern practitioners. Drawing on her expertise, Larissa helps students build resilience, focus, and balance—skills that enhance both personal wellbeing and professional excellence. She has worked with elite-level musicians, executives, teachers, artists, and athletes, offering them practical tools for mindfulness and performance. Her insights have been widely published in Yoga Journal, The Washington Post, Men’s Journal, Shape, More, Elephant Journal, InStyle, Prevention, and MindBodyGreen. You can also practice alongside her on Insight Timer, where her mindfulness teachings reach a global community.

Boost your sparkle!

Life-force energy (prana) is a potent force for healing and enlivening the entire body.

Testimonials from Pranayama Students

“Larissa Hall Carlson is a stunningly excellent teacher! Her guidance is filled with clarity, knowledge, patience and support. Thank you for this pranayama course - certainly one of the best I’ve taken!”

Lisa Nathan

“That was most excellent, crisp, clear direction! Positively the most informative and comprehensive pranayama teaching in an audio course. This has made a lasting imprint on my personal practice. Many thanks.”

Susan D.

“Very practical and informative. I learned new breathing techniques and now have the skills I need to begin a home practice. I love that I can return again and again to receive guidance from Larissa when needed! Thank you for this course!”

Sundee Patel

“It was just perfect: very clear pranayama descriptions and instructions, an amazing bell curve sequencing to anchor my morning practice, and your voice is really soothing. Thanks for your kindness, Larissa!”

Sergio Hicke