Pranayama is an umbrella term for different breathing exercises. Some of these exercises have different goals than others, but the gist is the same: to regulate or control your breath, sink into the experience, and alter your energy through the breath.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that yoga has infiltrated mainstream pop culture. One could find a yoga studio in virtually every large city in the world. Yet the way yoga is practiced can vary widely from place to place.
Pranayama is a powerful Yogic practice that clears physical and emotional blockages from the body, breathing peace into the mind.
“Yoga citta vritti nirodhaha.”
“The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.” - Patanjali