Should I maintain the ratio of pranayama as mentioned in text books ?

Question

text books on pranayama says that we should do pranayama in ratio like we should inhale for 4 seconds, retain for 8 seconds and then exhale for 8 seconds to complete one cycle. Should I also do like this way?

Answer 1

If you feel depression frequently, then you should not retain breath - means you should not do antar-kumbhak as it shall aggravate depression. Instead you may do kumbhak after exhalation if you have stamina otherwise keep the ratio of inhalation : exahlation as 1:2 only without any retention or kumbhak.