UJJĀYĪ · BHRĀMARĪ · ŚĪTALĪ
Whoever listens to the one unbroken sound in the heart (anāhata), uninterrupted like a rushing river without beginning and without end, becomes one with this sound and God in sonic form.
— Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra (38)
Breathing techniques that lead inward
Not every breathing technique kindles fire. The three prāṇāyāmas in this article lead in the opposite direction: they gather, calm and open the space within. The Ujjāyī breath, the “victorious breath” with its gentle rushing in the throat; Bhrāmarī, the humming bee breath that sets the heart vibrating; and Śītalī (also written Sitali or Sheetali), the cooling breath through the rolled tongue.
All three work with sound, space and coolness rather than heat – and so form the counterweight to the fiery techniques Kapālabhāti and Bhastrikā.
What is the Ujjāyī breath (ujjayi breath)?
Ujjāyī (the victorious breath) is the invincible breath of one who has mastered the inner fire and thus the mind. Ujjāyī arises from the viśuddha chakra, the centre from which the Self can rule over the world. It is the breath of space – the space that pervades everything and is the master of all things.
How do you practise the ujjayi breath?
Sit upright and draw your chin slightly towards your chest. Make sure you do not press the chin too firmly towards the chest, but feel how your neck extends towards the sky. Imagine a silver disc shining in your throat. It radiates the power of space, and from its centre vibrates the syllable Haṃ.
Now begin to breathe deeply in Ujjāyī. The sound is like the gentle rushing of the waves of the sea or the soft crackling of a fire in the wind. It is a clearly audible sound coming from the throat. With every exhalation, imagine a silver light radiating from your throat and expanding into space. As you inhale, feel this silvery light gathering again in the centre of your throat.
Feel the space in front of you – it is eternal. With every exhalation you expand into this space, and with every inhalation you draw it back into your throat. Become one with this space – this space is the gateway to the subtle, and whoever masters the subtle is invincible.
Inhale deeply with the mouth closed, until the breath fills the whole space between throat and heart up to the tips of the lungs. This creates a sound. Perform kumbhaka and exhale through the left nostril. This removes phlegm in the throat and strengthens the digestive power of the body. This is Ujjāyī, and it can be practised while walking or sitting. It keeps diseases away from the individual organs and the nāḍis, especially diseases caused by kapha.
— Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (2:51–52)
What is Bhrāmarī, the humming bee breath?
Bhrāmarī (the breath of the humming bee) is the practice that can open the gate to Brahman. Bhrāmarī is like a marriage with oneself. Deep within the sound dwells a great joy that leads into the centre of the heart. It resides there as the inner sound of all things, like a rushing river, without beginning and without end.
Bhrāmarī is a way of being – it is like a body. Bhrāmarī is your sound body, the sound of your soul. When practising bhrāmarī, one should imagine that one’s own body consists of nothing but this sound. Yet this is not an audible sound, but the subtle inner sound that cannot be perceived with the physical ears.
So listen inward, into the sound of pure being.
Where does the inner sound dwell?
The great nāda (primordial sound) resides in the central channel of the suṣumnā or sarasvatī nāḍī. It is said that she carries the “sound in her womb”. The heart, the centre of these nāḍīs, is thus the centre of this sound. It is the seat of Śabda-Brahman, the divine in the form of sound.
Inhale quickly, making the sound of a male bee. Then exhale with the sound of a female bee. This is followed by kumbhaka. The great yogis who practise this constantly experience indescribable joy in their hearts. This is Bhrāmarī.
— Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (2:67)
Bhrāmarī – a prayer for the soul
In the practice of bhrāmarī we celebrate the sound aspect of our being and pay homage to Śabda-Brahman. According to the Kubjikāmata-Tantra, Śabda-Brahman is the source of the individual soul. Meditation on Him is therefore a merging with the core of the soul.
In this way, bhrāmarī is a prayer for the soul. We merge with the space beyond the mind.
The experience of bhrāmarī goes beyond the categories of the mind. In this state there exists only the one heart, beyond all wanting and every category. When the mind tastes the ecstasy that lies behind bhrāmarī, it lets go of everything without hesitation.
The heart bhrāmarī
Sit upright and relaxed, place your hands in front of your heart, one over the other. Draw your chin to your chest and feel how your spine rises steadily into the sky.
Let your inner self settle in your chest. Imagine your self, like a luminous sphere, dropping into the hollow of your heart. This sphere rolls gently down and comes to rest at the bottom of your heart. There you rest to contemplate your being. From the heart you practise.
Engage mūlabandha and begin to create this deep, humming sound in your heart. This sound is the essence – it is your inner honey. Listen to the sound that goes beyond the audible – the music of your heart. Expand this sound from your heart, breath by breath.
Suṣumnā bhrāmarī
Feel the graceful suṣumnā running from your perineum to the crown of your head. It is a line without any width, incredibly fine, extending through the universe. It is the ladder to everything that lies beyond the graspable – the gateway to heaven. Bhrāmarī sets it vibrating.
Sit straight and perform ṣaṇmukhī mudrā. This means closing the gates to your inner world by covering the senses of your face with the fingers of both hands. Close your ears with your thumbs, your mouth with your little fingers, your eyes with your middle and index fingers, and place your ring fingers beside your nostrils. When the channels of your senses are closed and you engage mūlabandha, fall deep into yourself.
Pratyāhāra – there is no world outside, there is only the inner, and ultimately everything flows outward from the inner. All that remains is this one infinitely thin line extending through the universe – the graceful stairway to heaven. Now begin bhrāmarī prāṇāyāma.
Imagine the sound as the essence of the suṣumnā. See it as golden light vibrating in its centre. This is your body, your centre – enjoy it.
What is Śītalī, the cooling breath?
Śītalī (the cooling breath) is like a gentle and pleasant friend. You invite this friend to relax in his presence. He has a delicious drink ready that nourishes and calms your mind and body. When he leaves again, he leaves you calm and crystal clear.
Sit straight and draw your chin slightly towards your chest. Stick out your tongue and roll it into a tube. If rolling the tongue is difficult, you can stick it out a little and roll the sides in as far as possible with the help of your fingers. Then press your upper lip lightly against the tongue so that it stays fixed in the mouth.
Inhale slowly and deeply while lifting your chin slightly. Imagine drawing in the air like a delicious drink from the sky – a cooling, nourishing energy, as pure and refreshing as the milk of the cosmos flowing down from the moon above you. Drink this air and savour it to the full.
When you have reached the maximum inhalation, hold the air inside for a brief moment. Then draw in the tongue, lower the chin and exhale slowly through the nose. Keep inhalation and exhalation of equal length. This is one round.
The wise one inhales through the tongue, then follows kumbhaka and exhalation through the nose. This kumbhaka, called śītalī, removes diseases of the spleen, fever, gall bladder diseases, hunger, thirst and the effects of poison, such as snake bites.
— Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (2:57–58)
Which breathing exercise calms before sleep and in times of stress?
Many people look for breathing exercises that help them fall asleep or bring calm in stressful moments. The three techniques in this article are particularly suited to this – with one important distinction:
- Bhrāmarī gathers attention in the sound and in the heart. A few rounds are often enough to quiet the carousel of thoughts.
- Śītalī cools – ideal when you feel inwardly heated, irritated or agitated.
- Ujjāyī slows the breath and makes it audible. Practised gently, without breath retention, it is a good anchor in tense situations.
For classical practice, however, the rule is that intensive prāṇāyāma should not be practised in the two hours before going to bed, as it is stimulating. If you practise in the evening, keep it short, gentle and without long kumbhaka. Powerful techniques such as Bhastrikā belong to the morning.
If you have cardiovascular problems or high blood pressure, or are pregnant, avoid longer breath retention and, if in doubt, talk to your doctor. Breathing exercises are no substitute for the treatment of sleep disorders or anxiety disorders.
The series: Prāṇāyāma – the breath of life
This article is part of our series Prāṇāyāma – the breath of life. There you will find the foundations – what prāṇāyāma means, how to sit, when and how long to practise – and an overview of all breathing techniques:
- Nāḍīs and Prāṇas – the channels of life
- Kumbhaka and alternate nostril breathing (Nāḍī Śodhana)
- Ujjāyī, Bhrāmarī and Śītalī (this article)
- Kapālabhāti and Bhastrikā – the breath of fire
- Mūla Bandha and the three bandhas
If you would like not only to practise prāṇāyāma but also to teach it: in our 200-hour yoga teacher training, the breath is one of the supporting pillars alongside āsana, mantra and meditation.
Prāṇāyāma practices to download
In our download section you will find our prāṇāyāma handout and many more practices – Kundalini Yoga kriyās, Pavanmuktāsana series and mantras.
All practices are illustrated by hand and lovingly designed. They will enrich and deepen your yoga practice. Come by and practise with us! With love!
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