{"id":9708,"date":"2026-11-10T20:14:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T20:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogamatsya.com\/?p=9708"},"modified":"2026-11-11T21:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T21:31:03","slug":"ujjayi-breath-bhramari-sitali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogamatsya.com\/en\/ujjayi-breath-bhramari-sitali\/","title":{"rendered":"Ujj\u0101y\u012b, Bhr\u0101mar\u012b and \u015a\u012btal\u012b \u2013 the Calming Breathing Techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UJJ\u0100Y\u012a \u00b7 BHR\u0100MAR\u012a \u00b7 \u015a\u012aTAL\u012a<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Whoever listens to the one unbroken sound in the heart (an\u0101hata), uninterrupted like a rushing river without beginning and without end, becomes one with this sound and God in sonic form.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Vij\u00f1\u0101na-bhairava-tantra (38)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Breathing techniques that lead inward<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Not every breathing technique kindles fire. The three pr\u0101\u1e47\u0101y\u0101mas in this article lead in the opposite direction: they gather, calm and open the space within. The Ujj\u0101y\u012b breath<\/strong>, the \u201cvictorious breath\u201d with its gentle rushing in the throat; Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/strong>, the humming bee breath that sets the heart vibrating; and \u015a\u012btal\u012b<\/strong> (also written Sitali or Sheetali), the cooling breath through the rolled tongue.<\/p>\n

All three work with sound, space and coolness rather than heat \u2013 and so form the counterweight to the fiery techniques Kap\u0101labh\u0101ti and Bhastrik\u0101<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What is the Ujj\u0101y\u012b breath (ujjayi breath)?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Ujj\u0101y\u012b<\/em> (the victorious breath) is the invincible breath of one who has mastered the inner fire and thus the mind. Ujj\u0101y\u012b<\/em> arises from the vi\u015buddha<\/em> chakra<\/a>, the centre from which the Self can rule over the world. It is the breath of space \u2013 the space that pervades everything and is the master of all things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you practise the ujjayi breath?<\/h3>\n

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 Ha\u1e43<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now begin to breathe deeply in Ujj\u0101y\u012b<\/em>. The sound is like the gentle rushing of the waves of the sea or the soft crackling of a fire in the wind.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Feel the space in front of you \u2013 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 \u2013 this space is the gateway to the subtle, and whoever masters the subtle is invincible.<\/p>\n

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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 Ujj\u0101y\u012b, and it can be practised while walking or sitting. It keeps diseases away from the individual organs and the n\u0101\u1e0dis, especially diseases caused by kapha.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ha\u1e6dha-yoga-prad\u012bpik\u0101 (2:51\u201352)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What is Bhr\u0101mar\u012b, the humming bee breath?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> (the breath of the humming bee) is the practice that can open the gate to Brahman. Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> is like a marriage with oneself.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> is a way of being \u2013 it is like a body. Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> is your sound body, the sound of your soul. When practising bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em>, one should imagine that one\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

So listen inward, into the sound of pure being.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Bhramari<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Where does the inner sound dwell?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The great n\u0101da<\/em> (primordial sound) resides in the central channel of the su\u1e63umn\u0101<\/em><\/a> or sarasvat\u012b n\u0101\u1e0d\u012b<\/em>. It is said that she carries the \u201csound in her womb\u201d. The heart, the centre of these n\u0101\u1e0d\u012bs<\/em>, is thus the centre of this sound. It is the seat of \u015aabda-Brahman<\/em>, the divine in the form of sound.<\/p>\n

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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 Bhr\u0101mar\u012b.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ha\u1e6dha-yoga-prad\u012bpik\u0101 (2:67)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Bhr\u0101mar\u012b \u2013 a prayer for the soul<\/h3>\n

In the practice of bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> we celebrate the sound aspect of our being and pay homage to \u015aabda-Brahman<\/em>. According to the Kubjik\u0101mata-Tantra<\/em>, \u015aabda-Brahman<\/em> is the source of the individual soul. Meditation on Him is therefore a merging with the core of the soul.<\/p>\n

In this way, bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> is a prayer for the soul. We merge with the space beyond the mind.<\/p>\n

The experience of bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> 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 bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em>, it lets go of everything without hesitation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The heart bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n

Let your inner self settle in your chest. Imagine your self, like a luminous sphere, dropping into the hollow of your heart<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Engage m\u016blabandha<\/em><\/a> and begin to create this deep, humming sound in your heart. This sound is the essence \u2013 it is your inner honey.<\/strong> Listen to the sound that goes beyond the audible \u2013 the music of your heart. Expand this sound from your heart, breath by breath.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Om<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Su\u1e63umn\u0101 bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Feel the graceful su\u1e63umn\u0101<\/em> 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 \u2013 the gateway to heaven. Bhr\u0101mar\u012b<\/em> sets it vibrating.<\/p>\n

Sit straight and perform \u1e63a\u1e47mukh\u012b mudr\u0101<\/em>. 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 m\u016blabandha<\/em>, fall deep into yourself.<\/p>\n

Praty\u0101h\u0101ra<\/em> \u2013 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 \u2013 the graceful stairway to heaven. Now begin bhr\u0101mar\u012b pr\u0101\u1e47\u0101y\u0101ma<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Imagine the sound as the essence of the su\u1e63umn\u0101<\/em>. See it as golden light vibrating in its centre. This is your body, your centre \u2013 enjoy it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Sushumna<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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What is \u015a\u012btal\u012b, the cooling breath?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u015a\u012btal\u012b<\/em> (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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Inhale slowly and deeply while lifting your chin slightly. Imagine drawing in the air like a delicious drink from the sky \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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The wise one inhales through the tongue, then follows kumbhaka and exhalation through the nose. This kumbhaka, called \u015b\u012btal\u012b, removes diseases of the spleen, fever, gall bladder diseases, hunger, thirst and the effects of poison, such as snake bites.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ha\u1e6dha-yoga-prad\u012bpik\u0101 (2:57\u201358)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Sitali<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Which breathing exercise calms before sleep and in times of stress?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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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 \u2013 with one important distinction:<\/p>\n