Ujjayi Pranayama or Ujjayi Breathing technique is very helpful for thyroid and all throat related problems. In this article, you will know about the Ujjayi Pranayama. And you will learn how to do Ujjayi Pranayam, its duration, precaution and what are the benefits of Ujjayi Pranayama (Ujjayi Breath).
What Is Ujjayi Pranayama?
Ujjayi Pranayama also termed as Ujjayi Breath. 'Ujjayi' means 'victory' and 'Pranayama' means ‘expansion of Prana energy'. Through Ujjayi Breath, we get the victory on the expansion of our prana and thus we can control our breathing/life.
Ujjayi Pranayama, also known as the Breath of Victory, is a widely used pranayama in the yogic tradition. Ujjayi comes from the Sanskrit prefix ud, which means 'bondage' or 'binding' as well as 'upward' and 'expanding.' This prefix is combined with the root ji, which means 'to conquer' or 'acquire by conquest.' In other words, ujjayi pranayama is about obtaining freedom. Ujjayi Pranayama, also known as ocean's breath is a breathing technique that helps calms the mind and body. In simplistic terms, it is a three part breathing. This video is to show you some basic techniques to learn before you can actually start ujjayi pranayam. Which will enable you to use right amount of air.
This pranayama is called by many names like Ujjayi Breath, Ujjayi Pranayama, Ujjayi Breathing, Victorious Breath, etc. so do not be confused with names. In Yoga science, it is believed that the problem and disorders occurring in our body are due to the accumulation of bile and flagon and Ujjayi Breathing is helpful in treating this.
How To Do Ujjayi Pranayama (Ujjayi Breath)
Ujjayi Pranayama is a part of the Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga practices used by the ancient yogis of India. This pranayama derives its name from the Sanskrit word 'Ujjayi,' which means to be victorious or to conquer. The pranayama is also sometimes referred to as ocean breath or hissing breath. Aug 18, 2015 Ujjayi. Alternate nostril breathing. Deep, belly-filling inhalations. MEd, director of of research and health promotion at the Art of Living Foundation (the nonprofit that developed the SKY.
Ujjayi Pranayama simply means Deep inhalation practice. Deep inhalation from both the nostrils with a half-closed glottis. Here are steps for Ujjayi Pranayam. Read and follow these steps.
- Sit down comfortably in Padmasana or Siddhasana or Sukhasana.
- Keep your hands on Dhyan Mudra or Vayu Mudra.
- Leave your body loose.
- Focus on your breathing for 10-15 seconds.
- Now shrink your throat and inhale (take a deep breath) from your both nostrils (your mouth remain close) by making an 'mmmmmm' noise.
- Now hold your breath and apply Jalandhar bandha (Chin Lock). You can also apply Mool Bandha (Root Lock).
- After holding your breath for 10-15 sec or according to your stamina, remove Chin Lock, put your right-hand thumb on your right nostril and release the breath from your left nostril.
- Repeat this pranayama 5-10 time and remember you have to release the breath from your left nostril every time.
Ujjayi Pranayama (Ujjayi Breath) is one of the effective Yoga for thyroid disease and all the other throat problems.
Ujjayi Pranayam In Brief
In Ujjayya Pranayam, we leave the breath only with the left nostril.
If you still confused about how to do Ujjayi Pranayam! let us understand with an example.
When we clear our throat, we make a sound like 'Aham Aham' or while practicing Singh Asana similar sound comes out from our throat.
So while practicing Ujjayi Pranayam you have to focus on the point where you are applying pressure to create the sound or from where the sound is coming.
In Ujjayi Breath when you tighten your throat, apply little force to that specific point to create sound while breathing from your nostrils. During inhalation focus on creating the sound from your throat.
Ujjayi Pranayama Duration
- The inhaling and exhaling duration for this Pranayam should be 5-10 sec. If your stamina is low then, in the beginning, you can reduce the duration of inhaling and exhaling by 2-5 sec.
- People who have thyroid problems, they can treat thyroid without medicines. They will have to practice this Pranayam for 5-10 minutes daily. You can practice this pranayama even for 10-20 minutes.
- Children should practice this pranayama 7 times. Children above 12 years of age can practice this Pranayam for 10-12 times.
- If you are suffering from the above-given problems (those mentioned in Ujjayi Pranayama benefits), then you can practice this Pranayam 15-20 times 0r 10-20 minutes.
Ujjayi Pranayama (Ujjayi Breath) Benefits
- Ujjayi Pranayam can cure your thyroid problem permanently.
- It also helps in removing heart blockage.
- This pranayama is very suitable for those who have a cough, sinus, and allergy problem.
- This is beneficial to all those who have an infection and tonal problems in their throat all the time.
- This gives benefits to throat related allergic problem.
- Beneficial in snoring problem.
- By doing this Pranayam, all the harmful toxins inside our body come out.
- Helps treat the sudden stopping of breath while sleeping at night (Sleep Apnea).
- This pranayama also cures swelling of the throat.
- Ujjayi Pranayam removes the heat of the brain.
- It is also beneficial for throat mucus.
- It improves our digestive system.
- Beneficial to those who have stammering and lisp problem.
Ujjayi Pranayama (Ujjayi Breath) Precaution
- Initially, do this pranayama gradually.
- If you are high blood pressure or Heart patient then keep the duration short and do not apply any lock.
- Do it with the empty stomach or 4-5 hour after the meal.
- If you are a beginner then keep the duration of this Pranayam short.
- If you feel a headache or dizziness, stop practicing immediately.
- Do not do it forcefully.
Best time to do Ujjayi Pranayama
- Practice it early in the morning before sunrise.
- Practice it after Kapalbhati Pranayam and before Bahya or Anulom Vilom Pranayam.
- In the evening do it after 5-6 hour of your meal.
Ujjayi Pranayama (breath regulating technique) is a soft, whispering breath which you'll also hear called victorious breath, or perhaps ocean breath. It's compared to the sound of the wind through the trees or the waves coming to shore.
Below are the Sanskrit terms key to Ujjayi Pranayama:
- Ujjayi: Victory over
- Pranayama: Prana – life force, breath; Yama – control, restraint, regulation
The mechanics of Ujjayi breath
With Ujjayi breath you breathe in and out of the nose with the lips sealed – no breath passes the lips. This also serves to build heat in the body. The lips gently close and although the breath is passing through the nostrils the emphasis is in your throat.
You create a constriction in the throat as if breathing in and out of a thin straw. Whilst maintaining a closed mouth position be mindful of held tension in the teeth, jaw, throat and/or neck – let it go. You can feel the breath stroke the back of your throat as you inhale and exhale. This comes hand in hand with the audibility of the breath, compared often to the sound of waves, Darth Vader and my husband in deep sleep. The tone, the audibility is smooth and steady, continuous uninterrupted cycles of inhales and exhales, often you cannot tell the difference in sound between the exchange of in and out breath cycles.
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Sama Vritti
Sama:same Vritti: whirlings, fluctuations, modifications
Along with the even tone of breath, the length of the breath is the same on the inhale as it is on the exhale. You complete a full in-breath within the same time as you complete your out-breath. Using a metronome is a brilliant practice, if you are a musician you might have one already but if not there are some great online/phone applications that I've used with my students before. Set your metronome at 75 bpm, inhale for 4 beats, exhale for 4. An app that accents/ punctuates the beginning of each new cycle of breath is preferable.
With an even tone and length of breath, the last refinement is to breathe fully, deeply and completely (air volume of breath). Within each cycle you spend the entire inhale filling up and entire exhale releasing breath – at no point do you hold the breath – seamless and smooth, try not let the breath run out.
A Beginners' Guide to Ujjayi Breath
I tend to instruct students who are beginners to breathe with their mouths open to get used to the physical sensation at their throats and sound of breath.
- Sit in a comfortable seat, where your sit bones are grounded and bearing even weight on both sides. Knees no higher than hips. Stacking head over neck, neck over shoulders, 4 corners of ribs stacking 4 corners of hips. Perceive equal length in both sides of your body, spine feels lifted and tall. Chin is parallel to earth.
- Rest one hand on your lap/ thigh, Palm facing up or down and the other hand at the same height and in front of your mouth, Palm facing towards you.
- With your mouth open exhale into your palm, imagining you are steaming up a mirror/ glass and feeling the warm breath on your palm. On your next inhale keep the hand where it is, breathe in making that same sound. Practise this for up to 10 cycles (4 count in, 4 count out, x10). Notice if you find the inhale or exhale more difficult.
- When you feel comfortable here move on to closing your mouth on the inhale but opening mouth on the exhale. See if you can maintain the sound even with the lips are sealed. Next inhale with mouth open and exhale with mouth closed, keeping sensation in your throat and the sound of breath the same. Do each for 5-10 cycles.
- When you feel you want to move on from here, relax your hand and begin Ujjayi Pranayama. You might time yourself with a stopwatch for 2 minutes or chose how many cycles of breath you want to aim for (feel free to use the metronome here).
- Again notice where resistance lies in the breath. Maybe you find the audibility awkward, equalising the volume of breath on both inhale and exhale difficult, or you notice the discrepancy of ease between in-breath and out-breath. Notice where you need to focus and what you need to practise on. I recommend that my students shorten the longer breath to meet the shorter breath if they are unable to stretch the breath evenly on both sides. You don't want to feel out of breath or gasping at any point. There is absolutely NO RETENTION, it's like a continuous sea of waves, no holding, totally fluid and seamless. Equanimous.
When to use Ujjayi breath
You can practise Ujjayi breath any time you wish. You don't have to be on your yoga mat. But if you are on your yoga mat, acknowledge that the breath creates heat in the body. If you are doing a Yin or Restorative yoga class you may not want to add this element of heat in the body. Instead you might want to maintain a soft and fluid breath without sound. There also might be times in your practice where adding heat is inappropriate (e.g some pregnant practitioners find Ujjayi breath too heating to maintain for an entire practice) or where breathing in and out of the nose is impossible (e.g. blocked sinuses). At times like this you might want to keep the intention of Ujjayi breath in mind without practising it.
When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace – Anonymous
When I first heard my teacher Cat Alip-Douglas describe the breath as 'non-preferential' the breath took on a deeper level of meaning and intention. Ujjayi breath is a pragmatic teaching of equanimity, non-attachment, not being swayed by the pulls of our desire to feel good (Raga) and repulsion when we feel bad (Dvesha).
Ujjayi in practice
Notice when you're next holding Utkatasana / Chair pose for 5 breaths, you're doing your tenth Surya Namaskar B (sun salutation B), or you're holding pigeon pose for 20 breaths…Your breath shows you where you are holding, where you are finding it hard to let go, where you are over exerting.
Not only does Ujjayi hold a mirror up to your existing unconscious habits but it soon becomes a new habit, one that can soothe, lull and seduce your body and mind into a state of increased and progressive ease. You can sit in the fire of a posture (or an emotion), feel the heat yet feel radically calm and undisturbed. Now take that off your mat into your next review with your boss, when dealing with your toddler's tantrums, or an argument with your partner.
Your yoga tool box
Your victory and triumph is the composure you learn to maintain by sticking with it, grounding yourself in your considered and calm breath. Unwavering. I remember being particularly upset early last year and after a heated conversation with a loved one, stood up, slammed the door (yes, yoga teachers do it sometimes too!) and sat outside hyperventilating.
FACT – you cannot hyperventilate or even cry and do Ujjayi breath at the same time.
Ujjayi Breathing Art Of Living Room
I heard a gentle voice encouraging me to breathe Ujjayi breath. [FACT – you cannot hyperventilate or even cry and breathe Ujjayi breath at the same time.] Pretty instantly my entire system slowed down and a sense of calm came over me. In your yoga tool box you've got this breath technique, this antidote, wherever you go. I find it so empowering to be able to cultivate these inner resources whereby I can learn to tune in and switch from a reactive state to a proactive state of experiencing. This is the magic of breath.
EkhartYoga members – put this into practice
Explore the sound of the Ujjayi breath in this 15 minute tutorial with Tashi Dawa.
Ujjayi breath and the nervous system
From our very first breath until our final exhale we are, without any deliberate effort, continuously breathed by our Autonomic Nervous system (ANS). Fifa 16 origin activation code. Unlike other ANS actions in the body (like pupil dilation) we are able to take voluntary control over our breathing and thus, critically, can influence our Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous system.
When we breathe Ujjayi breath we transform the automatic into the deliberate and thereby become the master of our internal landscape; we can positively affect how we feel by regulating the length, air volume and sound of our inhales and exhales.
Ujjayi Pranayama is another tool to add to our box, another practice which encourages the mind to rest its awareness on the present moment, and identify with our immediate experience.
Ujjayi Breathing Art Of Living
When to use Ujjayi breath
You can practise Ujjayi breath any time you wish. You don't have to be on your yoga mat. But if you are on your yoga mat, acknowledge that the breath creates heat in the body. If you are doing a Yin or Restorative yoga class you may not want to add this element of heat in the body. Instead you might want to maintain a soft and fluid breath without sound. There also might be times in your practice where adding heat is inappropriate (e.g some pregnant practitioners find Ujjayi breath too heating to maintain for an entire practice) or where breathing in and out of the nose is impossible (e.g. blocked sinuses). At times like this you might want to keep the intention of Ujjayi breath in mind without practising it.
When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace – Anonymous
When I first heard my teacher Cat Alip-Douglas describe the breath as 'non-preferential' the breath took on a deeper level of meaning and intention. Ujjayi breath is a pragmatic teaching of equanimity, non-attachment, not being swayed by the pulls of our desire to feel good (Raga) and repulsion when we feel bad (Dvesha).
Ujjayi in practice
Notice when you're next holding Utkatasana / Chair pose for 5 breaths, you're doing your tenth Surya Namaskar B (sun salutation B), or you're holding pigeon pose for 20 breaths…Your breath shows you where you are holding, where you are finding it hard to let go, where you are over exerting.
Not only does Ujjayi hold a mirror up to your existing unconscious habits but it soon becomes a new habit, one that can soothe, lull and seduce your body and mind into a state of increased and progressive ease. You can sit in the fire of a posture (or an emotion), feel the heat yet feel radically calm and undisturbed. Now take that off your mat into your next review with your boss, when dealing with your toddler's tantrums, or an argument with your partner.
Your yoga tool box
Your victory and triumph is the composure you learn to maintain by sticking with it, grounding yourself in your considered and calm breath. Unwavering. I remember being particularly upset early last year and after a heated conversation with a loved one, stood up, slammed the door (yes, yoga teachers do it sometimes too!) and sat outside hyperventilating.
FACT – you cannot hyperventilate or even cry and do Ujjayi breath at the same time.
Ujjayi Breathing Art Of Living Room
I heard a gentle voice encouraging me to breathe Ujjayi breath. [FACT – you cannot hyperventilate or even cry and breathe Ujjayi breath at the same time.] Pretty instantly my entire system slowed down and a sense of calm came over me. In your yoga tool box you've got this breath technique, this antidote, wherever you go. I find it so empowering to be able to cultivate these inner resources whereby I can learn to tune in and switch from a reactive state to a proactive state of experiencing. This is the magic of breath.
EkhartYoga members – put this into practice
Explore the sound of the Ujjayi breath in this 15 minute tutorial with Tashi Dawa.
Ujjayi breath and the nervous system
From our very first breath until our final exhale we are, without any deliberate effort, continuously breathed by our Autonomic Nervous system (ANS). Fifa 16 origin activation code. Unlike other ANS actions in the body (like pupil dilation) we are able to take voluntary control over our breathing and thus, critically, can influence our Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous system.
When we breathe Ujjayi breath we transform the automatic into the deliberate and thereby become the master of our internal landscape; we can positively affect how we feel by regulating the length, air volume and sound of our inhales and exhales.
Ujjayi Pranayama is another tool to add to our box, another practice which encourages the mind to rest its awareness on the present moment, and identify with our immediate experience.
Ujjayi Breathing Art Of Living
Yoga is a practice of integration and deliberate identification. Ujjayi Pranayama is another tool to add to our box, another practice which encourages the mind to rest its awareness on the present moment, and identify with our immediate experience. This process of mindfulness can be one of our biggest conquests. Mastery of the conscious mind. We become absorbed as we synchronise our movement with our breath. Our level of agitation settles, the fluctuations of our mind (chitta vritti) decelerate and for glimpses of a moment we are ‘all in'. As we learn to regulate the gross body through different yogic practices including pranayama, we can access and influence our subtle bodies.
Alchemy of breath
Many of us never learned Ujjayi breath formally before rocking up to class, rolling out our mats and being instructed to use the breath throughout our practice. We heard fellow students around us making a funny noise and felt slightly awkward when trying to copy them, feeling sure that we would get it wrong, which would expose us as newbies and imposters – oh the shame!
It is not uncommon to feel self-conscious when first making sound with breath, and then you pluck up the courage to try and a big snorting sound comes out. Like all things Yoga it takes practise and a relinquishment of self-identified inhibition – which also takes practice!
Like all things Yoga, Ujjayi breath takes practice and a relinquishment of self-identified inhibition (which also takes practise!)…but it's a key that unlocks many doors and can transform your practice.
Which breath, which style?
Some styles of yoga (e.g. Ashtanga & Jivamukti) and certain teachers are more breath-focused than others, meaning they call/instruct each and every inhale and exhale throughout the class. They become a human metronome setting the rhythm which you begin to internalise. In other classes you will not be breath-led in this way which as a novice to Ujjayi might mean you spend a lot of time practising asana without breathing optimally. Many students have shared with me 'ah-ha' moments when experiencing a breath-led practice for the first time. It is a key that unlocks many doors and can transform your practice.
Related
- Learn the Ujjiya breath as part of the Yoga for Beginners course with Esther Ekhart.