Ujjayi breath
The Ujjayi breath (victorious breath) is a unique breathing technique which is performed by creating a soft sound at the back of the throat while inhaling and exhaling through the nose. The unique sound is similar to the winds in the trees, a distant ocean, or Darth Vader from “Star Wars”. It is a soft and gentle sound that helps to calm the mind.
Listening to your breath draws your attention inwards and takes it away from external sounds.This is a meditation aid.
You can use the “Hhhaaa Method” to learn how to do this breath. You must sit up straight and take a full inhale through the nose and then let it out through the mouth with the soft sound of “Hhhaaa” as though you are whispering.Feel the air swirl in the back of the throat. Take a few breaths in this way and then midway through an exhale, clse your mouth and let the air continue exiting through the nose instead of the mouth. Practice it a few times. Once you can create the sound in the back of the throat while exhaling, you are half way to the full Ujjayi breath. The second step is to gently smile while inhaling and create the same swirling sound as on the exhale. With practice it will become familiar and soon you’ll be able to utilize the Ujjayi sound without any effort at all.
We must learn to listen to the breath as we do our practice. It is the guide which will tell us the quality of our practice. The sound of the breath can teach us almost everything we need to learn about our attitude in a posture. At times the breath may sound strained, labored, short, aggressive, flat, shallow or fast. By bringing it back to the ideal of a smooth pleasant sound we begin to correct any negative or unhelpful attitudes.
It is important to always breathe through the nose. If we breathe through the mouth, heat and energy will be lost. It will also dry us out too much.
The Ujjayi breath is done at a moderate and deliberate pace. It draws additional oxygen into the body which results in increased metabolism, increased heat in the body and a profuse and purifying sweat. The yoga practice is done to the breath: inhaling we expand and open the body; exhaling we compress and close the body.
The main reason for practicing Ujjayi breath is not for its physical benefits, but rather in order to still the mind. Yoga Sutra I.2 states ” Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind” and Sutra I.3 says “Only then when the mind is still abides the seer in its true nature.”
Sarah MacKeigan recently lead a Sun Salute Workshop during which she talked about the Ujjayi breath for 15 minutes. Here is the recording.
May 2008 Newsletter
