Ujjayi or ocean breath.
Today we will inhale to the count of four and exhale to the count of four while working on breathing deep into our abdomen and we'll add on Ujjayi breath sometimes referred to as ocean breathing.
Ujjayi literally means victorious and it consists of a whisper sound created in the back of your throat.
So let's start by taking a seated position.
If you're seated in a chair,
Sit away from the back and plant both of your feet wide as your hips firmly planted.
Rest your hands on your knees.
If you're seated on the floor,
Crisscross or hips to heels.
Relax the body and close the eyes.
Ujjayi is used in yoga as a way to focus the mind on the present moment while serving as a guide to observe the smoothness and evenness of each breath and how it connects and responds to movement.
By adding this to your breath practice,
You can improve concentration while calming and focusing the mind.
Ujjayi is created by making an ocean sound in the back of your throat.
Here's how it's done.
With your mouth open,
Exhale into your palm,
Imagining that you are steaming up a mirror.
Feeling the warm breath on your palm.
Now on your next inhale,
Keep that hand there where it is and breathe in,
Making that same sound.
Good.
Let's do it again.
Exhale into your palm.
Inhale,
Making the same sound from the back of your throat.
Good.
Now close your mouth and see if you can maintain the same sound,
Keeping the sensation in your throat.
Inhaling.
And exhaling.
Now let's add a four count.
Inhale through the nose,
Ocean breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Ocean breath for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale,
Ocean breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Keep with the ocean breath.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Two more.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Just relax your breath,
Letting that ocean sound,
Ujjayi breath go.
We are creating a foundation here to build on.
Once you get the hang of ujjayi,
You may find yourself wanting to add it to all of your daily practices.
You might want to slow it down and really acknowledge the exchange of inhales and exhales,
And the smoothness of the practice.
When your body is in stress,
The breath won't flow as smooth,
And ujjayi breathing is a great way to quickly identify where your breath has become rigid or tight.
It's really great to have you here.
I'm Mary of Breath Mindset.
Breathe well,
Friends.
