Welcome to tutorial 8 on Ujjayi Pranayama,
Victorious Breath.
Ujjayi Pranayama is an introductory Pranayama practice that was taught by Babahari Das based on the ancient texts of the Garanda Samhita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The two methods of practice described here were passed down to me by his students during my yoga teacher training at Mount Madonna Institute and it is my intention to teach this method in the same way that I was instructed.
Ujjayi means victorious,
As in control of prana and emotions.
This breath involves slightly constricting the throat on the inhale.
There are two methods,
The gross and the subtle method.
There are no contraindications for either and it is safe for anyone to practice.
Let's start with the gross method.
As always,
The best way to learn is to practice.
I will walk through the steps before we practice together.
Find a comfortable seat,
Head neck and back tall but relaxed,
And exhale completely.
Tilt the head forward slightly to aid in constricting the throat.
Inhale in five equal sips,
Filling the chest and feeling the air on the back of your throat.
With each sip,
Make a sobbing sound,
Like a baby catching their breath while crying,
Like this.
At the top of the fifth sip,
Hold the inhale for three to five seconds,
Then exhale naturally through the nose.
This constitutes one round.
Let's practice five rounds.
I will guide you through the first two,
Then you'll do three on your own.
Find a comfortable seat,
Head neck and back tall but relaxed,
Exhale completely to start.
Tilt your head forward a bit to slightly constrict your throat.
Inhale in five sips,
Making a sobbing sound,
Filling your chest and feeling the air on the back of your throat.
Hold the fifth inhale for three to five seconds,
Then exhale naturally through the nose.
When you're ready,
Inhale in five equal sips,
Hold the inhale on the last sip,
And breathe out naturally through the nose.
When you finish this round,
Take a moment if you need before starting again.
I'll remain silent as you do three more rounds at your own pace.
Once you've completed your five rounds,
Return to your natural breath,
And I'll give you a moment to reflect and experience the effects of your practice.
Since Ujjayi is a chest breath,
Your chest should be fully inflated at the top of the fifth sip.
Concentration for this Pranayama should be at the back of the throat.
This practice is good for relieving emotions,
So if you're feeling something come up,
It's doing what it's supposed to do.
Let's practice another three rounds.
I will guide you through the first round,
And then you'll do two on your own.
Pick a pace that is comfortable for you.
Sit comfortably,
Head,
Neck,
And back tall but relaxed.
Exhale completely and tilt your head forward,
Slightly constricting your throat.
Inhale in five equal sips with that sobbing sound,
Feeling the air on the back of your throat.
At the top of the fifth inhale,
Your chest should be fully inflated.
Hold the inhale for three to five seconds before exhaling through the nose.
I'll remain silent as you do two more rounds at your own pace.
Once you've completed your three rounds,
Return to your natural breath,
And I'll give you a moment to reflect and experience the effects of your practice.
Now let's move on to the subtle method.
Again,
Let me walk through the steps before we practice together.
You're in your comfortable seat,
Head,
Neck,
And back tall but relaxed.
Exhale completely and tilt your head forward slightly to put some constriction on your throat.
Inhale through the nose using a chest breath,
Feeling the air on the back of your throat.
The inhale will make a slight sound like water running through a pipe.
This sound is much subtler than the gross method.
At the top of the inhale,
Hold your breath for three to five seconds before exhaling through the nose.
This constitutes one round.
Let's practice five rounds.
I will guide you through the first two and then you'll do three on your own.
Find a comfortable seat,
Head,
Neck,
And back tall but relaxed.
Exhale completely to start,
Tilting your head forward and inhale slowly through the constriction of your throat,
Making a slight sound.
Hold your inhale for three to five seconds and then exhale naturally through your nose.
When you're ready,
Inhale through the nose,
Hold the inhale and breathe out naturally through the nose.
When you finish this round,
Take a moment if you need before starting again.
I'll remain silent as you do three more rounds at your own pace.
Once you've completed your five rounds,
Return to your natural breath and I'll give you a moment to reflect and experience the effects of your practice.
If you find this practice to be slightly heating,
You can alternatively exhale through your left nostril only by closing off your right nostril with your right thumb.
This reduces the heating effect.
Let's practice another three rounds.
I will guide you through the first round and then you'll do two on your own.
Pick a pace that is comfortable for you.
Sit comfortably,
Head,
Neck,
And back tall but relaxed.
Exhale completely and tilt your head forward,
Slightly constricting your throat.
Inhale through the nose,
Feeling the air on the back of your throat.
At the top of the air,
Your chest should be fully inflated.
Hold the inhale for three to five seconds before exhaling through the nose.
I will remain silent as you do two more rounds at your own pace.
Once you've completed your three rounds,
Return to your natural breath and I'll give you a moment to reflect and experience the effects of your practice.
Ujjayi is one of the few pranayamas that can be practiced in a number of positions.
Sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Even walking.
This is why Ujjayis often practice during asana.
Benefits and effects.
As mentioned earlier,
Ujjayi can have a heating effect.
It's also a great practice to reduce mucus and congestion.
In addition to relieving emotion,
Ujjayi also helps reduce anxiety and worry.
Thank you for joining me for this tutorial on Ujjayi pranayama.
I look forward to welcoming you in tutorial nine where we will review the cooling breath,
Shitali,
And hissing breath,
Sitkari pranayama.
Addendum.
Scriptural references for Ujjayi pranayama.
Chapter five,
Verses 69 to 72 in the Giranda Samhita.
Chapter one,
Verses 51 to 52 in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
These references can be found in the translations by Pancham Sin or the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The references are available in the description below.
