Ujjayi Pranayama

This cooling pranayama known as Ocean’s Breath, or Ujjayi (pronounced oo-jai), will immediately soothe and settle your mind. Like waves on the ocean, ujjayi breathing creates a calmness and awareness in the body, perfect for yoga or other light exercises. This pranayama is also great when you feel angry, irritated, or frustrated.

Transcript

Ujjayi means to be victorious or to gain mastery.

This gentle rhythmic breath produces a pleasant soothing sound similar to the sound of the ocean waves rolling in and out.

It's a breathing technique that can both soothe and energize the mind,

Body,

And spirit.

The benefits of Ujjayi include calms and cools the mind,

Heats the core of the body to a regulate heating and cooling of the body,

Helps release feelings of irritation or frustration,

Creates a stabilizing influence on the cardio-respiratory system.

Here's how to practice Ujjayi breathing.

Begin by sitting comfortably with your spine erect and your shoulders relaxed and let your hands rest comfortably in your lap.

Now gently constrict the muscles at the back of your throat.

Slightly tuck in your chin and exhale through your nose.

This should produce a sound similar to the waves of the ocean.

Keeping your throat muscles constricted,

Inhale again through your nose and out through your nose and repeat this pattern several times.

Namaste.

To receive the full benefits of Ujjayi,

Pranayama,

Practice for five to ten full rounds each day,

Consciously and mindfully,

Before each meditation and anytime you want to soothe your body and mind.

This can also be practiced during light to moderate exercises.

Keep in mind that this breathing technique may be new.

This is often used to enhance hatha yoga.

The sound that Ujjayi provides helps synchronize breath with movements,

Making the practice more rhythmic.

Another way to get the hang of this practice is to try exhaling the sound,

With your mouth opened,

Like you're fogging up a mirror.

Next,

Close your mouth and attempt a similar sound,

Feeling the out-throw of air through your nasal passages.

Once you have mastered this on the outflow,

Use the same method for the inflow breath,

Gently constricting the back of your throat as you inhale.

If you're doing this correctly,

You should sound like waves in the ocean.

Some people also compare Ujjayi breathing to Darth Vader from Star Wars,

But with positivity.

Reviews

Very clear instructions and explanation of the benefits!

Great introduction to ocean breath, thank you 🙏🏻

Lovely instructions, also enjoyed the Darth Vader reference at the end 😉.