Hello,
Welcome.
My name is Leah Shigerman and this is just a brief practice of Brahmari Pranayama or humming bees breath.
Brahmari is the Hindu goddess of bees and so this is her humming bees breath.
This is supposed to be like the fluttering of bees wings that creates that humming sound.
This is a really effective practice for calming and soothing the nervous system,
Helping to switch us into the parasympathetic state of the nervous system which is often referred to as the rest and digest side of the nervous system.
It also stimulates the vagus nerve which is really connected to the parasympathetic nervous system by simple use of the vocal cords.
By this humming sensation,
It really helps to calm and soothe the body.
It also really emulates the sound of Aum which is this cosmic sound that is supposed to be the entire sound of the universe encapsulated in this one syllable.
It has a lot of spiritual implication in that as well that it's supposed to be very fulfilling and connecting to the universe as a whole.
This is a really calming practice.
It can be done just about anywhere if you feel comfortable humming anywhere.
All you need to do is find a comfortable seated position.
You could be seated on a couch or in a chair or in your car or on a yoga mat.
If you want to,
You could elevate your hips onto something like a block.
I'm sitting up onto a block here but you could sit onto a thick book or a pillow or a rolled up towel or blanket.
If you want to get comfortable there,
You could also sit directly on the floor.
Just find a position where you can really relax your body enough that you could just focus on the breath alone.
Root your sitting bones down into whatever you're in contact with.
Lift and lengthen up through the crown of your head.
Soften your shoulders.
You could keep your eyes open for this practice.
If you want to,
You could soften your gaze.
If you'd like,
You could close your eyes completely.
Just bring your awareness to your natural breath for a moment.
Notice its rhythm flowing through your body.
Notice if it's fast or slow,
If it's long or short,
If it's full or shallow.
And try not to judge at all,
Just take notice.
And then when you're ready,
Take a full deep inhale through your nose and a long deep exhale through your mouth.
Inhale deeply through your nose.
Exhale,
Release the sighing sound out of your mouth.
This next time,
Inhale deeply through your nose.
And as you exhale,
Close your mouth and release a humming sound.
Exhale to hum.
If you would like to feel those vibrations even further,
You could rest your hands just above your heart,
Right below your throat.
Take one more breath like this.
Feel the vibrations echo through your body.
If your hands are above your heart,
Feel your heartbeat beneath them.
Feel this vibrational hum existing throughout your body at all times.
And feel this connection of your own heartbeat contributing to the cosmic sound of the universe,
The sound of Aum.
If your eyes are closed,
Slowly flutter open them now.
And hopefully you feel a little bit calmer,
A little bit more relaxed from this very simple breath practice.
