Week 46 : Pranayama Practices 

As you have seen, there are countless pranayama techniques with many and varied benefits and purposes and so far in this series we have covered the 4 most commonly taught, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Check out these pranayama practices that you might not know, understand their benefits and practice a few of them this week so that you can incorporate them into your yoga and meditation practice. These three are so simple and quick that they might just become part of your everyday routine. 

Sitali (Cooling Breath) 

As it’s name suggests, this is a great one for the heat we have to endure in Sri Lanka, it is ideal for cooling the body, it also quiets the brain and slows and smoothes the flow of breath. So a soothing practice all in all. 

To Practice: 

· Come to sitting tall and comfortably with the body supported by a wall or cushions if need be. 

· Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to come to quite in the body and bring the mind to centre. 

· Open your mouth into an “O” shape. 

. Roll the tongue and stick it out of the mouth slightly. 

· Inhale through the tongue as though drinking through a straw. 

· Exhale through the nose. 

· Try this for a 10 – 12 breaths and take note of how you feel. 

· Finish the practice with normal deep breathing. 

Brahmari (Humming Bee Breath) 

Brahmari is the Sanskrit word for “bee” and this is similar to the sound created when we practice this breath. It is totally calming and will help to cure sleeplessness. It is great for anyone suffering from anxiety, as it will create focus from distracting thoughts. 

When done with the hand mudra, the purpose is to totally cut off all senses apart from that of sound allowing us to go deeply inward and this breath is the perfect jumping off point for a deeper and longer meditation practice. 

How to do it: 

· Brahmari can be done with or without the hand mudra but as always take a comfortable seated position. 

· If you want to use the hands, then press the thumbs gently into the ears closing the small flap of cartilage over the ear hole, press just hard enough to prevent any external sound getting through to the ear but not hard enough to hurt. 

. Close the eyes and place the 4 fingers of each hand over the eyelids. 

· Take a long inhalation through the nose and on the exhalation create a humming sound from the throat with your voice. 

· The inhalation should be steady and slow. 

· Repeat the breath as many times as you wish. 

· If you find the mind settling into a quiet place, when you have finished the breath, go back to a natural breathing rhythm and spend another few minutes in quiet contemplation. 

7-2-11 Relaxing Breath 

The 7-2-11 in the name of this simple breath exercise is actually the timing of your breath. This practice is like a natural sleeping tablet. It will completely relax the nervous system and can become your go-to calming tool whenever you need it. 

· Using a natural breath inhale quietly through the nose for a count of 7. 

· Hold the breath for a count of 2. 

· And then exhale to a count of 11 with a slow “whoooooosh” sound out of the mouth. 

· Repeat 8-10 times or for as long as you can keep your eyes open! 

It’s that simple and may make a real difference to how you sleep. 

These breathing techniques only take minutes and once you find one that you enjoy, you can introduce it when you’re driving, when you’re at work… you can literally take it anywhere with you! 

Remember, our breath is our energy. Breathe better, think better, sleep better, and feel better. 

Enjoy experimenting with these this week. 

So, with this last exploration of Pranayama, I have come to the end of this series of Build Your Home Yoga Practice. I hope you have enjoyed, benefitted and begun to work on your own practice. 

With love and light. 

Serena 

Serena is a yoga teacher and the founder of The OM Space . She is a passionate believer in yoga as a life enhancing practice and runs several classes in Colombo including the very popular Yoga for Children and Yoga for Pregnancy. Serena trained in the UK with the British Wheel of Yoga and is a UK Yoga Alliance registered Senior Teacher.