Ujjayi breath sounds soft and rhythmic likes the waves at the beach.
All Alice could hear during the yoga class was the soft sound of everyone breathing using the Ujjayi breath. It was a soft and rhythmic sound that continued through out the entire practice and reminded Alice of the sound of the waves at the beach.
Because she could hear the sound of the Ujjayi breath that everyone was doing, it helped her to make sure that she continued to breathe that way during her practice.
There are many benefits that Alice will enjoy when she uses Ujjayi breath during her yoga practice:
- increase metabolism
- a more energetic practice
- pacing of the practice
- focus the mind
- feedback on the quality of your practice
We will look at each of these in a little bit, but first we will have a closer look at Ujjayi breath and just exactly what it is and how to do it.
What is Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breath is one of the many pranayama or breathing techniques practised in yoga. It is one of the few pranayama techniques that are practised during a yoga practice. Most of the other pranayama techniques are practised while sitting in Padmasana or Full Lotus.
Ujjayi pranayama is a deep and purposeful breath. It is neither a short panting breath nor is a long and deep breath. You breathe at a moderate pace as you bring lots of air into your lungs.
Why you should do Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breath is a calming breath that increases oxygenation of the blood and builds heat in the body. It also helps to calm the mind and regulate blood pressure.
How to do Ujjayi breath
First of all your close your mouth. Your lips are shut but your teeth are slightly apart. This small gap between the teeth prevents you from building tension in your body by clenching your teeth.
Next you restrict the back of your throat by lifting the back of your tongue slightly. This restriction is where the sound comes from. If you are having a problem creating this restriction, try opening your mouth wide and making a “HA” sound. This will cause the back of your throat to restrict as you breathe out. Now repeat this same action with your mouth closed.
The sound of the breath is coming from the back of the throat and not from the nose. You are not making a sniffing sound when you do Ujjayi breath. The sound is like the wind blowing softly in the trees or the waves at the beach rolling in and out in a rhythmic fashion.
The Ujjayi breath is a deep and deliberate breath. You are breathing at a particular pace that requires your attention to maintain it.
Now that you know how to do the Ujjayi breath it is time to move on to why you use it during your yoga practice.
Why you should do Ujjayi breath when you practice yoga
There are five major benefits that you get when you use Ujjayi breath
- increase metabolism
- a more energetic practice
- pacing of the practice
- focus the mind
- feedback on the quality of your practice
Let’s look at the first point increase your metabolism and then move on to the rest.
— Increase your metabolism
With the Ujjayi breath you are breathing deeper than normal and you are breathing at a moderate pace. It is these two activities that are bringing lots of oxygen into the body. Oxygen is the fuel of the body.
As your body consumes this additional fuel, its metabolism increases and your body gets hotter and begins to sweat. This increased heat will make your muscles softer and more flexible.
Not only will you be able to go further into a yoga pose with safety when you increase your metabolism and heat your muscles up but you will discover that you have a more energetic practice as well.
— A more energetic practice
The Ujjayi breath is bringing in lots of fuel into the body. When you increase your metabolism with this extra fuel you are bring lots of energy to all of the muscles of the body.
As long as you continue the Ujjayi breath you will find that you have lots of energy to continue your yoga practice.
I have discovered in my own practice that if I should stop Ujjayi breath even for one breath that my energy suddenly disappears. It is like my balloon of energy was suddenly pricked and it collapsed. Once I resume my Ujjayi breath, my energy quickly returns and the energy balloon re-inflates.
The Ujjayi breath not only provides lots of energy for your yoga practice it also helps you to regulate the pace of your practice.
— Pace your practice
With the Ujjayi breath you can breathe faster or slower than normal. The pace of the breath governs the pace of your practice.
Each of the movements into and out of a yoga pose are done to the breath and you hold a pose for a certain number of breaths as well.
If you want a faster practice, all you need to do is breathe at a slightly faster rate than you normally do. You will discover that when you breathe faster that you are increasing your energy levels and the heat within your body and that you will be able to move rapidly through your yoga practice.
If you want a slower practice, similarly all you need to do is breathe a little slower. Now you will spend more time getting into and out of your poses as well as staying longer in a pose. This deeper breath will give you the time to work on a pose a little longer and perhaps get a little deeper into the pose.
Managing the pace of your practice with your breath requires you to focus your mind on your breath.
— Focus your mind
Because the Ujjayi breath is a deliberate breath that is done in a particular way, you have to pay attention. The Ujjayi breath requires you to keep your mind focused on your breathing.
There are several things that you need to focus on when you do your Ujjayi breath.
- the pace of your breathing. Faster, slower or normal pace. You are maintaining the same pace throughout your practice.
- the depth of your breath. Deep or shallow. Once again you are working to keep it uniform.
- the sound of your breath. The sound should stay soft at all times.
There is lots to think about and focus on when you are doing your Ujjayi breath. When you focus on your breath you will discover that it is giving you feedback on how well your practice is going.
— Feedback on your practice
When your Ujjayi breath is moving easily in and out you are probably in a comfortable place in your yoga pose.
If your Ujjayi breath starts to become shallow or the sound becomes harsh instead of soft then you are struggling in a pose and have perhaps gone to far into the pose.
If you find your Ujjayi breath restricted it is time to back off and ease up on the pose slightly.
Once your Ujjayi breath has returned to normal you can move forward again in the pose and hold when your breath just starts to be challenged.
Use your Ujjayi breath to guide you and tell you when you have gone far enough into a pose.
But I am out of breath
From time to time you may find yourself out of breath and feeling the need to pant during your yoga practice.
When this happens pause in your practice and take a couple of deeper Ujjayi breaths and bring lots of oxygen into the body. These two actions should remove the feeling of being out of breath.
But my mouth is dry
Sometimes you may notice that your mouth has dried out. This is usually because your lips have parted without you realizing it and you are breathing through your mouth rather than your nose.
First, moisten your mouth by taking a tiny sip of water. Next remember to keep your lips closed and breathe through your nose while you are doing Ujjayi breath.
Breathing through your nose will moisten the air that is entering your body and prevent your mouth from drying out.
Summary
Alice is able to keep her Ujjayi breath going throughout her entire practice. With everyone else around her doing Ujjayi breath as well, she is constantly reminded by the sound and the rhythm to continue her Ujjayi breath.
The more she does the Ujjayi breath the more benefits she is getting from her yoga practice.
Next steps
Ask your teacher to check your Ujjayi breath and help you to get the most benefit from this breathing technique.
