Goldilocks was leading the three bears in a yoga practice. She noticed that each of the bears seemed to be at a different level of challenge with the pose. In particular, Papa Bear was gasping for breath. He was sounding just like a steam engine, huffing and puffing as he struggled to get into the pose.
Baby bear was breathing free and easy as he attempted the pose.
Momma bear’s Ujjayi breath was only slightly challenged as she worked determinedly on the pose.
Goldilocks could tell by the quality of their Ujjayi breath, how well they were doing with their yoga pose.
What is Ujjayi breath
The sound of the waves on the beach is like the Ujjayi breath, soft and rhythmic.
Ujjayi breath is a particular kind of breath that is used in several styles of yoga. Ujjayi breath is an audible or noisy breath. You can hear your own breath and your neighbor’s breath as well.
The sound made by the Ujjayi breath is a soft sound similar to the wind blowing gently through the leaves in the trees or waves breaking gently on the shore.
How to do Ujjayi breath
Ujjayi breath is done with the mouth closed and the lips touching each other. You breathe in and out through your nose.
The Ujjayi breath sound is made at the back of the throat and not in the nose. Restrict the back of the throat as you breathe in and out. You will hear a soft sound as you breathe in and out and you will feel your breath moving in and out at the back of your throat.
The Ujjayi breath is a deliberate breath. You breathe in and out at a moderate pace.
You need to pay attention in order to do Ujjayi breath properly. If you attention wanders then you will forget about your breath and you will revert to normal breathing and you will lose all of the benefits of Ujjayi breathing.
Why do you do Ujjayi breath
There are three reasons to do Ujjayi Breath.
1. Ujjayi breath heats the body up
Because you are breathing at a moderate pace you are bringing lots of oxygen into the body. This extra oxygen is more fuel for you body. Your metabolism increases and your body gets hotter as it consumes this extra oxygen.
When the body is hot, the muscles and joints are hot and you will be able to safely stretch and lenghten them without injury.
2. Ujjayi breath helps you to pace your practice
Each yoga pose is done to the breath. Breathe in and you expand or open the body. Breathe out and you compress or close the body. You move into your pose on an exhale and then you hold the pose for five complete breaths. You exit the pose on an inhale.
3. Ujjayi breath provides a focus for your mind
Because the Ujjayi breath is a deliberate breath you have to pay attention to your breathing in order to do it properly. If you mind wanders to other places and times, you will forget to do Ujjayi breath and you will lose the benefits mentioned above.
When does your breath change
You can also use your Ujjayi breath as an indicator of how well you are doing a pose. Much like Goldilocks and the three bears you can be in three different states with your breath.
- If your breath is flowing easily in and out like Baby Bear then you may not be far enough into the pose.
- If your breath is constricted and hardly flowing at all like Papa Bear then you are probably too far into the pose.
- If your breath is slightly challenged like Momma Bear but you are able to get lots of oxygen into your lungs then you are probably in the right place in your pose.
Why does your breath change
There are two reasons why your breath would change
1. Struggling too hard
Your breath changes when you go too far into a pose. If you struggle too hard to get into a pose then you tense up your muscles. These tense muscles tighten the body and prevent you from drawing in a full Ujjayi breath.
2. Restricting your chest
In poses that involve twists, if you can not twist enough then the position you are in in the pose will prevent you from getting a full breath. You may have a leg pressing into your chest that is preventing you from breathing fully.
What to do when your breath changes
When you realize that your Ujjayi breath is not as full as it usually is consider which of the factors above (struggling too hard or restricting your chest) are causing the problem.
If you are struggling too hard then consider relaxing a little and accepting where you are in the pose for today.
If you are restricting your chest then consider reducing the restriction to your chest by relaxing a little bit until you can breathe fully again.
Learning to accept where you are in a pose is part of the teachings of yoga. Accepting your current situation and realizing that you can not change it not only applies to yoga but also to many of life’s situations.
Summary
The Ujjayi breath is used in a yoga practice for many reasons. One of the reasons is too gage how well you are doing in a particular pose.
Have you gone too far into the pose like Papa Bear or not far enough like Baby Bear?
The quality of your Ujjayi breath can tell you if you are in the right place for the maximum benefit from the pose.
Like Goldilocks observe your breath the next time you are doing a yoga pose and decide if you should go further into the pose or perhaps back off a little.
Next Steps
Work with your yoga teacher to make sure that you are doing the Ujjayi breath properly. Once you have learned how to do the Ujjayi breath properly, you can use it as a gage to determine if you are getting the maximum benefit from your yoga practice.
