Ujjayi Pranayama

As I promised earlier, I am doing a follow up on my current favorite pranayama. Before I even begin, I have to chuckle. I am in awe because I am actually trying to teach a pranayama through a blog post. It is quite difficult to explain the technical aspects of the pranayama and it is much more difficult to not know how anyone is going to adapt or even begin the practice. Oh well, somebody has to do it. Alrighty! Ujjayi.... Something very special, keeping me stable mentally and physically. Ujjayi is extremely simple and produces a hissing sound in the region of the throat. It is far easier to do than to describe. Let's us get on with the techniques and benefits of Ujjayi pranayama.


Technique 1: Basic Ujjayi

  • Sit in a comfortable meditational asana. Close the eyes and relax the facial muscles.
  • A slight contraction of the throat will contract the glottis in the throat.
  • Continue with inhalation and exhalation, slowly and deeply.
  • You should hear a continuous sound emitted from the throat. The sound should be audible to yourself but inaudible to people around. 


Technique 2: Ujjayi incorporated with Khechari Mudra

  • Breathing technique and the sound produced is identical to technique 1.
  • The additional step we include here is Khechari Mudra.
Khechari Mudra - Roll the tongue upwards and the lower surface should touch the upper palate. This mudra should feel comfortable as you will be holding it for some time during ujjayi pranayama. Initially, you may feel immediate discomfort, but continuous practice you can perform khechari mudra for longer periods.  


Benefits.....

  • Removes heat in the head.
  • Removes phlegm in the throat.
  • Practitioner is never attacked by diseases of the phlegm, nerves, chronis stress, enlargement of spleen, dyspepsia, dysentry, cough or fever.
  • Mainly used in conjunction with meditation techniques or merely for relaxation purposes.
  • Immediate calmness of the mind and body.
  • Helpful for people suffering with insomnia and high blood pressure.


I hope that was helpful. I would recommend reaching out to a qualified yoga instructor around you for guidance and better understanding of Ujjayi pranayama. Share with me your thoughts on the practice and the benefits that you have attained so that it can be helpful for other readers. Till I see you in my next post, happy practicing! 

~M~

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