Ujjayi Pranayama: The Psychic Breath

In my previous blog, you learnt the first element of proper breathing in yoga. Allow me to introduce the second element – Ujjayi Pranayama or Throat Breathing. It is perfected by relaxing the breath rather than forcing it. The nostrils are not meant to be expanded or contracted for any kind of breathing. Any noise through the nose makes the breath short and shallow. In kapalbhati and bhastrika, we use the nostrils and a soft sound is produced as we need short and shallow respiration in these practices. For other pranayama practices, ujjayi breath is employed. You need to shift the focus from the nostrils to the throat to control and prolong inhalation and exhalation.

THE MEANING OF UJJAYI

Ujjayi means victorious. It is derived from the root ‘ji’, which means ‘to conquer’ or ‘to acquire by conquest’, and the prefix ‘ud’, which means ‘bondage’. In English, ujjayi is known as ‘the psychic breath’ because it induces a meditative state and leads to very subtle states of mind. This pranayama occurs spontaneously when concentration becomes deep and intense. It is an indispensable part of many meditative techniques such as mantra Japa, Ajapa Japa and Kriya Yoga.

THE SOUND OF UJJAYI

It is practiced by contracting the glottis and breathing through the throat. When done correctly, the breathing sounds like a cat purring or a baby snoring. When a healthy child sleeps, it always breathes by contracting the glottis, so that the sound of the breath comes from the throat. This kind of breathing is replicated in ujjayi. Of course, the breath flows through the nostrils, but the glottis is contracted, so that a light snoring sound is produced by the breath in the throat.

HOW TO PRACTICE UJJAYI

Ujjayi is so simple that it can be done in any position and anywhere, once you have mastered it. It automatically promotes diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing. You can, in fact, combine it with abdominal breathing, explained in my previous blog. Practice abdominal breathing with throat awareness. When you breath in, produce a soft and smooth sound through the throat, audible only to you. Simultaneously, the abdomen should expand. When you breath out, produce the same sound while contracting the abdomen. Begin with 5 seconds inhalation and 5 seconds exhalation. Practice 5-10 rounds initially. After 2 months, increase the count by 1 second. As you progress, you can double the inhalation and exhalation in a year.

APPLICATION OF UJJAYI

Abdominal breathing and ujjayi are a must for long-term yoga practitioners. The sound of ujjayi in asanas is a little louder than that in pranayama. Practice all the asanas with this way of breathing. For dynamic asanas, move in sync with slow expansion and contraction of your abdominal muscles. For static postures, slow down the breath further. Your postures will become graceful and more effective.

You can practice noise-free alternate nostril breathing or nadi shodhan pranayama, which has more than a dozen breath ratios to master. In this pranayama, you need to shift your focus completely from your nostrils to the throat. Breath through the throat, producing the ujjayi sound audible only to you. To progress in nadi shodhan, you need to increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation over months and years. When you have long inhalation and exhalation, you will be able to hold the breath for a longer time.

Meditation naturally promotes both abdominal breathing and ujjayi. When concentration becomes deep and intense, you will discover the sound of ujjayi on your own.

BENEFITS OF UJJAYI

It is a tranquilizing pranayama and hence calms down the mind. It slows down the heart rate and lowers high blood pressure. It helps manage stressful situations, keeps you relaxed and in the present moment. It has a profoundly relaxing effect at the psychic level and helps manage fears and insomnia. To quickly relieve tensions or to recharge before an important task, practice soft ujjayi with mental repetition of a short mantra like Om or So Ham, with reverse counting from 108 to 1.