11 Cues for Ujjayi Breath That You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal

We tend to navigate life with our senses turned outward. We constantly stream music, scroll social media, and binge on Netflix. If we're not careful, our days happen on autopilot.

Our breath also takes place largely autonomically. But by redirecting our awareness inward, toward our inhalations and exhalations, we start to bring more presence and intentionality to everything that we do, ensuring nothing happens on autopilot.

Ujjayi (pronounced ooh-jai-yee) can help with that. Translated from Sanskrit as "upward victory," Ujjayi is a form of pranayama, or breathwork, that's slow and audible and commonly referred to as "Victorious Breath."

It consists, quite simply, of breathing in and out through the nose, calmly and slowly, with a gentle sound coming from the back of the throat. Although many of us are familiar with Ujjayi from hearing yoga teachers cue the breathing pattern, it can be engaged at any time during your day when you need to slow down or become more in touch your life.

What Are the Benefits of Ujjayi Breath?

Yoga tradition asserts that practicing Ujjayi energizes the body while bringing the mind into a meditative state. It is believed to enhance awareness of the senses and, in so doing, anchor us in the present moment to promote calmness of mind. Contemporary science is finally catching up with ancient wisdom.

Research shows that Ujjayi causes us to come into parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response, where rest and rejuvenation can take place. By practicing Ujjayi, we shift our respiratory rate from 12 to 16 breaths per minute to six to eight breaths. Slow, deep, conscious breathing helps the body shift into a relaxed state, although it's important to maintain a high volume of air that enters the lungs.

I have found Ujjayi to be startlingly effective at bringing relief from anxiety in everyday life. I used to be a chronic mouth breather with a tendency toward shallow, anxious breathing. I learned that by taking slow and conscious breaths, I could direct my awareness to the core of my being and increase my likelihood of making sound decisions that created a more balanced life. Ujjayi taught me to breathe peace into my life.

Ujjayi is sometimes referred to as "psychic breath" because it is believed to unblock the sticky patterns of the mind, known as samskaras. Past actions, events, or traumas create negative mental impressions. We keep replaying these habitual thought patterns like a broken record until we bring conscious awareness to them and replace them with positive samskaras.

This ancient teaching is mirrored in what science has recently revealed about neuroplasticity, the ability of our neural pathways to reorganize themselves and create new patterns in the mind. Ujjayi is believed, in yoga philosophy, to help stimulate pranic flow within the energetic body and as a result brings to the surface any stuck emotions and thought patterns.

How to Practice Ujjayi Breath

Ujjayi requires a subtle awareness of your body. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a fifteenth-century text, Ujjayi is achieved through contraction of the epiglottis. This is the flap of cartilage at the back of your tongue that protects the windpipe from anything other than air entering. "The Ujjayi method turns the epiglottis into a valve," explains Gregor Maehle in Ashtanga Yoga.

Try to contract the back of your throat slightly with your lips closed and your tongue soft. Inhale and exhale through your nose while lightly activating the back of your throat. Maintain an audible breath that's not loud or forceful.

The resulting sound is often likened to the waves of the ocean or Darth Vader's voice. But as Richard Freeman mentions in The Art of Vinyasa, Ujjayi should actually sound more like a whisper or the wind between the trees. It is an intimate practice that you, and only you, should experience and hear. You can rely on it at any time you need to slow your thoughts and calm your body.

11 Cues to Help You Understand Ujjayi Breath

Ujjayi seems simple, and it is, although it can take some practice for it to feel intuitive. Rather than forcing the breath to sound like something, try to take a subtler approach, one that's focused on the actual action rather than the result. The prompts below may help you better approximate and understand the slight contraction at the back of the throat that results in Ujjayi. To connect with the sound of your own breathing as you’re learning it, try covering your ears.

1. Fog a Window

Have you ever let out a "haaaaaaa" in front of a window or mirror so you could write something silly or perhaps draw a heart? That exhalation had to come from the back of your throat. Practicing this can help you understand the technique and sound of Ujjayi. Engage your muscles as if you're trying to fog a mirror, although your lips need to remain closed.

2. Pretend You're Yawning

When we yawn quietly, we make a sound similar to Ujjayi, originating from that same deep-throated place.

3. Breathe Through a Straw

Imagine yourself drawing air in through a straw and you'll understand the area of the throat to activate in Ujjayi.

4. Think of Gargling

When you lift your chin towards heaven to gargle, you instinctively close the back of the throat. Anatomically speaking, this is the same area of the throat where Ujjayi originates.

5. Pretend There's a Stethoscope on Your Chest

Recall how you instinctively respond when a doctor places a stethoscope on your chest and back and suggests you take deep, audible breaths. That's not unlike Ujjayi--minus the cold metal instrument against your skin.

6. Chant Sa Ha Mantra (In Your Mind)

As you inhale, mentally chant "sa" on the inhalation and, on the exhalation, chant "ha." Prolong each vowel sound so it lasts 3-5 seconds.

7. Whisper While You Breathe

How exactly does one combine breathing with whispering? Give it a try. Silken breaths result. That same action--minus the talking--is Ujjayi.

8. (Light) Snoring Sound

Think of a light snoring sound. I emphasize "light" here as we don't want to be sawing any logs. Think of it as a gentle hissing sound that comes from the back of the throat.

9. Breathe Like a Scuba Diver

If you scuba dive, you know what I'm saying. If not, you can imagine the breathing sound divers make underwater. It's slow and actually sounds similar to Darth Vader.

10. Breathe Upward

As you inhale with a closed mouth, visualize the air moving upward along the upper palate of your mouth, as if you're trying to draw it toward the crown of your head. As you exhale, continue to focus on moving the air upward against the palate. This provides physical feedback on how the air feels as it flows through the body during Ujjayi, a tactile reminder of the breathing practice. Since the mouth is closed with Ujjayi, the air doesn't interact directly with the palate, but the energy and intention remain the same.

11. Imagine a Warmth Along the Back of Your Throat

When you inhale and exhale, visualize a lazy summer day and that sunset warming the area along the back of your throat.

About Our Contributor

Derek Doritis is on a mission to help people feel free from anxiety. He shares his teachings on YouTube and aspires to enhance people's lives with yoga. He has studied Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga in India and has been teaching on the beaches of the Mediterranean for the past seven years. At present, he is in the process of building a yoga retreat in the mountains of Cyprus. Follow him @derekyoga

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