In the moments before you fall asleep or in the moments shortly after you wake up do you ever notice the quality of your breath? As a yogi, I pay attention to my breath almost all the time now especially during moments of very low or very extreme activity. The quality of my breath correlates with the activity I’m performing whatever emotional state I’m experiencing. If I’m upset or stressed out I notice my breath becomes choppy or short or many times I find myself not completing my exhales at all. What ends up happening is I take in more (breathe) than I can handle, literally, while not entirely ridding myself impurities through my exhales. This is a great metaphor for whatever life situation comes up in that very moment where I’m hyperaware of my breath. Since our breath is the most direct and tangible link between the outer physical world and the energetic world the question then becomes, how can I mitigate the experiences I encounter “out there” with my reactions to those experiences “in my head?” The answer: through proper manipulation of my breath, also known as pranayama.

Pranayama is the fourth limb in Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga and its literal translation is breath control. There are many pranayama techniques all with different goals and effects. One of my favorite techniques is called ujjai pranayama because of its simplicity and because of it’s accessiblity. Ujjai pranayama amplifies the breath making it the central point of your conscious mind. Once you learn ujjai you can take it with you anywhere you go and apply it in any situation for immediate mental clarity. My personal intention behind ujjai is to cleanse the specks of dirt from my mind and to focus my mind to soften my reactions during difficult situations. This is the most valuable form of yoga because I can take it anywhere and practice it anytime I need. Ujjai breathing is also known as the “victorious breath” or “ocean breathing” because it sounds almost like ocean waves crashing onto the beach. Ujjai is usually practiced during the vinyasa style of yoga where the emphasis is on linking the movements with the breath. The goal of ujjai, as with any other pranayama technique, is to concentrate and focus the mind. Ujjai goes one step further and gives your asana practice extra strength and power to sustain you through a vigorous vinyasa practice.

YOGI TIDBIT TO TRY:

1. Sit cross-legged on your yoga mat with your spine upright and take a few easy breaths through your nose.
2. Take a big inhale through your nose and let it go through the mouth. As you let the breath escape through the mouth produce an audible ‘HAAAAAAAA’ sound.
3. Now close your lips and bring your mind’s eye to the back of your throat and on the next exhale create the same ‘HAAAAAAA’ sound but with the lips closed.
4. As you take your next inhale cultivate a similar hissing sound at the base of the throat as you inhale.

The key to ujjayi pranayama is constriction of the glottis, the aperture in the throat that opens and closes to hold the breath or to facilitate speech. Constricting the glottis amplifies the normal sounds of respiration. When done properly, this creates a soft vibration that soothes the nerves and calms the mind.

I like to imagine that I’m attempting to fog up a mirror with each inhale and exhale only with my lips closed. Once you get the hang of the ujjai technique you can begin to balance the quality and sound of the breath and refine it by lengthening the inhales and exhales. The easiest way to know if you are doing it correctly is to listen to the sound of your exhales and if they are audible and feel longer and stronger than the inhales then you are on your way to ujjai victory! You are now ready to expand the breath by deepening your inhales to match the vigor of your exhales.

One more thing you can do to help find the ujjai in you is to do this mini vinyasa:

1. Sit on your mat, continue with your ujjai pranayama
2. On the next inhale reach your arms out to the sides and take them up overhead and feel the expansion created through the movement. Fill it up with the inhale.
3. On the next exhale slowly release your arms down by your sides.
4. Notice how the inhales naturally facilitate space in the body while your exhales facilitate a contraction or an emptiness within the body.

Congratulations, you just learned the very basics of a vinyasa yoga practice! Now go breathe and enjoy!