Pranayama Ujjayi: Technique Step by Step for Beginners

Ujjayi pranayama is the psychic breath. It is easy to learn and can be practised by all, young and old, at any time of the day or night. You can use whatever position you find most comfortable, as long as the spine, neck and head all form a straight line.

Techniques

1. Relax your whole body and adjust your position so that you don’t have to change it at all during the practice.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Be aware of the breath flowing in and out of the nostrils.
4. Move your awareness down to your throat.
5. Feel the breath in your throat.
6. Contract the glottis.
7. Breathe deeply and softly. Your breathing should sound like the gentle snoring of a sleeping baby. You should have the feeling of breathing through the throat only.

With practice this technique can be done for hours, although five or ten minutes should be long enough to remove tensions and to relax or prepare you for additional meditation practices.

Benefits

This practice, though it is so simple, has subtle influences on the whole body as well as the psychic plane. It calms the nervous system and removes all worries and troubles from the mind.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Picture: OUM.RU