One of the most important elements in yoga practice is the breath. Ujjayi means "victory" in Sanskrit, so this is the breath of victory.  Ujjayi  warms the breath as it enters the lungs, helping to build heat in the body so that stretching is safer and the inner organs can be cleansed of any toxins that have accumulated. Through this heat, the internal agni or ‘fire' is stoked, and a powerful healing process is unlocked.

Contra-indications.
If you feel dizzy or light-headed stop for a few minutes then resume, breathing slowly.  Perhaps spend shorter amounts of time practicing this breath. If you feel faint, place your hands on your knees and bend over until your head is lower than your heart so that bloodflow can return.

Benefits
- Calms the mind and the body
- The breath becomes a focal point which increases concentration
- Meditation practice becomes easier to concentrate
- Stimulates Circulation and metabolism
- Increases prana

1. Please find a comfortable seat in a chair or on the floor.

2. Sit with your spine tall. Close your eyes. Deepen your breath.

3. For now, open your mouth and begin to breathe in and out through your mouth.

4. Keep your spine tall.

5. On an exhale, slightly constrict the back of the throat and begin to make a haaaaaa sound, like the sound of the wind or the ocean.

6. Imagine that you are trying to fog up a pair of glasses.

7. Keep the spine tall.

8. 3 more breaths.

9. Now close your mouth and breathe in and out through your nose making the same sound.

10. Practice this for 3 minutes


This is ujjayyi breath. You know you are doing it right if your breath sounds like the ocean. With experience, your breath will become refined so that it is only audible to you and maybe the person next you.

For beginners it is common to emphasize the exhalation, but eventually the goal is to have an equal inhalation and exhalation, with the ujjayi sound on the inhale and the exhale.