If you’re in need of an energy boost, ujjayi pranayama—otherwise known as victorious breath—can help uplift your mood and leave you feeling revitalize. It’s a type of breath technique that naturally stimulates and heats your body, so it’s especially ideal for keeping warm in cold weather.
Below is a quick guide on how to do ujjayi pranayama.
Sit comfortably, lengthen your spine, and open your chest. Start by taking a few mindful breaths, maintaining the natural rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations. Feel the breath rise and fall, observing how the body naturally inflates and deflates.
When you are ready, take a deep inhalation through the nose. Feel your belly and your chest expand with air.
When you’ve reached your limit, gently constrict the back of your throat and slowly exhale to create an ocean-like sound. Feel your throat vibrate, and allow your exhalation to be long and steady.
Inhale again fully, and repeat this slow and steady exhalation. The sound of your exhalation should sound similar to your breath fogging up a window, or waves crashing onto the shore.
It doesn’t matter how loud your breath is. Rather, focus on maintaining the constriction of your throat as well as the length of your exhalation.
Continue this for a few more minutes, until you feel more focused, centered, and warmer.
When you feel that your practice is complete, come back to a natural rhythm of breath. Open your eyes.
