Pranayama Practice: Bhramari Pranayama (Audio Recording)

/
Five-Prana-Ayurveda_Pranayama-Practice_Bhramari-Pranayama

Pranayama

There are 8 limbs of yoga beginning with the yamas and niyamas and ending with samadhi. Pranayama is the 4th limb. It is the practice of harnessing the power of your breath, the life force of your being. Prana is that life force. It is the means by which the mind and body connect. Pranayama is used in Ayurveda to calm the mind from stress, anxiety and worry.

There are many forms of pranayama in Ayurveda. Some increase lunar energy like Adham Pranayama. While others increase solar energy like Kapalabhati Pranayama or Bhastrika Pranayama. Finally there are pranayama practices that balance both the lunar and solar energies like Nadi Shodana Pranayama or Bhramari Pranayama which we will discuss in this post.

Bhramari Pranayama

In this Ayurveda pranayama audio recording, you will be led through a 9 minute Bhramari Pranayama breathing practice. In Ayurveda, pranayama is used as a treatment or chikitsa and depends on the dosha of the person and their current imbalances. Bhramari pranayama is used most often when people are experiencing the emotions of fear, worry, anxiety, and nervousness. These emotions are most often associated with vata dosha, so this breathing practice is recommended for vata individuals and people experiencing negative vata emotions. This form of pranayama connects us with the Divine Mother and the Divine Feminine within us all. It is associated with the ajna chakra or the third eye chakra. This is the chakra of divine intelligence and intuition.  

Bhramari means “bumblebee.” This breathing practice is named after the bumblebee because of the humming sound you make during the exhalation of this breathing practice. This humming sound is said to resemble the sound of a bumblebee buzzing. When you practice bhramari breathing, you vibrate the vocal cords and create a resonating sound in the body which works to calm the nervous system and relax the body. Let me show you. The breathing practice of Bhramari Pranayama or humming breath is designed to calm the body. This form of pranayama is used traditionally in Ayurveda to ease feelings of anxiousness, worry and nervousness. It is especially beneficial during times of stress. Now follow along as you are led through the Ayurveda breathing technique of Bhramari pranayama or bumblebee breathing.

Music by Fried Coffee.