Pranayama Practice: Shitali
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Pranayama
According to Ayurveda, prana is considered the life force of all things. Prana roughly translates to “vital life force” and ayama translates to “expansion”. Therefore, pranayama means “expansion of the vital life force”. When we practice pranayama we are working to expand the lungs by filling them with prana or breath.
There are many forms of pranayama in Ayurveda. Some increase lunar energy like Adham Pranayama or Shitali Pranayama which we will discuss in this post. 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, Bhramari Pranayama, or Ujjayi Pranayama.
In Ayurveda, pranayama is used as a treatment or chikitsa and depends on the dosha of the person and/or their current imbalances. Shitali breathing is considered a cooling or calming form of pranayama. In fact, shitali means “cooling.” Cooling forms of pranayama like Shitali are generally recommended for pitta dosha and pitta imbalances. This is because pitta is associated with the fire element and the quality of heat or uṣṇa. In Ayurveda, there are two main tenets: 1) like increases like; and 2) opposites balance. Therefore, since pitta is hot, it should be balanced by cold or cooling recommendations.
Shitali Pranayama (Cooling Breath)
Shitali Pranayama is also known as “cooling breath.” To practice this breathing technique follow these steps or listen to our audio recording of how to practice Shitali Pranayama:
Sit comfortably with your hips elevated on a pillow to help keep your spine straight.
You practice shitali pranayama by inhaling through the curled tongue or if that is not possible then the pursed lips. You then close the mouth and exhale through the nose.
Not everyone is able to curl their tongue, so don’t be discouraged if this is not possible for you. You can still practice this pranayama by pursing the lips and imagining you are sucking in air through a straw.
As you inhale through your curled tongue or pursed lips, you will notice that the breath feels cool in the mouth and lungs. This is why it is named the shitali or cooling breath.
When you inhale, feel the breath move into the mouth, down the trachea and stop at the navel center. You can retain the breath for a few moments if that’s comfortable. (Don’t practice breath retentions if you have high blood pressure or have a heart condition. Children should also not practice breath retentions.)
Shitali breathing is used in Ayurveda to combat heat, so it’s an excellent breathing practice for summertime.
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“Prana is special because it carries awareness. It is the vehicle of consciousness. If you want to send your awareness to the furthermost cell of your big toe, prana will carry it there. When you have sufficient flow of prana, you can spread your consciousness everywhere within. To do this you need to generate a lot of prana. To generate prana you must cultivate the extension, expansion, control and restraint of your normal breath. ”