Pranayama Practice: Ujjayi Pranayama (Audio Recording)

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Five-Prana-Ayurveda_Pranayama-Practice_Ujjayi-Pranayama

Pranayama

At the heart of Yoga is Patanjali’s Ashtanga (ashta = 8, anga = limb or path) or 8 Fold Path, sometimes referred to as the 8 Limbs of Yoga. The 8 Limbs are:

  1. Yamas - Rules of Social Conduct: nonviolence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non-clinging/non-grasping (apraigraha), control of sexual energy (brahmacharya)

  2. Niyamas - Rules of Personal Behavior: contentment (santosha), purity/cleanliness (saucha), self-study/study of sacred texts (svadhyaya), self-discipline (tapas), surrender to God (Ishvara pranidhana)

  3. Asanas - Physical Postures

  4. Pranayama - Control of Prana or Control of the Vital Life Force

  5. Pratyahara - Control of the Senses

  6. Dharana - Control of the Mind or Right Attention

  7. Dhyana - Meditation

  8. Samadhi - Absorption of Personal Consciousness (buddhi) with Cosmic Consciousness (mahat)

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, Bhramari Pranayama, or Ujjayi Pranayama which we will discuss in this post.

Ujjayi Pranayama

In this Ayurveda pranayama audio recording, you will be led through a 10 minute Ujjayi Pranayama breathing practice. Ujjayi pranayama is balancing for all dosha, so it can be practiced by anyone. This is considered one of the foundational forms of pranayama since ujjayi breathing is often incorporated into other breathing practices. 

This form of pranayama is said to bring joy. It calms the mind and relaxes the muscles in the chest. Ujjayi means victorious. It is said that ujjayi pranayama makes you feel victorious after you practice. The Ujjayi breathing practice is centered in the throat. To practice Ujjayi pranayama, you constrict the back of the throat on the inhalation and on the exhalation. You can imagine you are fogging up a mirror as you exhale. In a quiet space you will even hear your breath. The exhalation makes the sound of “ha.” This breathing practice is often jokingly called the “Darth Vader” breath because you make a sound similar to Darth Vader from Star Wars as you practice this breathing technique. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he says that ujjayi breathing should be both long (dirga) and smooth (suksma), so don’t struggle or strain the breath. Now follow along as you are led through the Ayurveda breathing technique of Ujjayi pranayama or the victorious breathing.

Music by Fried Coffee.