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UJJAYI PRANAYAMA
Ujjayi Pranayama (the psychic breath)
Sit in any comfortable position, preferably a meditation asana. Close the eyes and relax the whole body. Take the awareness to the breath in the nostrils and allow the breathing to become calm and rhythmic. After some time, transfer the awareness to the throat. Try to feel or to imagine that the breath is being drawn in and out through the throat and not through the nostrils; as if inhalation and exhalation are taking place through a small hole in the throat. As the breathing becomes slower and deeper, gently contract the glottis so that a soft snoring sound like the breathing of a sleeping baby is produced in the throat. If this is practised correctly there will be a simultaneous contraction of the abdomen. This happens by itself, without any effort being made. Both inhalation and exhalation should be long, deep and controlled. Practise yogic breathing while concentrating on the sound produced by the breath in the throat. The sound of the breath should not be very loud. It should just be audible to the practitioner but not to another person unless they are sitting very close. When this breathing has been mastered, fold the tongue back into khechari mudra (refer to the section Mudra). If the tongue becomes tired, release it, while continuing the ujjayi breathing. When the tongue is rested, again fold
it back. Duration: Practise for 10 to 20 minutes. Contra-indications: People who are too introverted by nature
should not perform this practice. Those suffering from heart disease should not combine bandhas or breath retention with ujjayi.
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