Bhrāmarī
भ्रामरी प्राणायाम
Breathe in. Then hum like a bee on the whole out-breath. The hum is always the longer.
How long the hum is
How long the in-breath is
How it is done
Choose how the hands are held. Both are the practice.
- Sit cross-legged or in vajrāsana, the spine upright, the shoulders loose, the eyes gently closed.
- Take a few slow breaths to settle. Then breathe in through both nostrils, smooth and steady.
- As you breathe out, hum low in the throat like a bee, the mouth closed and the lips lightly together. Feel it in the head, the face and the chest. Steady, neither forced nor loud.
- Ten rounds. Let the sound hold your attention. When a thought comes, come back to the hum.
- In the first round the page hums with you, so that you hear the sound before you make it. After that it is your own.
Before you begin
Thirty seconds. Then we start.
- Do not practise if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, severe respiratory illness, or have had recent heart trouble. Ask a doctor first.
- If you feel dizzy, breathless or unwell at any point, stop and breathe normally. Nothing is lost. Start again when settled.
- Empty stomach, or at least two hours after eating.
- Nothing is held. If the hum leaves you snatching the next in-breath, choose a shorter one. Smooth beats long, every time.
- This supports treatment. It does not replace it.
Ten rounds.
Ten hums, each one longer than the breath that fed it.