Another hot day in Melbourne and many more to come! Some people cope with the heat by turning the air conditioning on (boooo), others just LOVE the heat, and another category of people (like me) feel like they are being stir-fried when the thermometer goes over the 28 degree mark, and of course, will NEVER EVER use the A/C! ;-) For those people – but also for the ones who are keen to try cooling down their body more naturally – there are a few simple Yoga techniques we can apply…

Sheetali Pranayama (cooling breath)

Pranayama is the practice of controlling the breath, it can be used to wake the body up or calm it, to heat it or to cool it, and all pranayama practices help to calm the mind.

How to practice Sheetali?
Sit comfortably on a chair or in a meditation posture.
Close your eyes and relax the whole body.
Extend the tongue outside the mouth as far as possible without strain and roll the sides of the tongue up so that it forms a tube (see picture below). The ability to curl the tongue is genetic so if it doesn’t happen place the tip of the tongue behind the front teeth for a similar feeling.
Practice a long, smooth and controlled inhalation through the tongue.
At the end of the inhalation, draw the tongue in, close the mouth and exhale through the nose.
Practice yogic breathing throughout: on the inhale feel the belly rise, then the ribcage and the chest at last; on the exhale feel the chest fall first, then the ribcage and finally the belly.
The breath should produce a sucking sound.
A feeling of icy coldness will be experienced on the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
This is one round.

For how long?
Gradually increase the number of rounds from 9 to 15. Once you are familiar with the technique, 15 rounds for general purpose and up to 60 rounds in very hot weather.

Tips…
1) With practice, the duration of the inhalation should gradually become longer to increase the cooling effect.
2) The awareness is on the tongue, the sound and the cooling sensation of the inhaled breath.
3) Practice in case of hot weather but also to restore temperature balance after other yogic practices that heat up the body like asanas (physical postures).
4) Do not practice in a polluted atmosphere or during cold weather.

Contra-indications:
Low blood pressure, respiratory disorders, chronique constipation.

Keep practicing and let me know how you go until I share more COOLing Yoga techniques soon! So stay tuned for “keep cool (part #II)” :-)

Source: Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, Swami Satyananda Saraswati