How Much Ujjayi Pranayama Is Best?

Hello Yogi Marlon,

First let me say, I recently started watching your yoga for absolute beginners video. In it you speak of being mindful of our breath. I have tried very hard to focus on my breath during practice, but I sometimes find myself breathing in this way throughout my day. Is it the goal, through much practice, to learn to breath like this in our day-to-day life, or should it be limited to our practice and meditation? Thank you for any advice you may give and I look forward to being able to continue to follow your teachings.

Namaste,

Amanda
Cameron, NC

Hi Amanda,
That’s a question I had myself at one time. The traditional teaching is that the specialized breathing techniques are to be used as a tool, not to be idealized as the optimal breath for normal waking life, when we are engaged in a variety of activities.

After several years of yoga practice, I discovered that on most days as I transition from sleep to wakefulness and then again as I transition from wakefulness to sleep, my breath is spontaneously takes on the slow, deep rhythm of ujjayi. I relish these moments to do a bit of yoga “off the mat.” It brings to mind what one of my first yoga teachers, Alan Finger, taught me. He used to say, ”If you want to be a yogi, you can’t wake up with coffee and the newspaper.” I’ve learned to utilize the first minutes of my day in deep contemplation. I know ujjayi pranayama enables my step through that door, and it’s an essential part of my day.

Additionally, I utilize a few ujjayi breathes at a time throughout the day to release stresses as they arise. It is very effective in dissipating tension. I use it when I am waiting on line, stuck in traffic, or doing something I find completely mundane. I would personally choose to do hours of ujjayi if I were healing in some way, but that is as far as it goes in my waking hours. I do not recommend more than occasional or momentary uses of ujjayi in normal waking life (outside of yoga practice) although other knowledgeable yogis may have discovered others. The reason is that ujjayi lengthens the brain waves, and most everyday tasks in our culture are best done without that extension. Most of us are not leading monastic lives, so overusing the technique could make one overly ethereal and unable to perform one’s daily work.

It seems a logical place to suggest here, that you may want to explore a variety of pranayama techniques with a qualified teacher. Though they are not often taught viloma, pratiloma, bastrika, are 3 pranayama techniques well worth knowing.

For instruction on ujjayi pranayama, please download this video file:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7504960285051502940&q=yogi+marlon

I hope that answers your question satisfactorily. I wish you all the best with your yoga practice and spiritual exploration.


Om Shanti,

Yogi Marlon