उज्जायी प्राणायाम
Ujjayi — the Ocean Breath
ud + ji = the victorious rising breath
A soft whisper in the throat turns each breath into a wave you can hear.
In the simplest words
Breathe with your mouth closed but make a soft "haaa" sound in your throat, like the sea in a shell. If you can hear your breath singing quietly, you're doing it right.
What it is
Ujjayi narrows the throat very slightly — the same shape you use to fog a mirror, but with the mouth closed — so the breath makes a soft oceanic sound on its way in and out. The sound is the teacher: while you can hear it, smooth and unbroken, the breath is under control; the moment it turns ragged you know the mind has wandered or the effort is too much. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists it among the eight classical kumbhakas, and it is the breath that accompanies flowing asana practice in many modern schools.
Where it comes from: Classical hatha yoga — one of the eight kumbhakas of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (II.51); central to several modern asana lineages.
Before you practise — health first
Keep the throat's narrowing feather-light — a sore throat, thyroid trouble or any dizziness means practise without the sound. Low blood pressure calls for gentleness.
How to practise
Sit tall. Breathe out through the open mouth with a whispered "haaa", as if fogging a mirror — feel where the throat narrows.
Keep exactly that throat shape, close the mouth, and breathe through the nose.
Let both the in-breath and the out-breath carry the same soft ocean sound.
Keep it quiet — audible to you, barely to someone beside you.
Breathe 8–12 slow rounds, listening the whole time.
Practise now
Breathe with the circle
The circle will grow as you breathe in and soften as you breathe out. Follow it.
Round 1 of 10
Sessions of a minute or more are added to your sadhana log — stored only on this device. Stop whenever your body asks.
When & how long
On its own for a few minutes before meditation, or as the running companion of a yoga routine. The sound should never become a strain.
What it is kept for
Keeping attention tethered during asana; practitioners describe it as warming and steadying — a breath for focus with softness.