Sitali Breath for Anger & Anxiety
Two recorded practices when there's excess heat in the system.
Hi friend,
The theme for this month is all about deepening our practice in a simple and accessible way. This month, we’re stripping away the fancy mantras and movements to really focus on deepening our relationship with a more “basic” pranayama. I want to draw particular attention to how this change in focus feels in the body, as well as the shifts we can experience from anchoring into a simpler practice. Each class across the month will explore different pranic breathing practices.
We’ll be meeting every Monday and Wednesday at 8am CST for a live 15 minute guided practice. Our first live class will this Monday, August 5th. The Zoom link to join is below. Each week we will focus on one pranayama breathing technique. These classes are designed to be short and accessible so they can easily be implemented into your daily routine.
What you’ll need for this practice:
Find a seat that you'll be comfortable sitting in for the whole practice. You can also use bolsters or pillows to prop up the hips if you’d like to lie down.
Make sure to wear loose clothing that doesn't constrict your diaphragm (tight leggings not recommended!).
I’ll invite you to have your camera turned on so that we can hold the container together. I know this might feel uncomfortable for some, and if you absolutely must keep your camera off, no worries! However, I find that having cameras on helps to maintain a sense of community, helps to limit distractions, and helps me to guide and cue based on visual feedback.
Week 1: Free Subscribers Welcome to Join!
The classes on August 5th & 7th are about removing excessive heat from the body through a pranayama technique known as ‘Sitali Breath’.
Pranayama breath work is a core element of yoga that involves controlled breathing. The benefits of pranayama breath work are far-reaching: improved lung function, enhanced respiratory efficiency, lower cortisol levels, reduced stress, increased mental clarity by raising oxygen levels to the brain, improved sleep quality, and better regulation of breath and emotions.
Our breath practice this week, the Sitali Breath, is considered a “cooling breath.” This breath is used when we are feeling angry or have excess heat in the body and mind, as it helps to physically and energetically cool ourselves down. I like to call this breath “taco breathing” because you make the shape of a taco with your tongue; inhaling through a curled taco tongue (you can also make a pinhole with your mouth if you can’t curl your tongue) and exhaling through the nose.
The Sitali breath technique helps aid in the process of digestion and assimilation. Because we have acupressure points along the center of the tongue that stimulate the liver, when we breathe in cool air through the curled tongue, this stimulates the liver and helps release excess heat, anger, and frustration. This breath technique helps send nerve impulses to our stomach to support the release of this excess energy. The liver is also the organ that holds onto anger and frustration through the lens of Chinese Medicine and is believed to support women’s health more than any other organ.
Precautions: Please avoid this pranayama in cold weather if you’re already feeling especially cool.