Ujjayi and even-count breathing

Setup

1. Students sit on a block, folded blanket or chair with the spine tall; lying down with knees bent is fine too.
2. There is no breath-holding in this drill. Anyone with a heart or lung condition or high blood pressure, or who is pregnant, checks with a health professional and can stay with natural breathing throughout.

How it runs

1. Settle and breathe naturally for a minute, simply noticing the breath without changing it.
2. One hand on the belly, one on the side ribs: feel the belly rise and the ribs widen as the air comes in. Ten breaths.
3. Mirror fog: breathe out through an open mouth with a soft 'haaa', as if fogging a mirror. Repeat three times, then close the lips and keep the same gentle sound in the throat on the exhale.
4. Ujjayi (victorious breath): add the soft throat sound to the inhale too, quiet enough that only a neighbour could hear it. Two minutes through the nose.
5. Even-count breathing (Sama Vritti): in for four, out for four, with no pause or hold; build to five only if it stays easy. Three minutes.
6. Let go of the sound and the count; one minute of natural breathing, noticing how the body feels now.

Coaching points

• Soft sound, soft throat: like waves in a shell, never a snore.
• Nothing forced: if anyone feels dizzy or short of breath, they return to normal breathing straight away.
• Smooth from start to finish, with no gaps or holds at the top or bottom.
• Shoulders stay relaxed as the ribs widen.
• Fit the count to the breath, not the breath to the count.

Common mistakes

• Squeezing the throat so the sound becomes loud and harsh.
• Lifting the shoulders on every inhale.
• Stretching the count beyond what is comfortable.
• Pausing or holding the breath between inhale and exhale.