Cooling breath -Sitali pranayam

Here's a reminder of how to do the cooling breath we practiced last night in the holiday class. Yes, it looks funny, but who cares if it works right?  It will cool down your body, but it also works to cool a hot head if your mind is racing...

Sit comfortably with the spine erect. A chair is fine. Place the hands where they are relaxed and comfortable.

Sitali pranayam involves breathing in through the mouth, either over the extended curled tongue, or through clenched teeth- while scooping the air in, lifting the chin up. Close the mouth and retain the breath in momentarily and then exhale through the nose while you return the head to neutral.

Can't Curl the sides of the tongue to make a tube?  Blame your parents- it's a genetic trait.  The option if your tongue doesn't roll is to bring the teeth together with the lips apart, so you can achieve the same effect of the breath in to the body being cooled by the mouth- and not miss out on looking silly. (this variation is called Sikari, but it has the same benefits of cooling the mind and calming the central nervous system.

Do about 9 rounds. Remember count three lots of three if you get lost in thoughts getting to 9...

As with all of our practices, if it feels uncomfortable for any reason -stop!

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