51 Days Yoga Consciousness Series 2nd May-21st June 2021

Knowledge of Yoga is infinite, boundless and timeless. “Learning Yoga is an everlasting journey that leads you within and Within is where you find the world of immortal bliss”. –Mitraasha

Namaste All My Yoga Yaatris! May Yog Bless You!

The idea behind running this 51 Days Yoga Consciousness series is to proffer my modest learnings and share the divine pearls of Yoga science with people at large. Let’s have a conjoint intent to learn, implement and extend the wisdom of Yoga with a positive co-action and harmonious reverberation amongst each other.

Pranayamas: Sheetali and Sitkari

Due to the excessive heat during summers, we often tend to get stressed and fatigued physically as well as mentally. As per Ayurveda, summer is predominantly the pitta season governed by the pitta dosha, which consists of the fire and water elements. During this time, people generally tend to experience more of pitta’s influence in their bodies resulting in some kind of inflammation, acidity, indigestion, rashes, acne, burning eyes, agitation, frustration, and anger.

By inculcating cooling breathes practices to their yoga routine, people can balance the pitta dosha and experience calm, cool, relaxed and lightness in their body and mind. In the list of 8 classical pranayamas described in Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Sheetali-the cooling breath and Sitkari-the hissing breath are two very effective and excellent breathing techniques for releasing excess heat, cooling down the body and boosting vitality, especially beneficial during the pitta dominant hours of the day when the sun is at its peak with maximum heat, i.e between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Even a small span of practicing these cooling breathes, refreshes the mind and harmonizes doshas disparities.

Sheetali-the cooling breath

Sheetali is a Sanskrit or Hindi word derived from the root word ‘Sheet’ which means ‘cold’ or ‘something which has a cooling effect’. The other understanding of the name is given like this; because of the hissing sound Si..Si.. generated by the moist curled tongue and extending coolness at the upper and lower palate of the mouth known as ‘Tali’, it is known as Sheetali.

Regular practice of Sitali Pranayama aids expulsion of the toxins from the body, reduces anger and fatigue caused due to excess exposure to heat.

Limitations /Contraindications

  1. People suffering from serious cardiac issues and hypertension should consult a doctor or an experienced yoga trainer before trying to do sheetali pranayama and then can practice without the retention of breath.
  2. People having low BP issues, constipation, gastric ailments, migraine and respiratory disorders e.g asthma, bronchitis, cold, cough and chest congestion should avoid doing this.
  3. It is suggested to practice sheetali on an empty stomach for best results, and also ensure that the back and neck are held straight and not bent or curved as that may restrict the Prana flow within the subtle body.
  4. Avoid Sheetali in cold countries and winter seasons as the coolness generated may induce respiratory issues in lungs. It should also not be practiced in a polluted environment as that may affect the lungs adversely.

For general limitations/contraindications, benefits and other do’s & dont’s of Pranayamas overall, kindly refer to this link: https://kreately.in/day-43-pranayama-mitraasha/

How to practice?

Sheetali
  • Sit on a mat in any meditative posture of your choice. For those who cannot sit on the floor comfortably may sit on a firm chair with a fixed and straight backrest.
  • Maintain the body waist above- straight with back erect, spine upright, shoulders rolled out, neck and head in one straight line, chest thrown well forward, abdomen in normal contour, chin parallel to the floor and palms rested on thighs simply or holding a gyana/dhyana mudra.
  • You may choose to keep your eyes open or closed as per your comfort. Now extending the tongue out of the mouth, stretch it as much as possible without any discomfort. Try to curl up the sides of the tongue in a way that it forms a tube-like channel. Stay relaxed and at peace.
  • Next, after a short exhalation, gently inhale a long and unbroken breath from the mouth through the curled up tongue, with a hissing sound. Keep inhaling rhythmically without jerks until the chest feels completely full and then close your mouth by taking the tongue within.
  • Try to retain the inhaled air for either 6 seconds or double the time of the complete inhalation, while ensuring that the spine, head and neck are continuously held erect, facial muscles relaxed and the nose is not constricted. 
  • Now without any jerks or hastened motion, very gently exhale through the nose as naturally, completely and gradually as possible. Relax and breathe normally. It is recommended to practice 4-5 rounds/sessions with pause in-between rounds.

Note: For those who are not comfortable initially to retain or suspend the breath as suggested, may do the entire flow of pranayama with normal breathing.

Those who cannot /curl the tongue may keep their flattened tongue near the mouth, purse their lips to make a small O shape with their mouth and then practice sheetali. They may also choose to practice another cooling exercise called Sitkari.

Benefits

It helps to control hunger, thirst, sleep, lethargy and cools down the body and the mind.

Helps in managing psychosomatic ailments, reducing abdominal issues, insomnia, other sleep disorders, high bp, hair fall and fever, gives relief from stress, anger, anxiety and balances the kapha dosha.

Results of one of the researches done on the effect of sitali combined with sitkari pranayama on brain waves showed that it increases the alpha, delta, and theta waves power and decreases beta wave power. It was observed that the alpha waves were mostly seen in the calm and quiet brains, whereas the beta waves were observed in mind full of fear and anxiety.

Sitkari- The hissing breath

Sitkari is an ancient practice and it got its name from the Sanskrit language where Si is related to the hissing sound. In this pranayama, while inhaling the air through the gap amidst the clenched teeth, a hissing sound akin to that of a snake hissing is generated. Thus sitkari pranayama is also known as the hissing breath which allows Prana or the life force to cool down and thereby expel the unbridled anger and stress out of the body.

Limitations /Contraindications

  1. People suffering from serious cardiac issues and hypertension should consult a doctor or an experienced yoga instructor before trying to do sitkari pranayama and then can practice without retention of breath.
  2. People having low BP issues, constipation, gastric ailments, migraine, sensitive teeth, gaps in teeth and respiratory disorders e.g asthma, bronchitis, cold, cough and chest congestion should avoid doing this.
  3. It is suggested to practice sitkari on an empty stomach for best results, and also ensure that the back and neck are straight and not bent or curved as that may restrict the Prana flow within the subtle body.
  4. Avoid sitkari in cold countries and winter seasons as the coolness generated may induce respiratory issues in lungs. It should also not be practiced in a polluted environment as it may affect the lungs adversely.

How to practice?

Sitkari
  • Sit on a mat in any meditative posture of your choice. For those who cannot sit on the floor comfortably may sit on a firm chair with a fixed and straight backrest.
  • Maintain the body waist above- straight with back erect, spine upright, shoulders rolled out, neck and head in one straight line, chest thrown well forward, abdomen in normal contour, chin parallel to the floor and and palms rested on thighs simply or holding a gyana/dhyana mudra.
  • You may choose to keep your eyes open or closed as per your comfort. Now roll the tongue up to touch the palate and close the mouth, while maintaining the teeth clenched. Stay relaxed and at peace.
  • After a short exhalation, inhale deeply and rhythmically from the corners of the mouth, through the clenched teeth creating a hissing sound.  Keep inhaling rhythmically without jerks until the chest feels completely full and then close your mouth completely.
  • Try to retain the inhaled air for either 6 seconds or double the time of the complete inhalation, while ensuring that the spine, head and neck are continuously held erect, facial muscles relaxed and the nose is not constricted. 
  • Now without any jerks or hastened motion, very gently exhale through the nose as naturally, completely and gradually as possible. Relax and breathe normally. It is recommended to practice 4-5 rounds/sessions with pause in-between rounds.

Note: For those who are not comfortable initially to retain or suspend the breath as suggested, may do the entire flow of pranayama with normal breathing.

Benefits

It helps to control hunger, thirst, sleep, lethargy and cools down the body and the mind, reduces the emotional excitation and mental tension, positively impacts the nervous system and endocrine glands.

Helps in keeping the abdomen, spleen and liver free from diseases, removing the toxins from the body and purifying the blood, reducing fever, gives relief from stress, anger, anxiety, hypertension issues, hyper acidity and balances the pitta dosha and calms soreness of the body.

Beneficial for dental-oral health, inflammatory skin and aids to keep you healthier and younger.

Results of one of the researches done on the effect of sitali combined with sitkari pranayama on brain waves showed that it increases the alpha, delta, and theta waves power and decreases beta wave power. It was observed that the alpha waves were mostly seen in the calm and quiet brains, whereas the beta waves were observed in mind full of fear and anxiety.

Sitkari pranayama is a good alternative for those who can’t roll their tongue in sitali pranayama. 

Thought of the day: “Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe the one reason why it will.”- Unknown

Link to day 43: Pranayamas https://kreately.in/day-43-pranayama-mitraasha/

Link to day 45: Pranayama: Ujjayi https://kreately.in/day-45-pranayamaujjayi-mitraasha/

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