Yoga Practice Name
Sheetali
Yoga Practice Branch
Ashtang Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga
Yoga Practice Type
Ashtang Yoga Category
Pratyahara
Hatha Yoga Category
Pranayama
Steps and Description
- Sit in padmasana or sukhasana(any comfortable pose), adopt any mudra.
- Keep your spine straight and take few deep breathes to make your mind focused and relaxed, bring focus inwards on your breathing.
- Close your eyes, and form the lips into an "O".
- Curl the tongue and project it out of the mouth.
- Inhale deeply across the tongue, into the mouth as if drinking through a straw.
- Concentrate on the cooling sensation of the breath as the abdomen snd lower the ribs expand.
- Withdraw the tongue and close the mouth exhaling completely through the nostrils.
- While doing this practice, focus on your breathings and feel the positive energy inwards.
- Continue the same process for few more times or as much as you can according to your capacity and preferences.
- Maintain silence for few minutes, focus on your breathings and observe the benefits of sheetali.
Practice Keynotes
- Don't exhale through the mouth.
- While doing this practice, focus on your breathings and feel the positive energy inwards.
Cautions and Limitations
- Sheetali should not be practised in a dirty polluted atmosphere or during cold weather.
- Under no circumstance should the breath be forced.
- Proceed carefully and only under expert guidance. At the slightest.
- Sign of discomfort, reduce the duration of inhalation/exhalation/retention and, if necessary, discontinue the practice for the day.
- Pranayama should never be rushed.
- Person with breathing ailments must consult the suitability of pranayama with their doctor.
Contraindications
- People suffering from low blood pressure or respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis and excessive mucus should not practise this pranayama.
- Those with heart disease should practise without breath retention.
- This practice cools down the activity of the lower energy centres, therefore, those suffering from chronic constipation should avoid it.
- Generally, this pranayama should not be practised in winter or in cool climates.
General Benefits
- Reduces the amount of bile waste that causes heartburn.
- Reduces high blood pressure.
- Helps to cure mental problems like Depression, Anxiety etc.
- Controls the hunger and quenches the thirst.
- Calms up and increases the concentration.
Benefits for Disease
Depression
