If someone who wasn’t familiar with Yoga
breathing practices walked into a roomful of people humming like a swarm of
bees - they might start to worry or question the state of mind of people in
the room. I have to admit, I’ve had a
little chuckle myself after glancing around the room during the practice of
Bumble Bee breathing - the scene immediately brings a smile to my face. I
especially love the vibrational energy it brings. It sounds like a group of people omming and
has the same relaxing effect. It
definitely lifts the mood in the room.
Humming Bee breath or Brahmari breath is a
simple pranayama technique. The outward breath is directed to a specific area of
the body, this breath vibrates internal and external areas of the body releasing
tension. A person will also notice a reduction in stress, anxiety and an
increase in the feeling of peacefulness and serenity.
What’s actually happening in the body is that
the vibration stimulates the cells beneath the skin helping the blood flow
rapidly into dry dehydrated muscles and tendons bringing fresh nutrients. This
is helpful for regenerating and restoring organs for good health.
When told about the health and meditation benefits of Brahmari
breathing, everyone becomes very enthusiastic and wants to try it. This technique involves vibrating the lips
while expelling air and thinking “Om” at the same time. Sounds difficult when reading about it but on
a practical level it is ever so simple.
The areas that receive the most benefit from
the practice of Brahmari breathing are the upper chest, throat and nasal
passages. As the sound vibrates and moves through the body, healing begins to take place in those areas.
I have personally found humming Bee breath to
be very effective in soothing and minimising the outbreak of cold sores around
my mouth. When I feel one coming on, that familiar, annoying, tingling feeling
around my lips - I practise Brahmari breathing.
We all experience built-up tension in the
body bought on by the stressful situations we face every day. Stress has an
adverse effect on the immune system, however we can counteract this by
practising Brahmari breathing. A person can calm their mind; ease anxiety,
tension and frustration. This is a very effective practice which will help to
quickly restore balance to your mind and body.
A headache can be caused by lack of energy
and blood flow through the shoulders and neck area. The gentle vibration produced
by Brahmari breathing can help activate the body’s natural healing energy causing
it to move and improve the flow of blood. The blood system transports nutrients
and lubricants into tight areas of the body loosening built up tension.
This pranayama is another valuable tool that we can add to our self help
toolbox. You might find this practice a little unusual at first because of the “omming”
sound the practice produces. But you will get used to it and even begin to
really like the sound and find it to be soothing and calming. Like
most breathing techniques because they calm the mind, the heart rate will slow
down and this in turn lowers blood pressure.
You can practice Brahmari breathing at the
end of a long day when you need a little TLC.
If you want to try this before going to bed,
this pranayama breath has been known to aid insomnia helping you to drift off
and experience a deep relaxing nights rest.
If you would like to learn how to practice this wonderful pranayama you are welcome to contact us. Leave us a comment along with your details and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Namaste
Lalita
Lalita
YMSA Team
