Bhramari Pranayama Practice & Benefits (Humming Bee Breathing)

Bhramari Pranayama which is also known as Humming Bee Breath is a breathing technique. Find how to practice step by step and its benefits. Pranayama is known as vital energy control or breathing control, it is an integral part of yoga practices. Among the eight limbs of Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga pranayama is in 4th place. The major aim of practicing pranayama is to gain control over breathing and make it as slow as possible because the slower we breathe the longer we live.

We only utilize 10-20 % of the total capacity of our lungs while breathing in an automatic manner (shallow breathing)

What is Bhramari Pranayama

There are a number of pranayama practices mentioned in yoga texts which are emphasizing one’s physical and mental well-being. One such pranayama practice is known as Bhramari– “the humming bee breath”. Bhramari pranayama is a very popular practice that has been widely followed by people around the world as it has countless benefits added to it. A huge number of people took the help of these beautiful pranayama practices during Covid-19 as this practice showed great results for them and had been recommended by the Indian government to everyone across the country. This also help for stress relief.

In Bhramari pranayama one has to take deep breaths in and while expanding exhalations they have to make a humming sound like a bee which creates strong soothing vibrations in the entire body, especially in the brain, and hence soothes the nervous system. This yoga practice greatly slows down our breathing rate as it becomes easy to exhale for longer while humming compared to without humming.

How to Practice Bhramari Pranayama

1. Sit on a comfortable
2. Close your eyes and relax your whole body.
3. The lips should remain gently closed with the teeth slightly separated throughout the practice.
4. Raise the arms sideways and bend the elbows, bringing the hands to the ears.
5. Use the index or middle finger to plug the ears or the flaps of the ears may be pressed without inserting the fingers.
6. Bring awareness to the center of the head, where the third eye chakra is located, and keep the body absolutely still.
7. Inhale through the nose.
8. Exhale slowly and in a controlled manner while making a deep, steady humming sound like that of the black bee.
9. The humming should be smooth, even, and continuous for the duration of the exhalation.
10. The sound should be soft and mellow, making the front of the skull reverberate.
11. The inhalation and exhalation should be smooth and controlled.
12. Practice several repetitions like this.

Benefits of Bhramari Pranayama / Humming Bee Breathing

• Bhramari relieves stress and cerebral tension, and so helps in alleviating anger, anxiety, and insomnia.
• Bhramri can be used as a meditation practice as it greatly releases unnecessary thoughts from the mind and brings them to the present moment.
• Humming increases the amount of nitric oxide in the body which in turn helps reduce inflammation, regulates blood pressure, and even helps our bodies fight off bacteria.
• It increases the healing capacity of the body.
• It strengthens and improves the voice and helps get rid of thyroid imbalances.
• Bhramari induces a meditative state by harmonizing the mind and directing the awareness inward.
• The vibration of the humming sound creates a soothing effect on the mind and nervous system.