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Ujjayi Pranayam

Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma is a meditation technique that leads to sahaja samādhi and self-inquiry.

The practice involves inhaling through both nostrils and exhaling through the mouth slowly. Apply ujjāyī mudrā by pressing the chin toward the chest. Breathe deeply, aware of the breath ascending and descending between the navel and the eyebrow center. Feel fresh cool air on inhalation from Ājñā Cakra to Maṇipūra, and warm air on the lower lip during exhalation. This prāṇāyāma strengthens organs, supplies maximum oxygen, and brings physical health. It calms the vṛttis, making the mind peaceful. The body is like a vessel; the mind is like water within. If the vessel is steady, the mind becomes steady. Mastering the body means mastering the mind. The practice leads to sahaja samādhi, a temporary spontaneous absorption. It deepens one within, feeling one with the self. It is a technique for self-inquiry, ātmā anubhūti. It also develops willpower through saṅkalpa. One should remember the saṅkalpa and pray for protection of the spiritual path. The practice includes relaxing the body, no movement, and normalizing breath after deep cycles. Ultimately, it leads to meditation on the self and peace for all creation.

"This kind of prāṇāyāma leads us to sahaja samādhi, spontaneous coming to the samādhi that is temporary."

"The body is like a vessel, like a pot. And the mind is like water. If the pot is moving, the water is also moving. If the pot is steady, then the mind is also steady."

Filming location: Vép, Hungary

Relax and be comfortable, and repeat your personal mantra. Be aware that your life is easy, relaxed, and at ease. Puri Jī, Siddha Puri Jī, Siddha... Puri Jī, Siddha. Now, place your right hand fingers at the eyebrow center. Index and middle finger at the eyebrow center. With the right thumb, slightly close the right nostril. With the thumb, slightly press the sidewall of the right nostril. Without counting, just inhale deep and exhale long. Feel the breath from the beginning of the nostril, the left nostril, till the center of the chest, and then further into the whole lungs, the whole diaphragm. Be aware of the breath. You should know that you are inhaling and exhaling with the left nostril, the prāṇa. Now, place the hand on the knee, take a deep inhale and exhale two or three times, and relax. Always observe the breath. Feel your breath ascending and descending, breath awareness between navel and throat or the nostrils. Now make ujjāyī mudrā. The chin is pressed towards the chest. Ujjāyī mudrā. Be relaxed. Inhale through both nostrils. Exhale through the mouth slowly. Don’t make too much noise. Breathe in and out. From the navel to the Ājñā Cakra, and from the Ājñā Cakra to the navel. Likewise, go ahead. Of course, no sound of the breath. What I made was only a demonstration. Now, release the jālandhara bandha, head straight, and deeply inhale through the nostrils and exhale through the mouth. Feel the fresh air going through the nostrils. And when you exhale, you feel the warmth on your lower lip. Keep your body relaxed. Just relax. Relax your elbows. Relax your shoulders. Let your body be relaxed, and feel the prāṇa between Maṇipūra and Ājñā Cakra. The physical form of prāṇāyāma strengthens all the organs, our health, and supplies the maximum quantity of oxygen. Inhale through the nostrils and exhale through the mouth. When you inhale, you feel fresh, cool air flowing through the nostrils, from the Ājñā Cakra till Maṇipūra. And while exhaling from Maṇipūra to Ājñā Cakra and exhaling through the mouth, you feel warm air on the lower lip. O Jai Prāṇāyāma, still your head is straight, eyes are closed, body straight, upright, and relaxed. You are inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling through the mouth. Breath is a little deeper than normal breath. Ascending and descending breath between the navel and the eyebrow center. From Ājñā to Maṇipūra, from Maṇipūra to Ājñā. And the prāṇa is spreading in the whole body, supplied to every organ, every muscle, every system of the body. This kind of prāṇāyāma leads us to sahaja samādhi, spontaneous coming to the samādhi that is temporary. Vṛttis are very calm, and your mind is peaceful, and you feel very deep within thyself, one with thyself. The body is like a vessel, like a pot. And the mind is like water. If the pot is moving, the water is also moving. If the pot is steady, then the mind is also steady. To master thy body means to master the mind. This kind of prāṇāyāma is a technique of meditation, which leads to self-inquiry, ātmā anubhūti. And now, deep inhale, exhale three times, and normal breath. Be straight, upright, sitting, no movements. Just relax and be aware of your being here in this hall with your guru brothers and sisters. And remember the celebration of Guru Pūrṇimā. Remember your saṅkalpas to fulfill your saṅkalpa, to develop your willpower. And that develops through Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma, this meditation, self-inquiry, meditation of yoga and life, Ātmā Anubhūti. Meditation, meditation... And now, deep inhale and chant Oṁ all together three times. When you chant Oṁ, you need not move the body. Let your body be in peace. Deep inhale. Place your mālā around your neck, fold your palms, and repeat your saṅkalpa, the one you made yesterday, with folded palms, the hands near the chest. Remember your saṅkalpa, and pray to Alakhpurījī, Devpurījī, Mahāprabhujī, and Gurujī. And pray to Devpurījī, Alakhpurījī, Mahāprabhujī, and Gurujī. To protect our saṅkalpa, to protect our spiritual path. The whole creation should be happy on this planet. Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Tend your palms, place the palms on the face, warm your eyelids and your face. Open your eyes, and place your hands on the ground. Bend forward, touch your forehead to the ground, and relax the whole body. Feel the stretching of your back muscles. All five jñāna indriyas are getting fresh blood, which means more oxygen. Slowly, with the support of your hands, slowly get up. Inhale, and lay hands up, and exhale, hands down on the thighs, and turn into Vajrāsana. Stretch the hands up, and interlock your thumbs. Exhale, bend forward, Śaśāṅkāsana, and inhale, come up, interlock the thumbs, stretch the body. Look up, slightly up to the ceiling, release your thumbs, and sit down. Slowly bend forward, come down. Inhale and come up, hands up. Interlock the fingers and palms towards the ceiling. Slowly bend to your left side. Your left side, my left side is this side. And in the middle, and your right side, and middle. Center. Left. Left. Inhale in the middle. Exhale right. Inhale to the center. Exhale left, and inhale in the middle, and open your palms and hands down on the thighs, knees on the ground, toes extending. Rise, stay there. Through this Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma and this exercise, you are grown up. How did you manage? All are higher. Then, hand sidewards and knees up. Balance on the toes. Knees in the air. Don’t hold each other’s hands. Hands on fingers on the shoulders, and a little bit Sarvaitāsana. You are sitting on the toes, but concentrate on Sarvaitāsana, forget the toes. As a direction, very good. Hands up, who can, without support, can stand up, they will stand up like this. Those who cannot, put your hands on the knees, support your knees, and stand up all. Perfect. Slowly into hastapādāsana. Bend forward and touch your toes or the ground, and come up. Interlock the fingers, palms facing towards the ceiling, and Tāḍāsana. Again, you are growing. Oh, my God. Up and down. Up and down. Legs apart, and your hands bending towards the left side. Left side. In the middle. And your side, right side. And up. Left, middle. Right, middle. And hands down. Legs together. Hold the hands, and you can say, “Hari Om, Swāmījī.” Bless you all, please take a seat.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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