The word ‘bhramari’ (à¤à¥à¤°à¤¾à¤®à¤°à¥€) refers to the humming sound made by a ‘bhramara’ (a bumble bee in Sanskrit). The Bhramari Pranayama consists in making a deep, soft humming bee-like sound while exhaling.
Because Bhramari Pranayama has a very calming effect on the nerves and the mind, it is usually practiced as a prelude to meditation. As a part of the pranayama routine, it should be practiced at the end of other pranayama practices, usually after the alternate nostril breathing (naadi shuddhi), prior to getting ready for meditation.
Bhramari Pranayama is also practiced as a part of the yoga tradition called Nada Yoga (yoga of sound). As the name implies, Nada Yoga uses the element of sound, both external and internal, to reach higher levels of consciousness. In the subtle stage of Nada Yoga, one listens to internal sounds allowing the perceived sound to arise spontaneously. The Bhramari Pranayama is used as a preliminary stage of the practice of Nada Yoga.
Shanmukhi mudra
Bhramari Pranayama is practiced while applying the Shanmukhi Mudra (also known as Yoni Mudra). The word ‘shanmukhi’ (शनà¥à¤®à¥à¤–ी) is composed of two Sanskrit words – ‘shat’ (six) and ‘mukhi’ (mouths or gates). So the full name means the ‘six-gated mudra’. The six gates refer to the two eyes, two ears, nose and the mouth. The purpose of the Shanmukhi Mudra is to symbolically shut the mind from the five senses so the mind can maintain an inward focus in the state of pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and get ready for meditation.
To shut the senses, the thumbs are used to plug the ears, the index fingers are placed on the eyelids, the middle fingers on the two nostrils, the ring fingers above the upper lip and the little fingers under the lower lip. There is no effort to press tightly against these organs but a light pressure is applied with the thumbs and fingers.Â
Step-by-step
- Sit in any comfortable, cross-legged meditation posture with the spine upright, arms and shoulders relaxed.
- Apply the Shanmukhi Mudra as explained above. Apply light pressure with the thumbs and the fingers against the various sense organs.
- Fix your mental focus at the third eye (Ajna Chakra), the spot between the eyebrows.
- Take a deep inhalation
- While exhaling, make a soft, humming sound. Try to keep the breathing deep and gentle so as to maximize the duration of exhalation without straining the breathing in any way.
- Repeat the cycle of inhalation followed by the humming exhalation ten times.
- At the end of the routine, you may continue with your own silent meditation.
Benefits
- Bhramari causes the whole brain to vibrate. Vibration of the cerebral cortex sends impulses to the hypothalamus which has the capacity to control the pituitary gland- the master of all glands. The hypothalamus also sends impulses to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This helps tune the whole neuro-endocrinal system to function in a harmonious and synchronized way.
- It calms the nervous system and brings in a mental state of calm and peace which is helpful in meditation.
- It helps in conditions of mental tension, high blood pressure, anxiety and heart-related problems.
- By constant practice of Bhramari, the yogi’s mind is absorbed in bliss (Hatha Yoga Pradipika -2.68)
- Here is an excerpt from an article that I came across recently. This article talks about the benefits of Bhramari for pregnant women based on research findings on several participants. The same benefits are applicable to all who practice this pranayama technique.
"… bhramari done for a few minutes daily can alleviate anxiety and tension. Vibration of the brain sends impulses to the reticular formation which eliminates anxiety and improves the mood, behavior and personality, so that the expectant mother may take care of her health and nutrition, leading to proper growth and development of the fetus. During labor, elimination of anxiety makes the mother co-operative and less apprehensive, thus facilitating easy delivery. " You can read the full article here.
Contraindications
There are no contraindications for this practice. Anyone who can breathe can practice Bhramari for great benefits.
Can Brahmari pranayam be done lying down on your back before going into savasana?
Dear Veena,
Thanks a lot for visiting my website. Even though I have not practiced Bhramari in a lying down position, I don’t see why it can’t be done that way. Bhramari is suppoed to calm the mind down and it should be OK to do it just before going into Shavasana.
Thank you for your quick response-
Hello Sir , i want to get rid of my eye glasses and make my number close to zero ,is it possible by doing Bhramari pranayam 10 to 15 times daily or work out with 10 to 15 mins daily . i have come around some people saying they have solved the eye problem upto 100% satisfaction / with zero number clearity … Sir can you plz guide with this problem ?
Thank you,
Chirag bhosale.
Hello Chirag,
Thank you for visiting my blog. I know that Bhraamari can help with eyesight but I haven’t seen any research which says that you can completely cure your vision. I have written a blog post (http://yogawithsubhash.com/2010/01/22/yoga-for-eye-care-a-7-step-program/ ) on eye care and I strongly suggest that you go through that post and follow the guidelines given there. I have seen some reports which claim that by following similar guidelines as what I have given, people have benefitted a lot as regards their vision. I wish you all the best. I hope to hear back from you with your progress.
– Subhash
Hello Sir,
In my right ear, sometimes I feel like air is blowing in and out. And this makes me feel very uncomfortable. I checked with one of the YOGA doctors, they aksed me to practice Shanmukhi Mudra. I am practicing it right now, but the blowing of air still persists. Could you please let me know would practicing this mudra, reduces my problem or else are there any other asanas i can practice to completely get rid of this.
Dear Deepa,
Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. As for your symptoms, I really have no experience with your specific situation. As such it is hard for me to tell whether shanmukhi mudra would help or not. The practice of various pranayama techniques is supposed to be helpful with many of the ailments related to ear, nose and throat area. The only other technique that I can think of is the twirling around yourself which is supposed to help with the inner ear balance and with the health of the ears in general. In this technique, you start in the standing position with the arms stretched out in line with the shoulders. Turn your neck to look over the right shoulder and fix your gaze at the middle finger of the right hand. Then start twirling around yourself at a comfortable, steady pace. You may start with about ten rounds and slowly over a period of a few days, build up to 21 circles. When you come to a stop, continue to look at the middle finger of the right hand until the room and the surroundings also come to a stop. Let me know if this proves of any help. Thanks.
Thanks a lot Subhash Sir. Its so kind of you to reply so quickly and advise me on one more technique. I would start doing it from today and let you know the results after few days.
Sir,
I have been advised by my doctor to include Bhramari as one of the daily exercises to help with my border-line high blood pressure.
I find the exercise very calming and resonant. But I have a question on the practice.
When I place my ring fingers under the nostrils, the sense of vibration is much more stronger, powerful and resonant while exhaling with ‘hmmmmm’ sound. This feels very good. But I find inhaling more difficult because the fingers partially block the nostrils. What should I do?
Thank you very much for your response and advice.
Dear Mallik, thanks for your note. As there a few different ways to practice bhramari, could you please describe the technique that you are following for your practice? Thanks.
Bhramari does lower blood pressure so people with pre-existing low blood pressure can get dizzy with the practice. Otherwise very fine practice!
Thanks, Wendy, for your comment. You are making an interesting observation and I would like to know if you have some scientific studies in this connection.
dear sir,
in my personal practise i have also concluded that while doing brahmri the arm should be at right angles with the torso. this stretches and relaxes the back muscles i.e the trapezius and latissimus dorsi.
also, removing muscle spasms and knots, t facilitates the ascension of kundalini. please keep the good work going and put up more spiritual posts.
thanks and best regds,
Thanks for this additional insight, Vinay. Such information can be really helpful for the visitors of the site. The only potential problem with keeping the arm at right angle is that after a few rounds the arm may begin to tire out.
Dear Sir,
My husband has been asked to practice Brahmari 54 times by his voice culture specialist. I have been doing yoga with a yoga instructor regularly and we do not do it more than 5. After 2 days of Brahmari he says that his throat feels hollow and is painful. Is it ok to continue like this?. Thanks for the post.
Dear Anusha, I apologize for not getting back to you earlier. In yoga practice, one of the guidelines that we follow is to never stretch yourself beyond your own comfort zone. We may need to challenge ourselves sometimes but not to the point where the practice is hurtful. My recommendation will be to practice only as many rounds of bhramari as feels comfortable. Once you practice on a regular basis, your capacity will keep on increasing. try to make steady progress. Please let me know how it is going now.
Dear Sir,
Thanks for your immediate response. As u said my husband practices like 15-20 brahmaris per day as he feels comfortable and is not exhausted doing them. And, he is doing aerobics to increase his lung power. It is doing great wonders to his voice. Once again thanks for your help.
Dear Anusha, I am so glad to see that your husband has been able to do 15-20 bhramaris per day and that he is feeling more comfortable with it. I wish him continued success with his voice capability.
I feel more effective when i close the ears and nostrils after breathing in and release them while breathing out.
Is this a good practice.
Dear Sita Ram, for the Bhramari pranayama to be effective, the nose and ears should be lightly closed during exhalation while you are making the humming sound. The idea is to shut out all external influences and focus entirely on the experience of the sound vibration of the humming breath. I hope this helps.
Dear Subhash Sir,
After I practice Bhramari and close my ears for few seconds, I fell cool water flowing like feeling in my ears. Is this a good effect or am I not doing it right.
Thanks
Rita
Dear Rita, everyone can have a slightly different experience as a result of different pranayama practices. As long as you don’t feel uncomfortable, you should just welcome and enjoy every experience.