In our day to day life when we do several activities at one time, working in hotter environment or when there is change in weather. We tend to get tired as our body works in and out. Hence we need to put some time to cool down and rest. Sheetali Pranayama is yogic way to cool down your body. Sheetali means “the one that cools you down”.  ‘Sheet’ in Sanskrit means cold. Also this pranayama is called Sheetali as when we do this pranayama we make a small hissing sound like “Si…Si..”. Doing this activity regularly will relax and remove excess body heat.

Steps for doing Sheetali Pranayama:-

Sit in calm pose or sit comfortably in chair or you can put yoga mat on floor and relax. See to it that you are sitting upright or your spine and neck should be straight. Now bring your tongue outside and roll it like ‘O’ shape. Inhale deeply through your mouth as much as you can but as per your capacity. Then exhale through both of your nostrils. You can try these for 8-10 minutes.

Sheetali Pranayama
Sheetali Pranayama

Also you can do Sitkari Pranayama if you feel you cannot do the tongue in ‘O’ shape. In Sitkari Pranayama you have gently press your lower and upper teeth together and separate your lips as much as you comfortably can, so your teeth are exposed to the air. Inhale through your open teeth which will make a hissing sound. Focus on your breath of your sound. Once done you can close your mouth and breathe out from your both nostrils.

Sitkari Pranayama
Sitkari Pranayama

Benefits of doing Sheetali and Sitkari Pranayama

1)It remove excess heat from our body hence try to do it on summers which will bring down your body temperature by 3% to 4%. You can do during summer season.

2)It helps our nerves and muscle to relax

3)It is beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure

4)It will help us in stress and anxiety by calming down our mind and body

5)It is beneficial from people suffering from Insomnia

6)It is beneficial for digestion.

Preventive Measure:-

1) Don’t do these pranayama when it very cold outside or if you are living in colder region.

2)Avoid doing these pranayama when you are suffering from cold, cough, asthma, tuberculosis, low blood pressure, arthritis.

3)See to it that your neck and spine should be straight as this would obstruct the flow within the body.

With all the above benefits & preventive measures you can decide whether it’s good for you or not as per your health condition. Do comment if you liked the post.

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1 Comment

6 Benefits of Kapalbhati which will help you in long run - Every Minute Healthy · July 22, 2020 at 4:57 pm

[…] Benefits of doing regular Sheetali and Sitkari Pranayama […]

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