OCEAN BREATHING (UJJAYI BREATH)

This is a soft audible breath which everyone does every night when deeply asleep. It’s often likened to the sound of a baby’s breath as they sleep or the sound of gentle ocean waves. Ujjayi slows both the inhalation and the exhalation by breathing through a slightly narrowed glottis. This breathing tricks the body, signalling it to enter into a deep state of rest.
To find this breath, allow your natural breathing to settle.
Breath in through your nose, exhale through your mouth the word whisper, emphasising and elongating the ‘er’
Make it more of a whisp’er’ each time, when you have a sense of the sound close your mouth part way through and tune into to the amplification of sound in your throat.
Then continue to inhale and exhale through the nose, softening into the Ocean sounding breathing on the exhales.

UJJAYI DURING LABOUR

This is a powerful tool to use at times during labour when you need to gather your resources and settle into yourself more. If you find it comfortable, effortless and helpful you can use it throughout labour to bring you into a calm state.
You can also use it in between surges, when it’s soporific effects are especially helpful to promote deep rest. In this way it is possible to alternate Ujjayi with GOLDEN THREAD BREATHS, using Ujjayi in rest periods and Golden Thread breaths during surges.