How to practice Bumblebee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama) – with video tutorial
Bumblebee breath or bhramari pranayama is a breathwork technique that has a number of benefits both physical and mental. This is a simple breath practice and can be done either seated or laying down. Bhramari breath is great practiced alone or an amazing technique to use before meditation.
Physical benefits
Humming (a key component of bumblebee breath) has been shown in scientific studies1 2 to help clear your sinuses. This makes it a fantastic breathwork tool to use on a regular basis if you’re prone to sinus infections or if you tend to have sinus pressure issues during the changing of seasons or changing weather patterns.
Additionally, humming has been shown to reduce stress and lower heart rate and blood pressure.3 Simply by humming, you are able to help your body trigger a parasympathetic nervous system response – shifting into a mode of rest and digest. (Read more about the benefits of being in a parasympathetic nervous state here)
Mental & emotional benefits
Because humming, a key component of bumblebee breath, helps to trigger a parasympathetic nervous system response, it’s ideal for helping you to relax and alleviate stress.
Additionally, because you create an audio resonance within your own head during bumblebee breath, it is a great tool in helping to draw your attention inward. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention that what we traditionally call yoga – the movement or asana – is just one aspect of the practice.
By bringing our attention inward, bhramari pranayama helps us to practice another limb of yoga – pratyahara or withdraw of the senses. When we stop listening to all of the noise around us, it become much easier to hear the quiet whispers of our intuition within.
And when we learn to communicate with our intuition, we’re able to reduce stress and anxiety and reclaim time. If you haven’t already checked out my Intuition 101 Course to get started learning how to communicate with your intuition! To get an even richer experience, you can use bumblebee breath to help center yourself before beginning each of the lessons in the course.
How to practice bumblebee breath
While the bumblebee breath is a simple practice, it can be difficult to explain. The best way to learn this breathwork technique is to watch someone do it. In this case, it really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I recorded a video for you of me practicing bhramari pranayama.
Use this video to learn the technique and then once you’re comfortable with the hand placement and breathwork, you can practice on your own. I would suggest starting with 3-5 bumblebee breaths and work your way up to 10 minutes or more.
You may also find once you get into a longer practice cycle you will find a humming resonance that is just right for you and will remove the variability I suggest you to explore in this video.
When to practice bumblebee breath
As this is a calming breathwork technique which helps ground you in your body, I would suggest using it for times when you’re preparing for deeper relaxation and rest. This is a fantastic technique to use before meditation practices as it helps you to begin to move inward and center yourself. I also love to use this breath before yoga nidra as it helps to prepare you to enter this deep relaxed and meditative state.
You may also find this to be a helpful tool to incorporate into your nightly routine. Just as it can help you relax before meditation, it is also a great tool to use in bed as you prepare for sleep. If you are using it for sleep, I would highly suggest you practice the technique laying down – perhaps as the last thing you do before falling asleep.
I also love bhramari pranayama for times when you’re trying to focus on something but find your mind can’t settle, continuously moving from thought to thought. As you practice this technique, you find your mind naturally begins to focus on the breath, and you can carry that focus into whatever project you’re trying to tackle!
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