Ujjayi Breathing in Child's Pose

Students learn ujjayi breathing from yoga, which gently narrows the throat to slow down the breath and make it audible, and practice it in child's pose to relax the back. Students work on breath control and bringing their heart rate down.

How to play

1. Kneeling on the mat, each student exhales with an open mouth as if fogging up a mirror, feeling the slight friction in the throat (1 minute).
2. Repeat the same sound with the mouth closed, breathing in and out through the nose, like soft ocean waves (1 minute).
3. From kneeling, fold the torso forward into child's pose, forehead on the mat and arms stretched out.
4. In that pose, take 10 ujjayi breaths: 4 counts in, feeling the back widen, and 6 counts out (3 minutes).
5. Roll up slowly one vertebra at a time and compare a 15-second pulse count with the one from before (1 minute).

Rules

• The sound should be soft; if it's hard or makes you dizzy, go back to normal breathing.
• Don't force the pose: knees can spread wider or a cushion can go under the forehead.
• Stay silent except for the sound of your breath.
• Come up slowly to avoid dizziness.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility or knee issues: do it seated in a chair, resting the forehead on the arms on a table.
• Hearing impairment: show the rhythm by raising and lowering a hand or with a visual count on a screen.
• Students with asthma: shorten the exhale and allow them to stop at any time.

Learning goals

• Perform ujjayi breathing correctly.
• Test the effect of slow breathing on heart rate.
• Use a breathing technique independently during cool-downs.

Equipment for a class of 25

• yoga mats: 25

Teacher tip

Have students hear the sound with an open mouth first; it's the fastest way to get it. Avoid this pose right after lunch or with students who have knee pain.

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