Bhramari Pranayama is one of the 8 classical pranayama described in the 15th century text the 'Hatha Yoga Pradiprika'. It said that through this practice the mind of the yogi achieves a stage of bliss. In Bhramari pranayama we hum for the exhalation. As simple as this sounds, humming is something that has a lot of really amazing benefits. It slows our breathing down, reduces the effects of stress, increases the production of nitric oxide which supports the immune system, helps the production of melatonin which supports sleep, it stimulates the vagus nerve which moves us to a more restful, and can work a simple form of sound healing which can help us access meditative states. Bhramari pranayama is a calming technique, and it's really lovely to practice anytime you need to find a bit of calm, and can be really useful before bed.

One of the most well known examples of humming is from Matthew Mcconaugheys character in the Wolf of Wall Street. What isn't quite as well known, is that the humming wasn't originally in the script. Humming is a practice that Matthew Mcconaughey uses to calm and centre himself before a scene, and after seeing him go through it before shooting Leonardo Di Caprio convinced him to do it in the film. So if humming works for Matthew Mcconaughey, there's a good chance it'll work for you too

Music by Gareth Quinn Redmond

garethquinnredmond.bandcamp.com

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