Overview & Traditional Lineage
Cooling Breath (Sitali Pranayama) is a classical pranayama rooted in Hatha Yoga Pradipika; the cooling breaths. Breathing in over a curled tongue, which cools the air on the way past. The classical answer to heat, in the body and in the temper.
Primary Goals: Anger, Stress. Themes: Heat, Summer, Irritability.
Full Guided Practice Script & Cue Timeline
| Timestamp | Spoken Cue / Instruction | Pause |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Sit comfortably somewhere you are not cold. | 12s |
| 0:16 | Stick out the tongue and curl the edges up to make a tube. If it will not curl, use the hissing breath instead. | 22s |
| 0:53 | Breathe in slowly through that tube. The air will feel distinctly cool. | 20s |
| 1:21 | Draw the tongue in, close the mouth, and breathe out through the nose. | 18s |
| 1:47 | Again. In over the tongue, out through the nose. | 30s |
| 2:22 | Notice where the cool goes — the tongue, the throat, and then further down. | 40s |
| 3:11 | Twelve rounds, unhurried. If you start to feel chilled, stop. | 120s |
| 5:18 | Now close the mouth and breathe normally. See whether the coolness is still there. | 45s |
| 6:11 | Let it settle. Heat leaves slowly and does not need chasing. | 30s |
Contraindications & Guidance
- Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, tingling in the hands, or any tightness in the chest.
- Not in cold weather or with a chest infection — it cools too effectively.
- Skip if you cannot curl the tongue; use Hissing Breath instead.
