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Classical pranayama

Sheetali

Cooling breath.

Say it SHEE-tuh-lee शीतली

  • Classical pranayama
  • Seated
  • No breath holds
  • 3 min to start
Rhythm in seconds

In 4 · Out 6

3 min · 18 rounds · 3:00 · about 6 breaths a minute

Take care: Skip it in cold weather, or with asthma, a cold, or low blood pressure.

Breathe in through a curled tongue, as if through a straw, and out through your nose. The incoming air feels cool on the tongue.

Written by Viram from the sources below. Updated . How we write our guides.

How to practise Sheetali

  1. Sit upright with your head level.
  2. Stick your tongue out a little and curl the sides up into a tube.
  3. Breathe in through the tube for 4, like sipping through a straw.
  4. Draw your tongue in, close your mouth, and breathe out through your nose for 6.
  5. Can’t curl your tongue? Many people can’t. Try Sheetkari (sheet-KAH-ree): teeth lightly together, lips parted, breathe in through your teeth with a soft hiss.

Each round, step by step

StepSecondsWhat to do
Inhale (mouth)4Curl your tongue and sip the air in.
Exhale6Close your mouth. Out through the nose.

Take care

Skip it in cold weather, or with asthma, a cold, or low blood pressure.

  • Skip it in cold weather, or in smoky, dusty, or polluted air. Breathing through the mouth skips the nose’s warming and filtering.
  • Skip it with asthma, a cold, a cough, or a sore throat.
  • Skip it if you have low blood pressure.
  • The advice on asthma and low blood pressure is a cautious teaching precaution, not a finding from trials. Ask a qualified teacher or your clinician if you’re unsure.
  • With sensitive teeth, use the curled tongue rather than breathing through your teeth.
  • Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy.
  • Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and return to your normal breath.

Traditionally

Sheetali means “cooling.” The Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes drawing air in over the tongue, holding it, and breathing out through the nose, and credits it with easing heat, thirst, and hunger. Curling the tongue into a tube comes from modern teaching, and the practice is traditionally kept for hot weather. Viram’s version has no hold.

What the research says

Evidence is thin. A few small trials in people with high blood pressure report lower readings after weeks of practice, compared with no breathing practice. In a small study of healthy adults, heart rate variability rose with Sheetali and with deep breathing, and Sheetali wasn’t significantly better. A study of 17 young men found the skin temperature in the armpit rose slightly rather than fell; the coolness is air passing over a wet tongue. It is not a treatment.

Sources

  1. Svatmarama (c. 15th century). Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Translated by Pancham Sinh, 1914.
  2. Gheranda (attributed) (c. 17th century). Gheranda Samhita. Translated by Srisa Chandra Vasu, 1914.
  3. Swami Satyananda Saraswati (2008). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Yoga Publications Trust, 4th revised edition.
  4. B.K.S. Iyengar (1981). Light on Pranayama. George Allen & Unwin.
  5. Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India (2019). Common Yoga Protocol. 4th revised edition.
  6. Telles S et al. (2020). Body temperature and energy expenditure during and after yoga breathing practices traditionally described as cooling. Medical Science Monitor Basic Research 26:e920107.
  7. Shetty P et al. (2017). Effects of Sheetali and Sheetkari pranayamas on blood pressure and autonomic function in hypertensive patients. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas) 16(5):32–37.
  8. Sharpe E et al. (2021). Investigating components of pranayama for effects on heart rate variability. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 148:110569.

A wellness practice, not medical advice. Read practising safely before you begin.

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