Brahmari (Bumble Bee Breath) and Next Steps

Episode #10 of the course Restorative yoga for restful sleep by Elaine Oyang

Also known as “Bumble Bee Breath,” Brahmari is a type of yoga breathing done by humming softly. Not only is it fun to do (try this with your kids!), it helps clear the chit-chat in your mind at the end of the day.

What you need:

● A chair or somewhere comfortable to sit for a period of time

How to:

Sit in a comfortable position on a chair or in a cross-legged position on the floor. Lengthen your spine and rest your back against a wall. Close your eyes softly and take a few natural, easy breaths. To start, take in a fuller breath, and on your exhale, hum a soft “mmmmmmmmmm” for as long as your breath allows. The sound should mimic the soft buzzing of a bee. Anchor your mind to that sound. Continue till you complete a total of 10 rounds, then sit quietly and breathe naturally for another minute to observe the effects.

Why this works:

While you may feel like you are just humming, this practice is categorized as a yoga breathing exercise because you are elongating your exhales with each round of humming. Long, slow, controlled exhales cue the nervous system to slow down. In addition, the humming sound is essentially a distraction that your monkey mind can anchor its attention to, so you can even drown out the stories, to-do lists, and thoughts in your mind that may keep you up at night. The humming itself creates a vibrational effect in your body that soothes the nervous system.

Next Steps:

Now that you have experienced individually some of my favorite yoga poses for a restful night’s sleep, I invite you to mix and match a combination of two or three poses per night as your bedtime routine. Keep it simple and find the ones that resonate with you the most. Keep these emails so that you can refer back to the directions and photos if need be.

If you enjoyed this course, please check out my other course on Highbrow: “Quick Yoga Poses at the Desk.” You can also download your free e-guide “From Fatigue to Fabulous” from my website elaineyoga.com as a supplement to this course.

I hope you found this course helpful, and I look forward to hearing your feedback!

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