The verse and its meaning · Yoga in Practice · Yoga in Practice — Pranayama

Bhramari — the bee

Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.68

अथ भ्रामरी वेगाद्घोषं पूरकं भृङ्गनादं भृङ्गीनादं रेचकं मन्दमन्दम्। योगीन्द्राण्¸अं एवं अभ्यासयोगाच् चित्ते जाता काचिदानन्दलीला ॥

Meaning · English

Breathe in with speed and with sound, a sound like the humming of a bee. Breathe out very slowly and softly, with a sound like the humming of a she-bee. By practising this way, a certain play of delight arises in the mind of the masters of yoga.

The name comes from bhramara, a bee. Bhramari is the bee practice, a breath that hums. The Pradipika names two hums. One is the bee's, on the way in. The other is the she-bee's, on the way out. The commentary reads the second as the finer, softer note of the female bees. The instructions are few. Breathe in with speed, and make a sound while doing it. Breathe out very slowly, and make a sound then too. The in-breath is quick and the out-breath is long and gentle, so the two are plainly different in pace and in voice. That contrast is the whole of the method. The verse names no hold between the breaths. The commentary adds a reason for that silence: Bhramari is counted among the kumbhakas, the breath practices of holding, so the pause is taken as understood. It says only the in-breath and out-breath are spoken of because those are where this practice differs from the others. That is the commentary's reading, not the verse's wording. Then comes the reason for teaching it. The Pradipika says that from practising this way, the lords of yoga find in the mind some play of delight. The word it uses for the feeling is vague on purpose, and the commentary calls it something that cannot quite be put into words. The text asks for steady practice and promises an ease it does not try to describe.

1. Sit upright and still, with the eyes closed and the face soft. 2. Breathe in with speed, and let a soft humming sound go with the breath, like a bee. 3. Breathe out very slowly, and let the hum go on, thinner and softer, like the she-bee. 4. Listen to the sound. When the mind wanders, return to the hum and the slow out-breath. 5. Stop when the breath turns hard, and sit quietly for a while, noticing what remains in the mind.

A beginner holds no breath in this practice. The old verse names no hold, and none is taught here. 1. Sit on the floor or on a chair with the spine upright and the shoulders loose. Rest the hands on the knees. 2. Close the eyes. Let the face soften, with the jaw loose and the lips lightly closed. 3. Breathe out once, plainly, to empty the chest without pushing. 4. Breathe in through both nostrils, fairly quickly, with a soft humming sound like a bee. Let the quickness come from a ready breath, not from effort. 5. Without holding, begin to breathe out at once through both nostrils, very slowly, with a finer, softer hum. 6. Let the out-breath run long and thin until the lungs are comfortably empty. 7. That is one round. Begin the next in-breath when the body asks for it. 8. Do five rounds, then rest, breathing as usual for a minute. 9. To come out, let the hum drop away and breathe quietly. Open the eyes slowly. The counts are modern teaching, not the verse's own. A common guide is about 3 counts in and 8 counts out, with the out-breath always the longer. The nose is used on both sides, since the verse names no single nostril. Keep the throat relaxed. The sound should be even and quiet, never harsh or loud. Stop at once if there is dizziness, tightness in the chest, pressure in the head or ears, or any strain. Go back to ordinary breathing.

The body first. The quick in-breath is a short, easy filling of the chest and belly. The long out-breath is the muscles of the ribs and belly letting go slowly, with the throat narrowed just enough to make the hum. That slight narrowing acts like a brake on the air, which is why the out-breath can be stretched without effort. The jaw, tongue and face are asked to stay soft, so the sound comes from a loose throat. The breath next. Pairing a short in-breath with a long out-breath is the reverse of the quick, shallow breathing of a hurried person. The out-breath is where the body settles, and this practice puts its weight there. The mind last. A sound gives attention something to hold. The hum is steady, close and slightly vibrating, and the mind follows it more easily than it follows a silent breath. When thoughts pull away, the sound is still going and brings the attention back. The contrast between the quick note in and the slow note out also keeps the practice from going dull. The tradition's own account is different. The Pradipika places this among the kumbhakas and speaks of a play of delight arising in the mind of the masters. That is its description of the inner result, not a statement about physiology.

The Pradipika makes one claim for this practice. It says that by practising in this way, a certain play of delight arises in the mind of the masters of yoga. It does not list diseases or powers. It names no cure and no reward beyond this inner delight. The commentary adds only that the feeling is hard to put into words. It does not claim more than the verse does. The text offers this as the fruit of steady practice by those already advanced, and does not promise it to a beginner after a few rounds. Whatever else is said about the humming breath in later teaching is not in the verse.

A grandmother is rocking her grandchild at three in the morning, humming low and slow without thinking about it. The hum lengthens her out-breath, and she and the child both quieten. People have done this for as long as there have been lullabies. This fits what a family doctor would say in general terms. A slow, long out-breath is a well-known way to ease a racing body, and humming makes the out-breath longer without much effort. Giving the mind a steady sound to follow is also a recognised way to steady attention. Slow breathing of this kind is widely taught for calm, and it is reasonable that Bhramari would feel settling. Where the evidence thins is the specific claims. Nothing well established says a quick hummed in-breath does anything special, or that the bee's note differs from any other steady hum. The inner delight the Pradipika describes cannot be measured, and today's medicine has no matching term for it. Prana, as the old texts use it, has no modern equivalent either, and this verse does not name it. A practice that mostly asks for a slow, gentle exhalation with a hum is gentle, but forcing the quick inhale is not.

This is not medical advice. A teacher can correct what a page cannot, and Bhramari is best learnt from one. Stop if there is pain, dizziness or strain. Take particular care with high blood pressure, heart or lung conditions, ear or sinus trouble, a recent surgery, and pregnancy. Ask a qualified teacher or doctor first. A person with any of these may need a gentler form, or to leave it out. Never force the quick in-breath. It should be brisk, not hard. Never hold the breath to make the practice feel stronger; the verse names no hold, and a beginner holds none. Keep the hum soft, and if the head feels pressure, return to ordinary breathing.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Bhastrika — the bellows · Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.59
• Next: The Swooning Hold · Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.69
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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