Shitali

Shitali

शीतली, śītalī

Shitali is pranayama, also known as cooling breathing. It is believed that it cools the body, mind, and emotions. Shitali comes from the Sanskrit root श्य or श्या which means "to cool", "to freeze", "to congeal". It is noteworthy that it also kindles the fire of digestion — just as coals under a layer of ash begin to smolder, blown by cold air.

Shitali is mentioned in “Hatha-Yoga Pradipika”, Chapter 2, Shlokas 57 and 58:

(57) A wise man inhales air through his tongue and practices kumbhaka as described earlier, and then calmly exhales air through his nostrils.

(58) This kumbhaka, called shitali, heals enlarged abdomen or spleen and other diseases, eliminates fever, excess bile, hunger and thirst, and also counteracts poisons.

This practice is indispensable in hot weather, high physical exertion, prolonged exposure to the sun and other situations associated with overheating, including emotional ones. This pranayama should be practiced with caution in cold weather and in case of excess cold.

Other benefits of Shitali include balancing the predominance of pitta dosha, reducing excessive acidity of the digestive tract, relieving skin inflammation, calming the mind and achieving a state of rest, lowering fever, achieving a state of satisfaction, lowering blood pressure.

Shitali should not be practiced by people with low blood pressure and respiratory diseases (such as asthma). Since inhalation occurs through the mouth and there is no filtering effect of inhalation through the nostrils, it is recommended to practice shitali in places with clean air.

Technique

Take a comfortable sitting position. Place your hands on your knees and straighten your back. Relax and close your eyes. Breathe through your nose. Perform several complete yogic breaths. When you are ready to start practicing, stick out your tongue and roll it up, wrapping its edges up. Inhale through a rolled-up tongue, as if through a straw. Inhale as with full yogic breathing, starting from the abdomen, feeling the cold air completely fill the body.

At the end of the inhalation, hide your tongue, close your mouth and hold your breath for a while — without effort. Exhale slowly through your nostrils. This is how one round of Shitali ends. You can start with seven rounds, gradually increasing the number.

At the end of the practice, make a full breath through your nostrils.

Over time, you can add bandhas while holding your breath. If it is difficult to roll your tongue into a tube, practice Sitkari.

Goddess Shitali

Shitali (Shitala) Devi is one of Shakti’s forms. She commands smallpox and other skin diseases. She is revered in Nepal and northern India. If you do shitali-pranayama not for therapeutic purposes, but as part of sadhana under the guidance of Guru, then it can awaken Shakti in the body, because Shitala is one of Kundalini’s names.

Read more about Shitali as a Goddess in our article about Shitala.