Sitali Pranayama: A Cooling Breath Practice for Nervous System Regulation

Sometimes nervous system activation can show up as heat. 

You may notice your face flushing, your body feeling warmer, your breathing changing, or simply a sense of being a little too “switched on”.

One practice you might like to explore is Sitali Pranayama, sometimes called the cooling breath.

This is a yogic breathing practice that involves inhaling slowly through the mouth and exhaling through the nose, creating a cooling sensation across the tongue and mouth.

I often think of practices like this as resources we can experiment with rather than something that should create a particular response.

We try the practice.

We notice what happens in the body.

And we adapt from there.

What is Sitali Pranayama?

Sitali Pranayama is a cooling breathwork practice from yoga.

In the practice, we breathe in slowly through a curled tongue. If curling your tongue isn’t comfortable or possible, you can breathe gently through the teeth instead.

As the air moves across the tongue or through the teeth, you may notice a cooling sensation within the mouth.

You then close the mouth and exhale slowly and steadily through the nose.

Within the video accompanying this blog, I share Sitali as a practice that may be useful when you are feeling particularly hot, activated, or stressed.

How to practise the cooling breath

Begin sitting somewhere comfortable and supported.

If you can comfortably curl your tongue, gently extend it and curl the sides inward.

Slowly inhale through the curled tongue.

If you cannot curl your tongue, gently inhale through your teeth instead.

Allow the inhale to be slow, steady, and smooth.

Then close your mouth.

Pause for a moment and notice the sensation of coolness through the mouth and tongue.

Slowly exhale through your nose.

You might begin with just three breaths.

There is no need to rush into a long practice.

Instead, notice what happens.

Does your breath change?

Do you notice a cooling sensation?

Does anything shift in your level of activation?

How does your body respond?

If the practice feels supportive, you may gradually explore a longer practice, up to several minutes.

Let your body be part of the conversation

Within Embodied OT, I don’t approach regulation practices with the idea that one technique should create the same response for everyone.

Our nervous systems are different.

Our histories are different.

Our bodies are different.

So rather than deciding in advance that a particular breath practice will calm someone, we can approach it with curiosity.

We offer a regulation resource or tool, notice what actually happens in the body, ask for feedback along the way, and adapt from there.

Even with something as simple as a breathing practice, the question becomes:

What happens in your body when you try this?

That feedback matters.

A simple practice for moments of heat or activation

Sitali can be especially interesting to explore when you notice that activation is accompanied by a sense of heat.

Perhaps you have been rushing between appointments.

You have just finished a demanding conversation.

Your body feels activated.

You notice yourself overheating.

Or you simply want to pause for a moment and reconnect with your breath.

Rather than needing a long practice, you might experiment with just three slow breaths.

Inhale through the curled tongue or teeth.

Notice the cool sensation.

Exhale slowly through the nose.

Then pause.

Notice.

What has changed, if anything?

A note about blood pressure and dizziness

In the video, I also share an important precaution around this practice.

Because Sitali has been studied in relation to changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and thermoregulation, I would be cautious with this breath if you already experience low blood pressure or dizziness.

If you are prone to feeling light-headed, practise sitting down and keep the practice brief.

And if a breathing practice makes you feel dizzy, uncomfortable, or unwell, stop and return to your normal breathing.

The aim isn’t to push through a practice.

It is to notice your response and work with your body rather than against it.

Try three breaths

If you are feeling hot, activated, or a little too switched on, you might like to try three gentle rounds of Sitali and notice what happens.

There is nothing you need to force.

Simply breathe.

Notice the sensation of coolness.

Notice your body.

And get curious about whether this particular resource feels supportive for you today.

Watch the full Sitali Pranayama demonstration ✨