Breathe in quietly, then hum softly all the way through the exhale. The long, even hum slows the breath and gives your attention a sound to rest on.
How to practise Bhramari
- Sit upright with your jaw loose. Close your lips softly and keep your teeth slightly apart.
- If you like, press the small flaps at the front of your ears gently with your index fingers. Or rest your hands in your lap.
- Breathe in through your nose for 4.
- Breathe out for 8 while humming a soft, steady “mmm” at a comfortable pitch. Feel it buzz in your face and head.
- Keep the hum soft. It doesn’t need to be loud or deep, and it should end before you strain.
- When you finish, sit for a few breaths and notice the quiet.
Each round, step by step
| Step | Seconds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4 | In through the nose, quietly. |
| Hum | 8 | Lips closed. A soft, even “mmm” as you breathe out. |
Take care
Skip it with an ear or nose infection. Never press inside your ears.
- Skip it with an ear infection, or a blocked or infected nose.
- If you close your ears, press the flaps gently. Never put your fingers inside your ears.
- Practice sitting up rather than lying down.
- Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable.
- Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and return to your normal breath.
Traditionally
Bhramari is named after the bhramara, a large black bee. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists it among eight classical breath practices, with a bee-like sound on both the inhale and the exhale. The Gheranda Samhita teaches it with the ears closed, listening for inner sounds. Modern teachers usually hum only on the exhale, as here, often before meditation.
What the research says
Most studies are small, short, and from India. They generally report lower heart rate or blood pressure after practice. A controlled trial in people with high blood pressure found no blood-pressure advantage over its slow-breathing comparison. Humming raises nitric oxide in the nose in laboratory studies; no clinical benefit from this practice has been shown. A study comparing hum lengths measured short-term heart rate variability; it doesn’t show that one length suits everyone. It is not a treatment.
Sources
- Svatmarama (c. 15th century). Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Translated by Pancham Sinh, 1914.
- Gheranda (attributed) (c. 17th century). Gheranda Samhita. Translated by Srisa Chandra Vasu, 1914.
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati (2008). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Yoga Publications Trust, 4th revised edition.
- B.K.S. Iyengar (1981). Light on Pranayama. George Allen & Unwin.
- Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India (2019). Common Yoga Protocol. 4th revised edition.
- Weitzberg E, Lundberg JO (2002). Humming greatly increases nasal nitric oxide. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 166(2):144–145.
- Trivedi GY et al. (2023). Effect of various lengths of respiration on heart rate variability during simple Bhramari (humming). International Journal of Yoga 16(2):123–131.
- Ghati N et al. (2021). A randomized trial of the immediate effect of bee-humming breathing exercise on blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients with essential hypertension. Explore 17(4):312–319.
- Kuppusamy M et al. (2018). Effects of Bhramari Pranayama on health: a systematic review. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine 8(1):11–16.
A wellness practice, not medical advice. Read practising safely before you begin.
Beginner path · 5 of 5
That’s the beginner path. Explore every technique. It follows the order of Viram’s Pranayama Foundations program.