Bhujangini Mudra – Cobra Respiration

How To Do Bhujangini Mudra – Cobra Respiration | Duration | Sequence | Benefits | Practice note

Bhujangini Mudra (cobra respiration) is a mana mudra (head mudras)

How To Do Bhujangini Mudra – Cobra Respiration

• Sit in any comfortable meditation asana.
• Close the eyes and relax the whole body, especially the abdomen.
• Push the chin forward and a little upward.
• Suck in air through the mouth and draw it into the stomach, not the lungs, in a series of gulps as though drinking water.
• Expand the stomach as much as possible.
• Hold the air inside for as long as comfortable, then expel the air by belching.

Duration of Doing Bhujangini Mudra – Cobra Respiration

• For general purposes, 3 to 5 rounds is sufficient.
• For specific ailments, further rounds may be performed.

Sequence

• This mudra may be practised at any time, but is particularly beneficial after the technique of shankha­ prakshalana.

Benefits of Doing Bhujangini Mudra – Cobra Respiration

• Bhujangini mudra tones the whole stomach, removes stagnant wind and helps alleviate abdominal disorders. Retaining air in the stomach enables the practitioner to float in water for any length of time.

Practice note

• This practice is similar to the shatkarma, vatsara dhauti, and can be used as a cleansing practice. However, in vatsara dhauti the air is expelled from the anus rather than by belching.