Brrrr, it’s getting cold here in Sydney. We had such a warm start to Autumn I almost thought that we were going to skip winter this year. Alas, June has ushered in the bedroom heaters and hot water bottles in full force. This colder weather can make it harder to roll out your mat at home, or even to brave the streets in the dark to get to a yoga class before or after work. However, once you are practicing there is a surefire way to warm up – from the inside out.
If you are a regular to practicing any style of hatha yoga, you may be familiar with Ujjayi Pranayama (pronounced oooojayi). Ujjayi Pranayam, also called victorious breath is a style of breath work that is conducted throughout a physical yoga practice. This style of breathing has numerous benefits like clearing and focusing the mind, but the one we will focus on today is heat building.