Pranayama, aka the regulation of breath, is a key element of yoga, and you’d be surprised what your breathing can do to the body’s physiological state, especially during challenging asanas (postures). Nasal breathing is encouraged in yoga, as it enables us to take fuller, deeper breaths, and ujjayi (pronounced ooh-jai-yee) is the most common form of that.

Ujjayi (translated as “victorious breath”) breathing involves partially constricting your throat while breathing slowly and deeply through the nose. This results in a feeling of the breath at the back of the throat, creating a sound similar to that of ocean waves gently rolling on the shore.