3 Cooling Breathing Techniques for Hot Days and Busy Minds
TL;DR
Feeling hot, irritable, restless, or fed up during summer? Yoga offers several cooling breathing techniques that can help calm the mind and reduce excess heat in the body.
Shitali and Sitkari cool the body through the breath and can be helpful during hot weather, hot flushes, and moments of frustration.
Chandra Bhedana (Moon Breath) encourages a calmer, cooler state by breathing in through the left nostril and out through the right.
Bhramari (Bee Breath) soothes the nervous system and is especially useful when the mind feels busy or struggles to switch off.
Practising 10–15 breaths regularly can help you feel cooler, calmer, and more comfortable throughout the summer months.
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I love summer. But once the temperature climbs above 30 degrees, I'm done.
I become irritable, restless, and far less patient than usual. My concentration drops, sleep becomes lighter, and even small things start to feel harder than they should.
If you can see yourself in this, Ayurveda would say that excess heat is beginning to accumulate in your body and mind.
Alongside the irritability and feeling fed up, heat can also show up as headaches, skin rashes, inflammation, or burning eyes.
The heat can take some of the joy out of an otherwise wonderful season.
So, can we still enjoy the summer? Are there other options besides staying indoors to help us manage the heat?
There sure are!
Cooling Breathing for the Summer
Yoga offers three simple breathing techniques to help you manage the summer heat. These techniques are easy to learn and can be practised anywhere, anytime, making them a convenient solution for your summer discomfort.
Let’s have a look at these three techniques individually.
🌱If you’d like a simple way to bring this into your day,
You can download my free guide:
5 Daily Ayurvedic Shifts to Feel Like Yourself Again
It walks you through how to apply this practically.
Shitali/Sitkari Mudra
Shitali is a super-effective technique for bringing cooler air into the body. We breathe through the tongue, folded lengthwise like a tube. Yes, it sounds a little strange and might feel odd if this is your first time practising it.
If you can't fold your tongue like a tube, use the alternative, Sitkari pranayama.
The principle behind both techniques is simple. Cooler air flows over the tongue and down the windpipe, creating a cooling effect. Think about stepping out of a swimming pool on a warm day. Even a gentle breeze across wet skin can make you feel noticeably cooler.
In Shitali, we stick the tongue out slightly to increase the exposed surface area, making the cooling effect even more noticeable as the breath travels down the throat.
Here is what the Hatha Yoga Pradipika tells us about these two techniques.
Inhale making the sound “seet” in the mouth, then exhale only through the nose. By engaging in this practice, one becomes a second God of Love. Respected by all yoginis, maker of creation and destruction, neither hunger, nor thirst, nor sleep, nor even lethargy will appear. This Sitkari will develop the body’s vitality. The Lord of Yogis will be completely free of all disabilities on earth.
HYP 2, 54-56
Draw in the air with the tongue. Practice technique as before. Slowly exhale the air through the nostrils. This technique, named Shitali, destroys enlargement of the glands or spleen, other diseases, fever, bile, hunger, thirst, and poison.
HYP 2, 57+58
Both techniques are most effective when practised for around 10–15 breaths and can be used throughout the day whenever needed.
Apart from reducing excess heat in the body and cooling an overheated digestive system, I find their greatest benefit is the calming effect they have on an irritated or restless mind. I've used them many times during busy workdays, long car journeys, and crowded Tube journeys when I could feel frustration beginning to build.
During perimenopause and menopause, Shitali and Sitkari can also help ease rising heat and may reduce the intensity of hot flushes.
Chandra Bhedana – the Moon Breath
If you are familiar with Nadi Shodhana ..
… you will find Chandra Bhedana easy to learn, as it uses one half of the same technique.
Simply inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril, continuing in this rhythm for several rounds.
In Yoga, the left side is traditionally associated with the moon, which represents qualities such as calmness, cooling, receptivity, and creativity. Chandra Bhedana is therefore considered a cooling practice that helps settle both body and mind.
Although Chandra Bhedana is not mentioned as a formal pranayama in traditional texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Surya Bhedana (the Sun Breath) is. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Chandra Bhedana offers the opposite qualities: cooling rather than heating, calming rather than stimulating.
I often find this practice particularly useful when my mind feels busy at the end of the day or when summer heat leaves me feeling restless and unable to settle.
Bhramari – Bee Breath
Bhramari pranayama resembles the sound of a bee. For this, we breathe in deeply and hum with the outbreath.
A quick and resonant inhalation sounds like a bee, and a prolonged exhalation sounds like a female bee. Thus a certain bliss and delight are born in the minds of the good yogis from doing Bhramari.
HYP 2, 68
Assuming that most people don’t know how a female bee sounds, we focus on humming. Out of curiosity, I searched the sound of a female bee and queen bees make certain tooting and piping sounds. I still think simple humming will do for us 😊
The effects of Bhramari can often be felt very quickly. The mind begins to settle, attention naturally turns inward, and many people notice a sense of calm after only a few rounds.
Bhramari lowers the heart rate, soothes the nervous system, and helps improve focus.
Because of its calming effect, Bhramari is one of my favourite breathing practices before bed, particularly when my mind is still replaying the day or struggling to switch off.
❓As Bhramari breathing takes the mind inward almost immediately, it is not recommended when suffering from depression.
Practising 15-20 breaths at a time will also be sufficient.
Final Thoughts
Summer doesn't have to mean feeling hot, irritable, restless, and fed up.
The breathing techniques we've explored in this article are simple, practical tools that can help you stay cooler, calmer, and more comfortable throughout the season.
Whether you choose Shitali, Sitkari, Chandra Bhedana, or Bhramari, the key is regular practice. A few minutes each day can help you work with the season rather than feel at the mercy of it.
Give them a try and let me know which one becomes your favourite.
When Rest Isn't Enough
If these breathing practices resonate with you, you may also enjoy When Rest Isn't Enough.
Cooling the breath is one way to calm an overheated body and busy mind. Sometimes the deeper challenge is that the body has become so used to being "on" that it struggles to settle even when there is time to rest.
In When Rest Isn't Enough, we explore simple daily anchors that help create more steadiness, support the nervous system, and make rest feel restorative again.
☀️ Want a full Ayurvedic summer routine with cooling foods, lifestyle tips, and yoga guidance?
Start with our complete summer guide: Stay Cool This Summer with Ayurveda and Yoga
Inside you'll find:
cooling foods and seasonal recipes
summer lifestyle tips
yoga practices for hot weather
guidance for managing excess Pitta
Together with the breathing techniques in this article, these simple adjustments can help you enjoy the season with more ease and steadiness.
You may also enjoy:
FAQs
What is the best breathing technique for hot weather?
Shitali and Sitkari are traditionally considered the most cooling breathing techniques because cooler air passes over the tongue before entering the body.
How many breaths should I practise?
Around 10–15 breaths is usually sufficient. Regular practice tends to be more effective than doing a very long session occasionally.
Can cooling breathing help with hot flushes?
Many people find Shitali and Sitkari helpful during perimenopause and menopause when feelings of heat begin to rise. They can be practised whenever needed throughout the day.
Which breathing technique is best for a busy mind?
Bhramari (Bee Breath) is particularly useful when the mind feels restless, overactive, or unable to switch off.
Can I practise cooling breathing every day?
Yes. These techniques are gentle enough for regular practice and can be incorporated into a daily Yoga or self-care routine.
When is the best time to practise cooling breathing?
Any time you feel overheated, irritable, restless, or mentally busy. Many people also enjoy practising Bhramari before bed to help settle the mind.
What is the difference between Shitali and Sitkari Pranayama?
Both are cooling breathing techniques. Shitali involves folding the tongue into a tube and breathing through it. Sitkari is the alternative for people who cannot fold their tongue and uses a slightly different tongue position while creating the same cooling effect.
