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Sitali is the one practice in the library where the route the air takes changes how it feels on arrival. You curl the sides of the tongue into a tube, let it protrude just past the lips, and sip the breath in through it as though drinking through a straw. The air comes in noticeably cool, and you exhale through the nose.
What it is
The mechanism is evaporative. Air drawn slowly across a wet tongue picks up moisture and arrives cooler than air taken straight through the nose. It is a small effect and it is immediately noticeable, which is unusual among breathing practices and part of why this one is easy to stay interested in.
The tradition places Sitali among the cooling pranayamas and uses it for heat, irritation and a heated mind. What people commonly report is that it suits a hot day, the period after exertion, and the particular kind of frustration that feels physically warm. Claims that it lowers body temperature in any measurable sense would need clinical evidence and are not made here.
Curling the tongue into a tube is partly genetic and some people simply cannot do it. That is not a failure of technique and there is a direct substitute: Sitkari draws the breath across lightly parted teeth instead and does the same job. The app lists it as its own technique for exactly this reason.
One caution is specific to the cooling breaths and worth taking seriously. Because the incoming air bypasses the nose, it is neither warmed nor filtered on the way in. Cold or polluted air is harsher on the airways in this practice than it would otherwise be.
How to practise it
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Sit comfortably
Settle into a comfortable seated posture with a tall, easy spine, and let the shoulders and jaw soften.
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Curl the tongue
Curl the sides of the tongue into a tube and let it poke just past the lips. Inhale slowly through it as if sipping through a straw. The air feels distinctly cool.
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Exhale through the nose
Close the mouth and exhale slowly through the nose. Repeat for several breaths, keeping each one smooth and unforced.
How long and how often
The app runs ten rounds, which is three or four minutes. That is a complete session and there is no count to lengthen.
Keep each breath slow and unforced. A sip that is too quick loses much of the cooling and tends to dry the tongue out, which then makes the next one less effective.
It suits hot weather, the end of physical exertion, and moments of irritability. It is also a reasonable evening practice, since it is calming as well as cooling.
Practise it in clean, comfortable air. Indoors on a warm day is ideal. Outdoors in cold air is the one setting to avoid.
What usually goes wrong
Sipping quickly. The cooling depends on the air spending time crossing a wet tongue. A fast inhale skips that and also dries the mouth, which removes the effect for the next round.
Exhaling through the mouth. The exhale goes out through the nose with the mouth closed. Exhaling back across the tongue dries it and undoes the setup for the next breath.
Straining to curl the tongue. If the tube will not form, it will not form. Switch to Sitkari rather than working at it; they are the same practice by a different route.
Practising it in cold or polluted air. This is the caution that is specific to the cooling breaths. Air taken in through the mouth is not warmed or filtered first, so cold or dirty air reaches the airways as it is.
Who should take care
Practise safely. Practise in clean, comfortable air. Avoid cold or polluted air, which the cooling makes harsher on the airways. Best avoided if you have a cold, cough, low blood pressure, or a respiratory condition. See our full Health & Safety Disclaimer.
Ten rounds, paced for you
PanchPrana walks through the tongue position and then counts the rounds, so the sip stays slow enough to actually cool. Sitali is one of the 66 techniques that are free to practise in full, with no account needed.
Common questions
What if I cannot curl my tongue?
Practise Sitkari instead. It draws the breath across lightly parted teeth rather than a curled tongue and achieves the same cooling. The app lists it as a separate technique for this reason.
Why does the air feel cold?
Because it passes slowly over a wet tongue and picks up moisture on the way in, which cools it. Sipping slowly is what makes the effect noticeable.
Should I exhale through the mouth or nose?
The nose, with the mouth closed. Only the inhale goes across the tongue.
When should I practise it?
On a hot day, after exertion, or when you feel irritable or overheated. It suits the evening as well, being calming as much as cooling.
Who should avoid it?
The app advises against it if you have a cold, a cough, low blood pressure, or a respiratory condition, and says to practise only in clean, comfortable air. Cold air is the setting to avoid.
