There is an asana that goes with this, described by Iyengar in “light of yoga” and this can be done in almost any pose.

 

You can sit, stand, be on your heels with knees together or sat with your spine straight – like when in the car.

 

Be relaxed in your body. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose. Inhale again through your nose and then open your mouth really wide, stick your tongue out, curling the tip down towards the chin, open your eyes really wide. Then, looking upwards exhale fully with a big HAAAAAAA sound. And that’s it! Do as many roar rounds as you like!

 

Another breathing exercise for little yogis is Humming bee breath (Bhramari). This is fantastic for alleviating anger, anxiety and insomnia. It increases the healing capacity in the body, strengthens and improves the voice. The vibration of the humming sound creates a soothing effect on the mind and nervous system too.

 

So how do you do it? Sit down, don’t lay down for this one. Close your eyes and relax the whole body. The lips should remain gently closed with the teeth slightly separated throughout the practice. This allows the sound vibration to be heard and more importantly felt.

 

Bring your hands to the ears. Use the index finger or middle finger to plug the ears, bringing awareness to the centre of the head where Ajna chakra is located.

 

Inhale through the nose and then exhale the humming buzzing bee sound. Keep the exhalation going as long as you possibly can. Complete a few more rounds, then quiet the breaths down and notice the changes of the mood and how you feel.