Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Lion’s Breath
Long deep breathing at a fast pace with the tongue stuck out, stimulating the vagus nerve.
Meaning
What Lion’s Breath Means
To do Lion's Breath, also called Dog Breath, stick the tongue out and breathe long and deep at a fast pace, with a regular interval, keeping the tongue out as much as possible to stretch the muscles under it. The breath is strong, from the diaphragm, brought to the root of the tongue, with the throat kept relaxed to avoid a rasping sound.
The tongue connects to the vagus nerve, so this breath stimulates it directly. Sticking the tongue out is said to make the practitioner like a lion, a Singha; doing breath of fire through the mouth with the tongue out makes them more like a dog, cooling its system the same way. The mouth stays open on both the inhale and the exhale, and, as with breath of fire, one full cycle counts as a single breath.
In Practice
How It’s Used
It's said to give health and vigor to the power of speech, since it affects the fifth chakra, and to help eliminate toxins and excess mucus in the body.
Other described benefits include strengthening the thyroid gland, the nervous system and the immune system, and increasing overall energy levels, all without introducing any external substance.
