Sun breath (surya bhedana)
In through the right nostril for 4, out through the left for 6, for three minutes. The calmest: no holds and no effort, sitting down.
Breathing to
Breathing exercises to wake up
Three short breathing exercises for starting the day or shaking off the afternoon slump. The gentle ones come first. The fast ones, which are the best known for energy, are intense and get their own caution further down.
Breathings to start with
Wake-up breath
Six even breaths at 4 and 4, ten livelier ones out through the mouth, and a pause, twice through. A way to go from calm to more awake without a jolt.
Breath of joy
Three short inhales in a row and one big exhale through the mouth, nine times. The most active of the three; if you get dizzy easily, do it in a chair.
How to use them
Sit tall, near a window if you can. Pick just one and follow it all the way through: none runs longer than three minutes. Breathe with some life, not with force. If you get dizzy or tingly, stop and breathe normally: that's a sign you took in more air than you needed.
They fit when you get up, before you start work, or after lunch. If you do them at night and then have trouble sleeping, move them to the morning. Never do them while driving.
What to expect
That heavy feeling in the first minutes of the day has a name: sleep inertia. The Sleep Foundation describes it as the grogginess that follows waking and says it generally lasts 15 to 60 minutes. We found no studies showing that a breathing exercise shortens it. What these three offer is an orderly way to get moving while it passes.
There is some research on sun breath (surya bhedana), small and not entirely consistent. In a 1994 study of 48 men, a month of right-nostril practice raised resting oxygen consumption by 37 percent, but it also rose with the left nostril and with alternate nostril breathing. Its mirror image, moon breath (chandra bhedana), is among the sleep exercises.
The fast ones, and their caution
Four exercises on this site really do rev you up, and that's why they're intense: Bellows breath (bhastrika), with twenty fast breaths and a hold; Breath of fire; Kapalabhati, with three rounds of thirty active exhales; and Deep breathing rounds, with thirty full breaths and a hold on empty lungs.
All of them lower the carbon dioxide in your blood: in a 2015 study of 47 practitioners, it fell 25 to 29 percent during kapalabhati. That's why you do them only sitting or lying down, never in water or while driving, and you stop at the first hint of dizziness. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health asks people new to yoga to avoid forceful breathing. Check with a health professional first if you're pregnant or have a heart, lung, or blood pressure condition, epilepsy, or a history of fainting or panic attacks.
When to ask for help
A breathing exercise doesn't replace sleep. If you're tired every day, or waking up is a struggle even when you get enough sleep, talk to a health care provider.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best breathing exercise to wake up?
There isn't one that's best for everybody. If you're new, try sun breath or the Wake-up breath sequence, which are short and gentle. Keep the one that leaves you clearer, with no dizziness.
Can a breathing exercise replace coffee?
We won't promise that. We found no studies comparing a breathing exercise with caffeine, or showing that one shortens morning grogginess. Plenty of people use one as a first move of the day, with coffee or without.
Can I do breath of fire or kapalabhati right after I get up?
Those are intense exercises. If you already know them and none of the conditions in the caution apply to you, do them sitting down, never standing and never in the shower. If you're new, start with the gentle ones on this page.
Why does fast breathing make me dizzy?
Because you're moving more air than your body needs, and the carbon dioxide in your blood drops. That brings on dizziness and tingling. Stop, breathe normally, and next time breathe with less force.
Sources
- Sleep Foundation, Sleep Inertia
- Telles, Nagarathna and Nagendra (1994), Breathing through a particular nostril can alter metabolism and autonomic activities, Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (Europe PMC)
- Telles, Singh and Balkrishna (2015), Metabolic and Ventilatory Changes During and After High-Frequency Yoga Breathing, Medical Science Monitor Basic Research
- NCCIH (U.S. National Institutes of Health), Yoga: What You Need To Know
- MedlinePlus: Hyperventilation
More breathings for this
Bellows breath (bhastrika)
Twenty fast, strong breaths through the nose, one hold and a rest. Three rounds.
Breath of fire
Fast, even breathing through the nose, driven from the belly, with rests.
Kapalabhati
Short, active exhales; the inhale comes by itself. Three rounds of thirty.
Deep breathing rounds
Thirty full breaths, a hold with empty lungs and a recovery hold. Three rounds.