Lion's Breath (Simha Mudra): How to Do It Step by Step

Lion's Breath (Simha Mudra, also called Simhasana or Lion Pose) is a short yoga breathing practice. You breathe in through the nose, then breathe out hard through a wide open mouth with the tongue stretched down toward the chin and a loud "haaa" sound. It stretches the tongue, jaw and front of the neck, and most people use it to let go of tension in the face.

Type: seated breathing practice (pranayama) and face exercise. Level: beginner. Props: none, a blanket under the knees if kneeling is hard. Time: 3-7 rounds, 1-3 minutes.

What does Simha Mudra mean?

The name comes from Sanskrit:

• Simha (सिंह): lion.
• Mudra (मुद्रा): seal or gesture, a position held with the hands, face or whole body.
• Asana (आसन): seat or posture, which gives the older name Simhasana.

The open mouth, the stretched tongue and the wide eyes look like a roaring lion. You will see four names for the same practice: Lion's Breath, Lion Pose, Simhasana and Simha Mudra. "Lion's Breath" puts the focus on the exhale. "Simhasana" and "Lion Pose" put it on the seat and the face.

Where it comes from

Simhasana is one of the seated postures in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the 15th century hatha yoga manual. The text describes a kneeling seat with the ankles crossed under the body, the palms on the knees, the fingers spread, the mouth open and the gaze on the tip of the nose. It is also listed in the Gheranda Samhita, a later hatha text.

Notice what the old texts leave out: the forceful "haaa" exhale that most classes teach today. In the Pradipika, Simhasana is a posture that helps with the three bandhas, the body locks. The loud breath is a later teaching layer, and modern studios have made it the main event. Both versions are in use, and this guide teaches the modern one with the traditional seat.

How to do Lion's Breath step by step

1. Kneel. Sit on your heels with the knees apart. For the traditional seat, cross your right ankle over the left under your seat, so you sit on the crossed feet. If that hurts your ankles or knees, sit on your heels without crossing, or sit cross-legged in Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
2. Place the hands. Press your palms onto your knees and spread your fingers wide, like claws. Straighten your arms and lift the chest.
3. Inhale through the nose. Fill up, and let the belly and the ribs widen.
4. Open everything on the exhale. Open your mouth as wide as it goes. Stick your tongue out and stretch it down toward your chin. Breathe out through the mouth with a strong "haaa" that comes from the back of the throat.
5. Add the gaze. As you exhale, open your eyes wide and look up toward the space between your eyebrows, or down toward the tip of your nose, as the Pradipika teaches.
6. Close and reset. Close the mouth and breathe in slowly through the nose. Relax the face.
7. Repeat. Do 3-7 rounds. Halfway, change the cross of your ankles if you sit in the traditional seat.
8. Sit still for a few breaths with the mouth closed and notice the jaw and the throat before you move on.

What Lion's Breath does

The research on Lion's Breath itself is close to zero. What we can say comes from what the muscles and the breath do:

• It stretches the tongue, jaw and front of the neck. Pushing the tongue down and out works the tongue muscles, and the wide mouth opens the jaw. The fanned lips and wide eyes tense the platysma, the thin sheet of muscle on the front of the neck. Tensing a muscle hard and then letting it go makes it easier to feel how relaxed it is afterwards.
• It gives you a long, loud exhale. The exhale is longer than the inhale, which is the part of breathing that slows the heart a little. The sound makes the breath easy to follow.
• It breaks the seriousness. Most people laugh the first time. That is part of why teachers use it at the start of a class or with children.

What we do not claim: the old version of this post said it "opens the throat chakra". That is a way of describing the practice in the tradition, and it is a fine image if you work with the seven chakras. It is not something anyone has measured. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika calls Simhasana a destroyer of all diseases. No modern source backs that up.

Who should skip or modify it

• Sore knees or ankles: skip the crossed ankles and kneeling. Sit on a chair or a cushion. The face and the breath work the same.
• Jaw problems (TMJ): open the mouth only as far as it is comfortable. A clicking or painful jaw is a reason to stop.
• A sore throat or a strained voice: breathe out with an open mouth and no sound, or with a soft sigh.
• Dizziness: fewer rounds and a normal breath between them. A string of forceful exhales can make some people lightheaded.

Common mistakes

• Roaring from the chest. Push the sound from the belly and the back of the throat. Shouting from the chest strains the voice.
• A timid tongue. The stretch is the point. Reach the tip down toward the chin.
• Collapsing the spine. Keep the arms straight and the chest lifted. A rounded back cuts the exhale short.
• Too many rounds too fast. Take a slow nose breath in between. Three good rounds beat twenty hurried ones.
• Tense shoulders. Let the shoulders drop away from the ears while the face does the work.

Seated positions to prepare

If kneeling is hard, practise the seat first. Supta Vajrasana (Fixed Firm Pose) starts from the same kneeling position and opens the fronts of the thighs and ankles. Iyengar also teaches a second version of Simhasana in Padmasana (Lotus Pose), leaning forward onto the hands, for students with an easy Lotus.

Variations

• Silent lion: the same face, with an open-mouth exhale and no sound. Good in an office or a shared flat.
• Chair lion: sit on the front of a chair, hands on the knees, feet flat.
• Kundalini lion's breath: in Kundalini Yoga, "lion's breath" is a different practice: fast, rhythmic breathing in and out through the mouth with the tongue out. Same name, other technique.
• Face sequence: Simha Mudra works well next to Brahma Mudra, slow head turns in four directions, as in our face and neck class.

Where sources disagree

Pose or breath? The hatha texts describe a posture with a fixed gaze. Modern classes teach a breathing exercise with a roar. Neither is wrong. The name tells you which one a teacher means: Simhasana usually points to the posture, Lion's Breath to the exhale.

Where to look. The Pradipika puts the gaze on the tip of the nose. Many modern teachers send it to the point between the eyebrows. Pick one and keep it for the whole round.

Calming or energising? Some sources call it calming, others say it wakes you up. Both can be true. The strong exhale and the sound raise your alertness in the moment, and the long exhale and the release of the face can leave you calmer afterwards. The old version of this post said the parasympathetic system is "fight or flight". It is the other way round: the sympathetic system drives fight or flight, the parasympathetic system is rest and digest.

Where Lion's Breath fits in a practice

Use it at the start of a class to loosen the face, or in the middle of a long day at a desk. It is a short practice, so pair it with a slower breath afterwards: Bhramari (Humming Bee Breath) also uses sound, and Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) brings the breath back to the nose. If you like the faster breaths, Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath) is the next step. Our guide to 8 yoga mudras covers the hand seals you can combine with a seated practice, and all our breathing classes are under pranayama.

Practise it with Guy Powiecki in the 5-minute Simha Mudra tutorial, or add Brahma Mudra and Jivha Bandha in the 15-minute Yoga for the Face class.

Frequently asked questions

What is lion's breath good for?

It stretches the tongue, jaw and front of the neck and gives you a long, loud exhale. Most people use it to release tension in the face and jaw, and to shake off a stiff or serious mood before practice.

Are there any side effects of lion's breath?

For most people, none. Too many forceful rounds can make you lightheaded, and a wide open mouth can bother a sore jaw. Kneeling on crossed ankles can hurt the knees, so sit on a chair or a cushion if it does.

What are the benefits of lion's breath for the face?

You tense the muscles around the mouth, eyes and neck hard for a few seconds and then let go. That contrast makes it easier to notice and release a clenched jaw or a tight forehead. There is no good evidence that it tones the face or smooths wrinkles.

Is Lion Pose the same as Lion's Breath?

They are the same practice seen from two sides. Simhasana, Lion Pose, is the kneeling posture with the open face from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Lion's Breath adds the loud "haaa" exhale that modern classes teach. Simha Mudra is another name for both.

How many times should you do lion's breath?

Three to seven rounds is enough, with a slow nose breath between them. If you sit on crossed ankles, change the cross halfway so both sides get the same load.

What breathing method do Navy SEALs use?

Box breathing: in for four counts, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. It is a different technique from Lion's Breath, closer to the pranayama with breath holds called Kumbhaka.