When the heat wave peaks, use breathwork to cool down and sleep better.

No matter where you live, summer heat waves seem to be unavoidable these days. Although some people tolerate the high temperatures better than others, no one enjoys feeling overheated — an inevitability when triple-digit days arrive.

Fortunately, there’s a way to cool your body down as needed. And it all starts with an inhale.

In yoga, breathwork — or pranayama — is used to influence the body's energy and temperature. Ancient yoga texts, such as the “Hatha Yoga Pradipika,” highlight the importance of these techniques, emphasizing how controlled breathing can harmonize the body’s internal temperature and promote balance. Cooling breath techniques, like Sheetali and Sheetkari, go even further: They aim to actually lower the body's temperature. 

Many of the students in my yoga classes report immediate relief from heat stress when practicing cooling breathwork, even when they can’t avoid heat exposure. One student, struggling to make it through their outdoor workouts one sweltering summer, found that Sheetali pranayama helped them maintain a sense of calm and coolness during each session and cool down more quickly afterward. Breathwork is now a standard part of their summer warm-ups. 

And it’s not just hype or hearsay — scientific studies have supported the physiological effects of breathwork, too. Research shows controlled breathing can influence the autonomic nervous system, promoting relaxation and cooling. In a 2020 study, yoga practitioners exposed to an hour in the heat produced less sweat when practicing cooling breathwork and were not as thirsty. Another study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine found that pranayama techniques can effectively reduce stress and improve thermal regulation.

Plus, a breathwork practice will serve you well long after summer ends. Beyond temperature regulation, cooling breathwork has even more health benefits, such as its positive impact on mental clarity, stress reduction, and overall well-being. These techniques also support high performance and recovery in athletes and help build mental resilience through stressful situations. 

RELATED: Unlocking Peak Performance in the Heat

How to Practice Cooling Breathwork

The beauty of these techniques is that they are simple and effective, so they can fit easily into your summer days, regardless if you’re a regular in your Club’s yoga studio or an absolute beginner. 

I often recommend that my students add breathwork to their morning and evening routines — that way they can start and end the day refreshed. When you know you’re facing a hot day or week ahead, it can help to wake up and immediately dive into a cooling practice. Since colder temperatures can lead to better sleep and heat waves negatively affect sleep quality, a cooling breathwork practice before bed can help prepare the body for rest. 

You can also use breathwork during the day when feeling overheated, especially if you’re working or exercising outside. The following exercise works perfectly for those moments.

A Simple Cooling Breathwork Exercise

Sheetali and Sheetkari pranayama are quite similar practices, but they have one significant distinction: tongue placement. Sheetali involves inhaling through a rolled tongue and exhaling through the nose. In contrast, Sheetkari involves inhaling through the teeth — making it an effective alternative for anyone who struggles to roll their tongue — and exhaling once again through the nose. Both methods have a cooling effect on the body. Try practicing both techniques to see which one works best for you.

• Find a comfortable position. Sit tall in a chair or while cross-legged on a mat.

• Roll your tongue. Extend your tongue and roll the sides inward to form a tube. If you can't roll your tongue, you can use the Sheetkari method of inhaling through the teeth instead.

• Inhale deeply. Slowly inhale through your rolled tongue, feeling the cool air pass over it. Alternatively, close your teeth and inhale. 

• Close your mouth. After a full inhalation, close your mouth.

• Exhale through your nose. Slowly exhale through your nostrils.

• Repeat. Perform five to 10 breaths or until you feel a cooling effect.

For more on cooling breathwork, I recommend taking a course or workshop specifically on pranayama, reading the book Light on Pranayama by B.K.S. Iyengar, and, of course, attending yoga or meditation classes at Equinox for an in-person experience. The Equinox app also features several breathwork classes for a guided experience. 

RELATED: Breathwork for High Performance

Michelle Razavi is a certified fitness instructor and yoga teacher at Equinox, where she has been passionate about helping others achieve their wellness goals for over five years. Residing in Los Angeles, California, she also runs Elavi, a next-gen food startup, with a fellow Equinox trainer. Michelle is an avid fan of daily breath work, meditation, cold plunges, and saunas, and she loves relaxing walks by the water with her puppy, Teddy.