The swana is a sanskrit word which means 'dog'. This breathing stimulates the breathing of a dog. It is performed through the mouth just like dogs.
Because dogs are not having sweat glands, they use to breath through mouth to cool down. Similarly, we can also use this technique when we feel strong physical exertion. This breathing allows the carbon dioxide to be expelled more forcefully from the lungs.
- Sit in vajrasana.
- Inhale deeply through the nose.
- Roll the tongue right out, expelling the breath through the mouth on exhalation.
- Pant like a dog, as fully as possible, about ten times.
- Rest and repeat again three times.
This cooling breath acts in the same way and helps to eliminate the toxins from the organism. By forcefully blowing out the carbon dioxide, tension and fatigue can be overcome more easily and a new burst of energy is given to the system. Moreover, the panting movement executed in this pranayama stimulates the renal region and when the sound 'ha' is emitted during this breathing, it acts directly on the kidneys. This pranayama produces vibratory movement along the spine down to the coccyx, which is beneficial to the entire spine.
This purification technique is practiced before advanced pranayamas in order to improve the lung capacity.
