Humming Bee Breath
Mouth closed, ten seconds of "mmm". The only technique in the app where the sound itself is measured: the microphone isn't looking for a quiet breath, it is looking for a vibration.
5 min read
Breathe in through the nose for four seconds. Close your lips, teeth slightly apart. Breathe out over ten seconds with an "mmm" sound, like a bee humming.
Its Sanskrit name is Bhramari, meaning "honeybee".
What it is good for
It has two sides.
The mechanical side. The hum lengthens and smooths the exhale by itself. A ten-second exhale is hard to do silently and easy to do with a sound — the sound holds the pace of the exhale steady on its own. So this technique is really an exercise in a long, even exhale.
The vibration side. The hum creates vibration in the nasal and facial cavities. That vibration has been measured to increase the release of nitric oxide in the nasal cavity. Nitric oxide's role in the airways and circulation is known, but what the increase produced by humming means in daily life is unclear.
So "humming raises nitric oxide" is a correct sentence; "the humming bee breath strengthens your immune system" is not.
How to do it
Sit comfortably. Breathe in through the nose for four seconds.
Close your lips, part your teeth slightly, relax your jaw.
Breathe out through the nose over ten seconds with an "mmm" sound. Keep the sound soft and in one piece. It doesn't have to be loud; continuous is enough.
If you close your ears lightly with your fingers, the vibration comes through more strongly.
Common mistakes
Letting the sound break up. It should be one piece at an even volume. A broken sound both splits the exhale and lowers the measurement.
Squeezing the throat. The sound should come from vibration in the nose, not from straining the larynx. If your throat gets tired, you are pushing too hard.
Trying to carry on when the breath runs out. When the air is gone, end the sound and take a calm breath in.
How the app measures it
This is the only technique in the app where the microphone looks at the quality of the sound, not just its level.
A hum is a continuous, low sound. The sound of breath is an irregular rustle. The app measures how much of the exhale consists of that continuous sound and shows a separate "hum" component in the report.
In practice that means: breathing out quietly for a long time doesn't earn full marks in this technique. Without the sound, the exhale doesn't count.
Who should take care
If you have an ear infection or an eardrum problem, skip the part where you cover your ears. No other known risk.
Source
- Weitzberg & Lundberg (2002), American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine — nitric oxide in the nasal cavity rises fifteen-fold during humming. PubMed