Lion's Breath, or Simhasana Pranayama, comes from hatha yoga's Simhasana — the lion pose. It pairs a kneeling seat with claw-spread hands, a wide-open mouth, an extended tongue, and a forceful roaring exhale. It looks ridiculous on purpose. The visual absurdity is part of the medicine: the practice asks you to drop the polite face you carry through the day and let something louder move through.

Traditionally, Simhasana is used to clear the throat, strengthen the voice, and release tension held in the jaw, tongue, and face. Modern practitioners reach for it when chronic clenching, suppressed anger, or social-media-face fatigue leave the upper body locked. It works well for kids (who love the silliness), performers warming up the voice, public speakers shaking off nerves, and anyone whose throat feels tight after a frustrating day.

This guide walks you through the full technique in three minutes. No experience required — just a willingness to look a little wild.

What You Need

  • A mat or chair
  • A few feet of personal space
  • Willingness to look silly

Before You Start

None. Lion's Breath is safe for almost everyone, including children. Skip it if you have an active throat infection or recent jaw injury, and ease up on volume if you live in thin walls. Doing it alone the first time helps you commit fully without self-consciousness.

Steps

  1. 1
    Step 01

    Find a kneeling seat

    Kneel on a mat with your shins on the floor and sit back on your heels. If your knees protest, sit upright in a chair with feet flat on the floor instead. The position matters less than a tall spine and a relaxed belly.

    Tip: A folded blanket between your calves and thighs takes pressure off the knees if kneeling feels sharp.
  2. 2
    Step 02

    Plant your hands like claws

    Place your palms flat on your knees or thighs. Spread your fingers wide and press down slightly so the fingers stiffen into claws. This small detail wakes up the arms and shoulders and signals to the body that something different is about to happen.

  3. 3
    Step 03

    Lengthen the spine and soften the shoulders

    Lift through the crown of the head so the spine is long. Drop the shoulders away from the ears. The face stays neutral for now — the wildness comes on the exhale.

  4. 4
    Step 04

    Inhale slowly through the nose

    Take a long, full breath in through the nostrils. Let the belly expand, then the ribs, then the upper chest. Fill the lungs completely without straining.

  5. 5
    Step 05

    Open the mouth wide

    At the top of the inhale, let the jaw drop open as far as it comfortably will. Imagine yawning — the soft palate lifts and the back of the throat opens.

    Tip: If your jaw clicks or feels stuck, open only as wide as feels easy. The opening grows over time.
  6. 6
    Step 06

    Stick the tongue out and down

    Extend the tongue out of the mouth and reach the tip down toward the chin. Go for full extension — a half-hearted tongue flop will not deliver the same release. The stretch through the root of the tongue is part of what unlocks the throat.

  7. 7
    Step 07

    Roll the eyes up to the third eye

    Lift your gaze to the space between the eyebrows, or all the way up to the ceiling. This is called shambhavi mudra. The upward gaze is a small but important piece of the practice — it engages muscles around the eyes that almost never get used.

  8. 8
    Step 08

    Exhale with a roaring HAAAA

    Push the breath out through the open mouth with a strong, audible HAAAA from the back of the throat. Let it be loud. Let it sound like a lion. The sound is not optional — it is the practice. Silent Lion's Breath is just a face stretch.

  9. 9
    Step 09

    Close the mouth and breathe normally

    Bring the tongue back in, soften the jaw, lower the gaze, and take a few easy breaths through the nose. Notice the buzzing in the face, the warmth in the throat, the looseness in the chest.

  10. 10
    Step 10

    Repeat for 3 to 5 cycles

    Do the full sequence three to five times. Each round can be louder and more committed than the last. End by sitting still for thirty seconds and noticing the change in your face, jaw, and mood.

    Tip: If you have time, doing 5 rounds, resting, then 5 more rounds tends to access deeper layers of held tension.

Expected Results

Most people feel an immediate looseness in the jaw, a tingling warmth across the face, and a small surge of energy in the chest and throat. The voice often sounds clearer afterward. With regular practice — a few rounds every morning, or before any situation that tightens the throat — chronic jaw clenching, TMJ tension, and that locked-up feeling at the base of the neck tend to ease. Some people also notice unexpected emotional release: a laugh, a few tears, or a sigh that finally lands.

Common Mistakes

  • Holding back the sound — a quiet, polite HAAAA defeats the purpose. The roar is the medicine.
  • Half-extending the tongue — if you stop at the lower lip, you miss the throat-opening stretch. Reach for the chin.
  • Forgetting to gaze up — the upward eye lift is a small move with a big effect. Roll the eyes toward the third eye.
  • Doing it timidly the first time — Lion's Breath asks you to commit. Practicing alone helps you go all in.
  • Expecting a flood of catharsis on round one — the emotional release builds with practice. Trust it over weeks, not minutes.

Troubleshooting

It feels too embarrassing to do
Practice alone in a closed room first, or do it with a kid who already loves silly faces. Once you have done it three times in private, the self-consciousness drops fast.
My throat feels sore afterward
You are pushing the sound from the throat instead of the diaphragm. Ease up on volume, let the breath drive the sound from lower in the body, and keep the throat open rather than gripped.
I cannot stick my tongue out very far
The root of the tongue is tight. Practice the tongue stretch on its own a few times a day — open your mouth, extend the tongue, hold for a count of five, release. Range comes back within a week or two.

Variations

For a gentler version, do Lion's Breath in a chair with feet flat on the floor and palms flat on the thighs. For a more intense version, take Simhasana proper: kneel with your knees wide, cross the right ankle over the left, and sit back onto the heels with hands planted between the knees, fingers spread. Some teachers also pair Lion's Breath with a small forward lean from the hips on the exhale, which deepens the stretch through the front of the neck and chest.

Connections

Lion's Breath sits in the cathartic, energizing branch of pranayama, alongside practices like kapalabhati and bhastrika. It pairs well with asana warm-ups and is often used before meditation when the jaw or throat feels too locked to settle.

Further Reading