10 seconds per cycle
30 seconds total
inhale
4s
exhale
6s
A cooling variation of Sitali for those who can't curl the tongue: inhale through the teeth with a soft hiss, then exhale through the nose.
In warm weather, after heating exercise, or any time you feel overheated or irritable, the go-to cooling breath for anyone who can't curl the tongue for Sitali.
Sitkari cools the breath the same way Sitali does, but across the teeth and tongue instead of a curled tongue: air drawn over the moist mouth loses a little heat by evaporation, producing the refreshing sensation, while the slow nasal exhale settles the nervous system toward its calmer, parasympathetic side. It exists as an equally effective option for the roughly one in three people who can't roll the tongue into a tube.
As with Sitali, any whole-body cooling is modest and largely subjective, and the handful of small studies on cooling breaths are short and limited. In yoga it shares Sitali's traditional role of reducing excess internal 'heat' and irritability, a classical indication rather than a clinical one. Best treated as a safe, pleasant way to feel cooler and more settled in the moment, with the caution below about cold, dry air.
Sitkari is named for the soft hissing 'sit' sound made by drawing breath over the teeth. It appears alongside Sitali as a cooling pranayama in classical hatha-yoga texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and serves the same traditional purpose (cooling the body and calming the mind) while offering an accessible route for anyone who can't curl the tongue into the tube that Sitali requires.
Start with six rounds of a slow hissing inhale through lightly closed teeth and a relaxed nasal exhale. As the rhythm settles, smooth and lengthen both phases, and build up to a few minutes when you want a sustained cooling, calming effect, easing off if the cold air bothers your teeth or throat.
How is this different from Sitali?
Only in how you draw the air, over the teeth with a hiss (Sitkari) rather than across a curled tongue (Sitali). The cooling and calming effects are essentially the same, so Sitkari is the go-to if you can't roll your tongue.
My teeth feel sensitive to the cold air. Is that a problem?
It's just the cool air on the teeth. Part the lips a little less, slow the inhale, or switch to Sitali; there's no need to push through discomfort.
Can I do this anywhere?
Yes, though the soft hiss is faintly audible. It's discreet enough for most settings and needs no hand position or props.
Safety
Breathwork is a complement to (not a replacement for) professional medical care. If you have a heart, respiratory, or blood-pressure condition, are pregnant, or feel unwell, check with a clinician before practising breath-hold techniques.