Sitkari (Pursed Lips): A Complete Guide to the Cooling Breath Without a Tongue Curl

Quick Intro

Sitkari is a Breathwork / Pranayama exercise built on Sitali’s cooling breath mechanism, forming the lips into a small O or drawing them back over slightly clenched teeth instead of curling the tongue, then inhaling through the gap with a soft hissing sound. Air passing over the moist tongue and teeth produces the same evaporative cooling effect as the tongue-curl version, making this the standard alternative for the significant portion of people who cannot physically curl their tongue.

Equipment Needed

Nothing is required to practice this exercise. A yoga mat is optional, worth having down for a relaxed seated round.

Why Sitkari Matters

Sitkari asks about as much as the tongue-curl version, which is not much: a little coordination to hold the lip shape while breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose. The cooling mechanism is identical, just delivered through a different mouth shape.

When to Do It

This is one of the more approachable breathing techniques, particularly useful whenever a fast cooling effect is needed by anyone who finds the tongue curl of the base practice physically impossible.

Getting Ready

Forming the lips into a small O or pursing them back over the teeth outside of a breathing cycle confirms the shape feels comfortable before beginning the full practice.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Sit upright with a relaxed spine.
2. Form the lips into a small O, or draw them back slightly over the teeth.
3. Inhale slowly through the gap, producing a soft hissing sound and feeling the air arrive noticeably cooler.
4. Bring the lips together as soon as the inhale finishes.
5. Exhale through the nose, keeping the cooling effect intact.
6. Repeat for 8 to 12 rounds.

How Many, How Often

Total round count across a session is what drives how much cooling effect this technique produces.

Exhaling through the nose every time matters more here than the exact mouth shape used on the inhale.

Modifications and Variations

This alternative connects back to the tongue-curl version of the same underlying practice.

Alternative: Sitali. Rolling the tongue into a tube for the inhale, rather than pursing the lips, produces the identical cooling effect for anyone able to curl their tongue comfortably.

Choose whichever mouth shape feels natural.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Exhaling through the mouth. The cooling effect built on the inhale is lost if the exhale is also taken through the mouth; the exhale must return through the nose regardless of which mouth shape produces the inhale.

Forcing a tight, strained lip position. A relaxed O shape or a gentle draw-back over the teeth works better than a forced, tense mouth shape, which restricts airflow without improving the cooling effect.

Assuming this version is somehow lesser than the tongue-curl original. This is a standard, equally valid alternative, so neither version is the “real” one; whichever mouth shape works for a given practitioner produces the same result.

After Your Set

A few ordinary breaths after the final round are all that’s needed to close out the practice, since nothing here places any strain on the body. Most practitioners notice the temperature drop lingering pleasantly for several minutes past the last round.

Going Deeper

The point of this version is accessibility: it is the standard alternative for the significant portion of people who cannot physically curl their tongue. Progress tends to stall when a practitioner keeps attempting the tongue-curl version out of a sense it’s more “correct,” rather than settling into whichever mouth shape produces a clean, comfortable hiss. Finding a reliable, comfortable lip shape here is a better marker of progress than forcing the tongue-curl technique to work.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. The lip shape feels comfortable and easy to hold through a full round.
2. The hissing inhale produces a clearly noticeable cooling sensation.
3. Returning the exhale to the nose has become automatic, with no conscious reminder needed.
4. A full session of 10-12 rounds produces a clearly noticeable temperature change.
5. The technique can be reached for reliably in a hot or overheated moment.

Muscles Worked

• Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, controlling the nasal exhale between hissing inhales)
• Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, widening the ribs as air hisses in through the small gap)

FAQ

Why does the pursed-lip version produce the same cooling effect as the tongue curl? Both rely on the same physical mechanism, air passing over a moist surface in the mouth before reaching the lungs, so the cooling effect is identical regardless of which mouth shape produces the airflow.

Is it better to try the tongue curl first before switching to this version? Not necessarily; anyone who already knows they can’t curl their tongue can start directly here without needing to attempt the tongue-curl version first.

Does the hissing sound need to be loud? No, a soft, steady hiss is all that’s needed; volume doesn’t affect the cooling result, only the steady airflow across the moist surface does.

Can this be combined with a breath hold the way the tongue-curl version can? Sitali — With Kumbhaka adds a retention to the tongue-curl version specifically, though the same principle of a comfortable added hold could reasonably apply here too.

Is one version considered more traditional than the other? The tongue-curl version is the more commonly depicted form, but the pursed-lip alternative is a standard, equally valid technique for anyone who cannot curl their tongue.

Does the seating position matter for this technique? An upright, relaxed spine keeps the airway open enough for a clean, steady hiss on the inhale, though the exact seated position is otherwise flexible.

Can this technique be used alongside other cooling strategies on a hot day? Yes, pairing several rounds with ordinary cooling measures like shade or water is entirely reasonable; this technique adds a fast, portable option that needs nothing but the breath itself.

Is it normal for the lips to feel dry after several rounds? A mild dryness is common with repeated rounds of mouth-breathing; taking a short break or sipping a little water between sets is a reasonable, simple adjustment if it becomes uncomfortable.

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Sitkari is the pursed-lip alternative within the oral and laryngeal modification family, sharing Sitali’s cooling mechanism through a different mouth shape.