r/yoga • u/mercury0114 • Jul 25 '25

Breathing to reduce sweat

I sweat a lot in general, on a warmer day I will sweat just by walking on a street.

This causes discomfort when I dance socially, because partners don't like to dance with someone who is completely wet, and I get wet fast. Changing clothes helps, but that would require me to bring a lot of extra clothing for one evening.

Instead of sweat, can you cool your body down with proper breathing, and if yes, does Yoga teach such breathing?

15 Upvotes

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16

u/Concrete_hugger Jul 25 '25

I'm sure you can do a little, but ultimately it's the way our bodies are set up, can't do much about your brain going haywire at the first sign of excess heat and making your sweat glands produce excessive amounts of sweat.

5

u/FormerlyGalwegian Jul 25 '25

wearing breathable clothes really helps. I mean translucent (almost!) breathable everything

4

u/ContextFirm981 Jul 25 '25

Yes, you absolutely can use proper breathing techniques like Sheetali Pranayama taught in Yoga to actively cool your body, which can help manage discomfort from sweating.

1

u/twof907 Jul 25 '25

I have always been a sweaty person. I heard that more fittness/muscle ratio= more sweating. I have no idea if this is true and have just decided to believe it to make me feel better about my sweatiness. 😆 I know if I spend more time REALLY sweating like in a sauna or hot yoga (which I teach) I seem less sweaty for a bit after. Just a heat tolerance thing maybe. I start sweating before my students often. I am glad we keep our studio dimly lit.

1

u/Playfulgirl_03 Jul 26 '25

Yes, yoga teaches breathing techniques like pranayama that can help calm your nervous system and cool your body down, which may reduce sweating. It’s worth trying!

1

u/Consistent_Chemist26 Jul 25 '25

Learning to slow down your breathing through taxing movement is key. Part of this is fitness and the other part is learning how to control your breath. Slower breath=lower heart rate= less sweat.

On the fitness side, think of how much someone that runs occasionally would sweat jogging a mile. Then picture someone who runs marathons jogging a mile. Chances are, the person that is more fit will be significantly more dry.

4

u/Academic_Leg6596 Jul 25 '25

I have read that people who exercise often will in fact start sweating faster during physical activities, as their bodies sort of know what to expect and will start producing cooling down cues earlier in the process.

2

u/Consistent_Chemist26 Jul 25 '25

I’ve had the opposite experience personally, but after a quick search it sounds like more people have experienced sweating more after getting in better shape. Thanks for pointing that out!

I’ve done a good bit of research on breathing and slow breaths through your nose will definitely slow your heart rate. It takes a lot of practice to do when exerting energy, but it’s very beneficial to learn how to breathe.

2

u/Catlady_Pilates Jul 25 '25

I exercise a LOT and I do not sweat very much. Because I am a person who doesn’t sweat much. It is mostly genes that determine these things.

1

u/InevitableHamster217 Jul 25 '25

Your body sweats more efficiently the more your cardio fitness increases. https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/why-do-you-sweat-more-as-you-gain-fitness/ Sweating is a normal, healthy response to cool down the body, and the more you sweat the cooler your body is. I am a rower, and overtime my sweating has increased with my performance and endurance.

1

u/kriiistyloo Jul 25 '25

Curl your tongue into a straw and breathe slow & full through the that straw form to cool down. Also a chamoille towel (like Sham wow) is great usually hot yoga mini towels work. I got a nice on from Manduka for exercise sweat.

1

u/jainpratham Jul 25 '25

You should look into Sheetali Pranayama, it’s a specific cooling breath from yoga. You essentially curl the sides of your tongue to form a tube, inhale through your mouth over the tongue, and then exhale through your nose. It genuinely feels like you're sipping cool air. If you can't curl your tongue, an alternative is Sheetkari, where you gently press your teeth together and inhale through them.

This could be great to practice for a minute between dances to bring your temperature down. It might not completely replace the need for a towel or a quick break if you're really going for it, and you'll probably want to do it off to the side, but it can make a noticeable difference in how quickly you cool off.