Pranayama

Strelnikova Breathing Exercises (Strelnikova Gymnastics)

One sharp sniff through the nose on every movement, and an exhale that leaves on its own.

Also called: Strelnikova gymnastics, Strelnikova breathing, Strelnikova method, Paradoxical breathing gymnastics, Russian breathing exercises

Strelnikova breathing exercises are a Russian breathing workout in which you take one sharp, noisy sniff through the nose on every movement and let the exhale leave on its own. The basic complex has twelve simple movements, counted in sets of eight^[1].

By the method's own account, it began as a way to restore a singer's voice. Its center in Moscow still teaches it today^[2]. You'll feel warm and wide awake within a few movements.

Pattern: One sharp nasal sniff per movement; the exhale leaves on its own
Session: About 11 minutes for one pass through all twelve movements
Good for: A brisk breathing workout that wakes up body and breath
Level: Intermediate
Origin: Soviet Russia: singer Alexandra Strelnikova and her mother
Needs: iPhone or Apple Watch

How to do it

Stand with your feet a little apart, in clothes that let your arms and torso move freely.
Learn the sniff first: one sharp, noisy inhale through the nose, under half a second. If you can't hear it, it's too slow.
Let the exhale leave on its own, through your nose or a loosely open mouth. Don't push it, shape it or time it.
Start with Palms: stand straight, elbows down, palms facing forward close to your body. Clench both fists sharply on each sniff, and let them open as the air leaves^[1].
Count in eights: 8 sniffs, a short pause, then repeat until you reach 32. While you learn, stop after every 8 or 16^[1].
Move through the other movements the same way, one sniff per movement: Pump, Cat, Hug your shoulders, the head movements and the steps. Rest a few seconds between sets and a little longer between movements.
When you finish, stop sniffing and let your breathing return to its normal rate.

Benefits

Wide awake in a few minutes
Sharp sniffs and quick movement warm you up fast. You finish alert and full of energy.
A workout that keeps its own beat
Eight sniffs, a pause, and again. The count carries you, so there is little to think about.
Calm when you stop
After the last set, an ordinary breath feels slow and easy.
Born from voice work
The method grew out of work with singers, and its center still runs a sound complex for singers and people who speak for a living^[2].

What the research says

The evidence is thin. No randomized controlled trial of the Strelnikova method appears in international medical databases such as PubMed.

Russian-language clinical reports from 1988 to 1999 describe faster rehabilitation and, in one study, lung-function gains in children with asthma. They are known mainly through a secondhand English summary on a site that promotes breathing methods, and no independent trial has repeated them^[3].

The method's school credits it with a long list of health benefits^[2]. Those are the tradition's claims, not tested results. What you can count on is what you feel: a brisk workout for your breathing muscles and a clear, awake head afterward.

The twelve movements of the basic complex

Most movements run for 32 sniffs, counted as four sets of eight with a short pause between sets^[1]^[2].

Palms: clench your fists on each sniff.
Epaulettes: fists at your waist; push them down toward the floor, fingers spread, on each sniff.
Pump: bend gently forward with a rounded back and sniff at the bottom.
Cat: a light, springy half-squat with a twist to one side, then the other, sniffing on each twist.
Hug your shoulders: throw your bent arms toward each other as if hugging your shoulders, and sniff.
Big pendulum: bend forward into Pump, then lean back into a shoulder hug, sniffing each way.
Head turns: turn your head left and right, a sniff at each side.
Ears: tilt an ear toward each shoulder, a sniff at each tilt.
Small pendulum: drop your head down, then tip it back, a sniff each way.
Rolls: feet staggered, rock your weight forward and back with a small knee bend, a sniff each time, then switch legs.
Front step: lift one knee toward your stomach on each sniff, alternating legs.
Back step: kick one heel up behind you on each sniff, alternating legs.

Where the method comes from

The method is named for Alexandra Nikolaevna Strelnikova, a Moscow singer, and her mother, Alexandra Severovna. In the method's own telling, Strelnikova lost her singing voice as a young woman, and the two built these drills to bring it back.

Her student Mikhail Shchetinin now leads the method's center in Moscow and has written more than twenty books on what the school calls paradoxical breathing^[2]. In several movements you sniff just as the movement folds or squeezes your chest, as in Pump and Hug your shoulders.

Tips

Keep your shoulders down during Palms, Epaulettes and Ears. The movement lives in the hands and head.
The method's school suggests finishing your last meal an hour before you practice^[2].
Give each movement its full count. Rushing through all twelve as a warm-up misses the point.

Safety

This is fast, forceful breathing. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or tingly in your hands or face, have chest discomfort, or notice a racing or irregular heartbeat.
Skip it, or talk to your doctor first, if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, a seizure disorder, a panic or anxiety disorder, or you are pregnant.
Never practice in or near water, or while driving. If you feel lightheaded, sit down until it passes.
The method's own school names internal bleeding as its only contraindication^[2]. The cautions above are broader on purpose: rapid breathing can raise blood pressure and bring on panic in people prone to it.
If you want to calm down, choose a slow exercise such as Coherent Breathing instead.

Strelnikova Gymnastics in Spoon

Spoon guides Strelnikova Gymnastics on iPhone and Apple Watch. Choose Full Routine to run twelve movements in a row, or Single Exercise to practice one. The pace is fixed at one sniff a second. By default each movement is 3 sets of 32 sniffs, with 15-second rests between sets and 30-second rests between movements: about 2 minutes for one movement and about 31 minutes for the full routine.

Spoon's twelve movements are adapted from the classic complex, each with a one-line cue on screen and an animated orb that paces every sniff. A sharp breath sound marks each sniff; sound and Watch taps are both on by default. With the voice guide on (iPhone), a short spoken line opens each set, since the sniffs are too quick for words.

Full Routine (twelve movements in a row) or Single Exercise (one movement).
Fixed pace of one sniff a second, with a sharp breath sound on each.
Set 8 to 96 sniffs per set; while you learn, try 8 or 16.
Twelve movements adapted from the classic complex, such as Palm Turns, Pump and Cat, each with a one-line cue.
Live heart rate with an Apple Watch, then your breath and heart rate on one chart.
Add it to a playlist. Sessions save to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes, never as workouts.

Join the beta See every exercise

Free public beta for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Questions

What are Strelnikova breathing exercises?

Strelnikova breathing exercises are a Russian breathing workout developed by singer Alexandra Strelnikova and her mother. You take one sharp, noisy sniff through the nose on every movement and let the exhale leave on its own. The basic complex has twelve simple movements, most done for 32 sniffs counted in sets of eight.

How do you do Strelnikova breathing?

Stand with your feet a little apart. On each movement, sniff once through the nose, short and noisy, and let the air leave by itself through the nose or mouth. Count eight sniffs, pause briefly, and repeat until you reach 32. Then move on to the next movement.

How often should you do Strelnikova gymnastics?

The method's school recommends practicing every day, morning and evening. Start small: one movement, or the full set broken into 8s or 16s with short pauses. Build up as it gets easy, and leave an hour after a meal before you practice.

Is Strelnikova breathing safe?

It is a moderate-risk practice: fast, forceful breathing that can make you lightheaded. Skip it or ask your doctor first if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, a seizure disorder, a panic or anxiety disorder, or you are pregnant. Stop if you feel dizzy or tingly, and never do it in water or while driving.

Does Strelnikova breathing work?

You'll feel it right away: warm, awake and breathing deeper. The medical claims are another matter. Older Russian clinical reports describe good results, but we found no randomized controlled trial of the method in international medical databases such as PubMed. Enjoy it as a breathing workout, not as medical care.

What is the difference between Strelnikova and Kapalbhati?

Both are fast breathing practices, but the force sits on opposite sides. In Strelnikova you sniff in sharply through the nose and let the exhale go passively, with a body movement on every sniff. In Kapalbhati, from yoga, you snap the air out sharply and let the inhale happen on its own, usually sitting still.

Sources

Strelnikova Breathing Gymnastics Center (M. N. Shchetinin). Упражнения основного комплекса (Basic complex exercises). strelnikova.ru. strelnikova.ru
Strelnikova Breathing Gymnastics Center (M. N. Shchetinin). Сколько и когда делать (How much and when to practice). strelnikova.ru. strelnikova.ru
Rakhimov A. Strelnikova Breathing Exercises for Singing (Review). NormalBreathing.com. normalbreathing.com

Updated October 2026. This page is for education, not medical advice. If you have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, epilepsy, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you start a breathing practice with holds or fast breathing.