Heating Pranayamas
They increase the temperature of our body, and our vitality. From an Ayurvedic perspective, they have great effects reducing Vata and Kapha aggravations in our bodies and minds, since Vata and Kapha have a cold property. They are quite useful in winter season, or at any time that you need to feel more energetic.
Please remember that the following instructions are just a complementary guidance for the practice of pranayamas, they are not meant to replace the teachings and supervision of a qualified Yoga teacher. This is just a theoretical support for the practical experience that you develop with the help of a professional.
If you have further questions, or you want to start practising pranayamas, do not hesitate in contacting us here!
They increase the temperature of our body, and our vitality. From an Ayurvedic perspective, they have great effects reducing Vata and Kapha aggravations in our bodies and minds, since Vata and Kapha have a cold property. They are quite useful in winter season, or at any time that you need to feel more energetic.
Please remember that the following instructions are just a complementary guidance for the practice of pranayamas, they are not meant to replace the teachings and supervision of a qualified Yoga teacher. This is just a theoretical support for the practical experience that you develop with the help of a professional.
If you have further questions, or you want to start practising pranayamas, do not hesitate in contacting us here!
1.- Bhastrika Pranayama
Bhastrika Pranayama is focused on the speed of your breathing process, so your breath will be shallow and the movement of your chest and abdomen will be quick.
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands resting on your knees. Keep head, neck and trunk aligned, straight to the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax your body. Take a shallow inhalation, followed by a quick exhalation. Keep doing this several times as quick as you can. Repeat this during 30 seconds. This is one round.
Benefits:
√ It heats the body, so it is a good practice for people with low blood pressure that tend to have frozen hands and feet (and sometimes the whole body!).
√ From an Ayurvedic perspective, it clears Kapha from the head and chest, which is beneficial in cases of asthma, bronchitis and other chronic respiratory disorders. In a general way it can be said that, since Pranayamas diminish the hyperactivity at a psychological level, they increase the broncho-dilatation and pulmonary reactivity (2). In case of having a chronic disease, it is highly advisable to practice under the supervision of a professional teacher.
√ It can also be practiced in a cold weather, for example, during the early morning.
Contraindications:
X It should not be practised in a hot environment, it may raise too much the thermostat of your body!
X It is not advised for people with high blood pressure, heart diseases, any kind of hernia, gastric ulcer, people who has suffered stroke, epilepsy, retinal problems, glaucoma or vertigo.
! Elderly people, those recovering from lung diseases, or women in the first trimester of pregnancy are recommended to practise only under the guidance of a competent teacher.
Bhastrika Pranayama is focused on the speed of your breathing process, so your breath will be shallow and the movement of your chest and abdomen will be quick.
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands resting on your knees. Keep head, neck and trunk aligned, straight to the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax your body. Take a shallow inhalation, followed by a quick exhalation. Keep doing this several times as quick as you can. Repeat this during 30 seconds. This is one round.
- Keep on mind that you are not supposed to blow big amounts of air: rather than that, the breathing movements are short and superficial.
- Be aware of your face, it does not need to be wrinkled. Be aware of your shoulders, they do not need to go upwards. All the movement is performed by the chest and the upper part of your abdomen, therefore the rest of your body can remain relaxed. Avoid violent respiration. A feeling of faintness, excessive perspiration or vomiting indicates that the practice is being performed incorrectly.
Benefits:
√ It heats the body, so it is a good practice for people with low blood pressure that tend to have frozen hands and feet (and sometimes the whole body!).
√ From an Ayurvedic perspective, it clears Kapha from the head and chest, which is beneficial in cases of asthma, bronchitis and other chronic respiratory disorders. In a general way it can be said that, since Pranayamas diminish the hyperactivity at a psychological level, they increase the broncho-dilatation and pulmonary reactivity (2). In case of having a chronic disease, it is highly advisable to practice under the supervision of a professional teacher.
√ It can also be practiced in a cold weather, for example, during the early morning.
Contraindications:
X It should not be practised in a hot environment, it may raise too much the thermostat of your body!
X It is not advised for people with high blood pressure, heart diseases, any kind of hernia, gastric ulcer, people who has suffered stroke, epilepsy, retinal problems, glaucoma or vertigo.
! Elderly people, those recovering from lung diseases, or women in the first trimester of pregnancy are recommended to practise only under the guidance of a competent teacher.
2.- Kapalbhati Pranayama
“Perform exhalation and inhalation rapidly like the bellows (of a blacksmith). This is called kapalbhati and it destroys all mucus disorders.”
(Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2:35)
In this Pranayama the focus is on the abdomen, and on the exhalation of the air. It reverses the normal process of breathing, where the inhalation is the active part, and the exhalation is just passive.
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands resting on your knees. Keep head, neck and trunk aligned, straight to the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax your body. Exhale through both nostrils, with a forceful contraction of the abdominal muscles. The following inhalation should be passive and spontaneous, without any tension or intentional force acting during that moment. Repeat that way of breathing for 20 times. That is one round.
- Be aware of your face, it does not need to be wrinkled. Be aware of your shoulders, they do not need to go upwards. All the movement is performed by the abdomen, therefore the rest of your body can remain relaxed.
Benefits:
√ It increases the irrigation of blood in the capillaries of the brain, which stimulates the pineal and pituitary gland, and the central nervous system as a whole.
√ It helps to clean the body, specially the digestive organs (they get a massage from this practice of Pranayama).
√ It increases your lung capacity. Also, it helps to clean the lungs (useful for Kapha aggravations), being useful for recovering from respiratory disorders (again, in case of chronic respiratory disorders it is highly advisable to practice under the supervision of a professional teacher). This is the reason why Kapalbhati Pranayama is also considered as a Shatkarma (1 of the 6 Yogic cleanses).
√ It develops strength and stamina, and teach you how to coordinate your abdominal muscles for more advanced yoga asanas and pranayamas.
√ It energizes the mind for active mental work.
Contraindications:
X It should not be practised for people who have tumors in the abdominal area, those with heart diseases, high blood pressure, vertigo, epilepsy, stroke, hernia, gastric ulcer, or those who have undergone a surgery recently.
X It should not be performed late in the night, because it can prevent sleep.
3.- Surya Bheda Pranayama
Surya represents the energy from the sun, the heat, the extroversion. Surya Bedha is a Pranayama that helps to stimulate and manifest that energy within us.
Surya represents the energy from the sun, the heat, the extroversion. Surya Bedha is a Pranayama that helps to stimulate and manifest that energy within us.
Instructions:
Sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands resting on your knees. Keep head, neck and trunk aligned, straight to the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax your body. Adopt Nasagra Mudra. For that you will need to extend the thumb, ring and little fingers of your right hand. About the position of the index and middle fingers there are 2 variations: in the first one you bend the index and middle fingers towards your palm. In the second one, you extend your index and middle fingers, at the time that you keep them separated from the rest of the fingers (see the picture). You can adopt any of these 2 variations, the one that suits better for you.
Continue by closing the left nostril with the ring and little fingers. Breath in, slowly and deeply through the right nostril. Exhale slowly through the left nostril, closing the right nostril with your thumb and opening the left nostril. During the following inhalation, close your left nostril again with the ring and little fingers and open the right nostril, breathing in through your right nostril. Exhale again closing your right nostril with your thumb. These are two rounds.
Benefits:
√ Surya Bheda creates heat in the body.
√ It is helpful to balance Vata and Kapha doshas.
√ It increases extroversion and dynamism.
√ It can help to become more perceptive, and go out of dullness.
√ The activating effect of Surya Bheda Pranayama, and the relaxing action of Chandra Bheda has been seen through a register of the autonomic function: Surya bheda showed increased oxygen consumption, associated with a higher discharge of the adrenal medulla, at the time that Chandra Bheda showed an increase on the volar galvanic skin resistance, which has been linked with a reduction of the sympathetic nervous system activity (3).
Contraindications:
X Surya Bheda should not be practised for people with heart diseases, high blood pressure, epilepsy, hyperthyroid, peptic ulcer, acidity or anxiety.
X It should not be practised after eating, because it can interfere with the digestive process.
Sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands resting on your knees. Keep head, neck and trunk aligned, straight to the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax your body. Adopt Nasagra Mudra. For that you will need to extend the thumb, ring and little fingers of your right hand. About the position of the index and middle fingers there are 2 variations: in the first one you bend the index and middle fingers towards your palm. In the second one, you extend your index and middle fingers, at the time that you keep them separated from the rest of the fingers (see the picture). You can adopt any of these 2 variations, the one that suits better for you.
Continue by closing the left nostril with the ring and little fingers. Breath in, slowly and deeply through the right nostril. Exhale slowly through the left nostril, closing the right nostril with your thumb and opening the left nostril. During the following inhalation, close your left nostril again with the ring and little fingers and open the right nostril, breathing in through your right nostril. Exhale again closing your right nostril with your thumb. These are two rounds.
- For beginners in this practice, 10 rounds are enough. When it becomes comfortable, the practice can be increased up to 5 min (not more than that to avoid imbalances in the breathing cycle).
Benefits:
√ Surya Bheda creates heat in the body.
√ It is helpful to balance Vata and Kapha doshas.
√ It increases extroversion and dynamism.
√ It can help to become more perceptive, and go out of dullness.
√ The activating effect of Surya Bheda Pranayama, and the relaxing action of Chandra Bheda has been seen through a register of the autonomic function: Surya bheda showed increased oxygen consumption, associated with a higher discharge of the adrenal medulla, at the time that Chandra Bheda showed an increase on the volar galvanic skin resistance, which has been linked with a reduction of the sympathetic nervous system activity (3).
Contraindications:
X Surya Bheda should not be practised for people with heart diseases, high blood pressure, epilepsy, hyperthyroid, peptic ulcer, acidity or anxiety.
X It should not be practised after eating, because it can interfere with the digestive process.
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Check out our next section about Cooling Pranayamas and their benefits. Keep reading here ! |
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References:
- Lopez, V., Diaz-Paez, A., 1997. Efectos del Hatha Yoga Sobre la Salud, Parte I. Available in http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?pid=S0864-21251998000400012&script=sci_arttext
- Ibid.
- Telles, S., Nagarathna, R., and Nagendra, H.R. (1993) Breathing through a particular nostril can alter metabolism and autonomic activities, electronic version available in http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/research_papers/btp/om.aspx