pranayama
Tis the season for Kapha aggravation shalalalala lala la laaaaa (it isn’t actually, usually it’s late winter/spring but I know there’s alotta bugs going around)
If, like myself, you have been nurturing some phlegm, coldy, snotty, chesty, eary, sinusy infectiony-ness… you probably have a kapha aggravation. What does that mean? It means there is a build up of phlegm, cold, dampness in the body. Kapha is slow, moist, heavy, oil, cool and smooth. Just like your snot. But one of the main sites of Kapha is the chest.
Diet, lifestyle, herbs, warm clothes, hot drinks and love aside… I’m going to focus on the importance of pranayama (breathwork) and how this can be a very useful tool in keeping colds at bay.
BUT FIRST
What is Pranayama?
Breathwork.
In short, yes it’s breathwork. But in fact there’s so much more to it. If we look at the word itself:
PRANA = vital life force energy
YAMA = control
So as we cultivate the skills to truly harness our breath, we actually learn how to harness our own life force energy. A very simple example of how this might benefit you… you wake up in the morning, you’re feeling groggy, it’s a monday, monday motivation has not hit, there’s no desire for hustle but you’ve got work to do. SO you think “oh I know I’ll do some breathwork” and then BAM 15 minutes later you’re feeling fresh, mental clarity, energy for days, nasal passages are clear and you’re feeling super grounded. That’s Pranayama baby!
As you might expect there are many, many, MANY types of Pranayama. Today I’m going to speak about a Kriya, a cleansing exercise, that is actually preparation for further pranayama, meditation or asana practice. Kapalabhati is a Kriya Pranayama.
Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati is often referred to as “breath of fire” as it greatly stimulates the agni, the digestive fire. This is not the actual meaning of the word.
KAPALA = skull (and associated organs)
BHATI = shining, illuminating
So actually, this practice is often said to be a skull polishing exercise (and trust me, when you strengthen your stomach pumping and get into a forceful exhalation it can feel like it too).
The reason I’m focusing on this practice is the agni stimulating, nasal passage cleansing, energy cultivating effects. Have a cold? It’s wet, damp and stagnant. A “breath of fire” that is also “skull polishing” is set to help alleviate those coldy symptoms and calm an aggravated Kapha. This breathwork will also warm the body whilst we shift from a lovely warm Summer into a cooler Autumn and Winter.
please note
Kapalabhati is pro-inflammatory. This means if you have any inflammatory conditions that are presently flaring it is not advised to practice. For example if you have stomach ulcers, trochanteric bursitis or other abdominal/hip/spinal inflammation… try a cooling pranayama.
Kapalabhati works to re-direct the flow of vata UP the body (will dive into this a little more later). So if you are menstruating, do NOT practice this. It will disrupt your menstrual cycle. If you have a vata disorder or are feeling ungrounded/anxious… again… do NOT practice this, it will only aggravate your symptoms.
Other contraindications:
eating within 2 hours of practice, high blood pressure, heart disease, hernia, epilepsy, vertigo, migraine headaches, significant nosebleeds, detached retina, glaucoma, history of stroke, and recent abdominal surgery.
how I practice
So you know the basics of what this is… now let’s get to the T. I’m going to explain from my own perspective how I choose to practice, it’s highly contextual and will change according to how my body feels. I ALWAYS recommend trying this practice with a teacher first as it’ very important to use the correct technique… it’s not something you want to be practising incorrectly!
Please note: it’s best to practice fasted first thing in the morning.
Stomach pumping:
The stomach pumping... This morning I did 50, then 100, and then 150 pumps, always increasing the speed. As a beginner, you might want to start with 30. It is an active exhale, passive inhalation THROUGH NASAL PASSAGE ONLY. The lower abdomen is doing most of the work here, the belly is “flapping” in and out. Inhale, belly expands… exhale, belly contracts sharply. If this is difficult place your hands on your belly to assist.
NO MOUTH-BREATHERS ALLOWED ;)
As I finish my first 50 pumpings, I enter into a breath hold… which in itself is the beginning of Nauli Kriya (perhaps a post for the future).
External breath holds/locks:
Breath hold outside the body. (Hold on exhalation). Here I place my hands onto my thighs, extend my elbows, sit very tall with my ribcage extended foward, chin drawn down towards my heart. I am working to physically draw my abdomen in towards the spine and under my ribcage... I'm pulling up my pelvic floor, locking at the sternum and also locking at my throat... Thus trapping the energy, Prana, between those sites. (See below for lock/Bandha explanation).
Feels like a wave of heat that radiates from the root up.
When the body kicks in with the ol' "I'm swimming underwater and need to get air or else I'll drown" CALM DOWN YOU'LL BE FINE. wait a few more seconds, swallow the panic.
Internal breath holds/locks:
When I release the external breath hold, I fill up 60% with air and hold again. This time an internal breath hold.
Generally people find this much easier and can hold breath inside the body for much longer.
The release:
It’s important to note that when we release the breath and the locks, we must relax all the muscles, lift the chin, smile and softly return to our normal breath pattern. We must strive to control our body to prevent a gasping for air or a desperate release as we are training the nervous system to sustain for longer without breath. Teaching the body it will not only survive, but also benefit from such practices.
the bandhas
There are 3 Bandhas, locks, I will speak about (there are more):
MULA BANDHA – root lock - the pelvic floor muscles
UDDIYANA BANDHA – upward flying lock - the abdominals up to the diaphragm
JALANDHARA BANDHA – throat stream lock - the throat
When we lock these sites in the practice we are drawing the Prana up from the root towards the throat… thus creating the Maha Bandha, the great lock. As I mentioned this can feel like a wave of heat or like butterflies rising from your pelvis up towards the throat.
This is actually part of a kundalini practice, we are encouraging the shakti kundalini energy to rise up our energy centres and delaying release. We are actively stimulating and powering up our nervous system simply by controlling our breath, so when we release with control (no gasping for air) we are training the nervous system.
So there you have a veeerrrrry brief introduction into Pranayama, Kapalabhati, Bandhas and a smidgen of info on Kriyas.
If you have any further questions feel free to leave a comment or send me a message!
Calm your Kapha and be curious with Kapalabhati…
… but remember to practice with a teacher first.
A