KAPALABHATI

- By Hemisha Marolia D'silva (Singapore)

In Sanskrit the word 'Kapal' means 'cranium' or 'forehead' and 'Bhati' means 'light' or 'splendour' and also 'perception' or 'knowledge'. Hence Kapal Bhati is the practice which brings the state of light or clarity to the frontal region or the brain.

There are four different ways of doing Kapalbhati. One should do all four only after mastering the first technique. Only after mastery of the first should one attempt the second and then third and hence forth.

TECHNIQUE 1- Preparatory Practice

• Sit in a comfortable meditative asana, for eg. sukhasana or padmasana. The head and spine must be straight with the hands resting on the knees with the palms facing the sky.
• Close the eyes and relax the entire body.
• Exhale through both nostrils with a forceful contraction of the abdominal muscles. The following inhalation should take place passively by allowing the abdominal muscles to relax.
• Inhalation should be spontaneous recoil, involving no effort.
• After completing 20-30 rapid breaths in succession, inhale and exhale deeply. Allow the breath to return to normal.
• This is one round. One can do up to 10-20 such rounds, as per ones comfort and time.
• Breathing:
• The rapid breathing should be from the abdomen; the shoulders and face should remain relaxed.
• Beginners may take several free breaths between rounds.
• The number or respiration (inhalation and exhalation) may be increased gradually from the initial 20 up to 50, as the abdominal muscles become stronger.
• At an advance stage one can do up to 100 breaths per round.

Sequence:

As this process clears the nasal cavity, kapalbhati should be done before the other pranayamas like Anulom Vilom, Bhastrika, etc

Precautions:

• Kapalbhati should be performed on an empty stomach, 3-4 hours after meals. If practised late at night, it can prevent sleep.
• If pain or dizziness are experienced, stop the practice and sit quietly for some time. Practise with more awareness and less force. If problem continues, consult a competent teacher.

Contra- indications:

Kapalbhati should not be practiced by those suffering from heart problems, high blood pressure, vertigo, epilepsy, stroke, hernia, or gastric ulcers. It is not recommended during pregnancy.

Benefits:

• Kapalbhati has a cleansing effect on the lungs and is a good practice for respiratory disorders.
• It balances and strenghtens the nervous system and tones the digestive organs.
• It purifies the nadis, and removes sensory distractions.
• It energizes the mind for mental work and removes sleepiness.

TECHNIQUE 2 - Alternate Nostrils

Same as above only difference is that one has to raise the right hand to the nose.

Left Nostril: Close the right nostril with thumb. Exhale forcefully and inhale passively through the left nostril. 10 times. Like the earlier technique it should be done by the abdomen alone; the chest, shoulders and head remain relaxed.

After 10 breaths take a deep breath through the left nostril

Right Nostril: Close the left nostril with the ring finger of the right hand and repeat the process through the right nostril.

Both Nostrils: Replace the hand on the knee. Repeat the process through both Nostrils.

Duration:

10 breaths through the left, the right and both nostrils forms one round. One can practice up to 10 such rounds.

Breathing:

Beginners may take several free breaths between rounds. The number of respirations may be gradually increased from 10 up to 50, as the abdominal muscles become stronger.

Contra-indications: Same as technique 1.

TECHNIQUE 3 - Antar Kumbhaka ( inner retention)

• Only after perfecting technique 2, antar kumbhaka may be commenced.
• At the end of the round, inhale deeply and retain the breath for a comfortable length of time without straining.
• Exhale slowly with control. Practice up to 5 rounds.

Sequence: Practice just before meditation techniques.

Precaution: Do not practice with bandhas without seeking the guidance of a competent teacher.

Contra-indications: Same as technique 1.

TECHNIQUE 4 - Bahir Kumbhaka ( external retention)

Only after perfecting technique 3, bahr kumbhaka may be commenced.

At the end of the round, inhale deeply and retain the breath for a comfortable length of time. Exhale slowly.Retain the exhaled breath for as long as you are comfortable.

Duration:

• Up to 5 rounds.
• Experienced practitioners can gradually increase the number or respirations to 60, and slowly increase the duration of external retention up to 30 seconds.
• Further rounds should be practiced only under guidance of a competent teacher.
• Do not strain.

Awareness:

• Physical - on the rhythmic, forceful exhalation.
• Spiritual- on the void at the eyebrow center.
• Precautions:
• Proceed slowly with awareness of the effects of the practice. Build up the number of breaths, number of rounds and length of retention gradually.
• Do not strain by practicing longer periods. If breathlessness is experienced then discontinue the process or reduce the number of rounds.

Contra-indications: Same as technique 1.

Pranayama & its side-effects!

Asanas are only a part of yoga. There is anatomy, philosophy, breathing, meditation and principles of yoga which are equally important. As a part of the exercises asanas, pranayams and kriyas are taught.

Pranayama is an exercise with air. The Sanskrit word 'prana' means breath or bio-energy, while 'ayama' means regulation or control. Pranayama is a scientific method of controlling or regulating the breath, leading to better health for both mind and body.

Pranayama is not as complex as it is made out to be, but neither is it something that can be taken lightly. The ancient Sanskrit texts state that Pranayama properly done can cure all diseases, but wrongly done will only invite the same diseases! In fact, if pranayamas like Kapalabhati is wrongly performed it can even cause piles. It is thus of utmost importance to learn pranayama from a proper teacher.

Rules for Pranayama:

• Seating Arrangement

Select a clean and peaceful place for doing Pranayama. You must do it in an airy and comfortable atmosphere not inside an air conditioned room.

Pranayama should be done in a proper posture: spine erect and firm base. No slouching. Otherwise the breath won't go into the lungs properly. Sit either in any of the asanas, like Padmasana, Sukhasan or Vajrasana, whichever you find convenient.

• Directions

Breathe only through the nose, because by doing so the air which you take in is filtered. Even during the daytime make it a habit to do respire only through nose and not through mouth.

Pranayama should also be performed three hours after taking food.

In the morning Pranayama should be done after finishing daily routine acts like brushing your teeth, emptying of bowels etc.

In the beginning Pranayama should be done for five or ten minutes gradually the time may be increased up to about half or one hour. Maintain a specific number of repetitions. Maintain a specific rhythm. Kapalabhati Pranayama, if done regularly for a few days will help in curing constipation.

Pranayama also helps calm down the disturbed mind and keep one happy.

• Risk Management

Methods of Pranayama may be varied according to the seasons and your own physical make up and mental attitude. Keep this in mind and modulate the method accordingly. Some Pranayama increase the body temperature, whereas, some bring it down. Some Pranayama maintain the temperature at the normal level. If done wrongly can cause high blood pressure due to hyper-ventilation.

If you are a heart patient and you do some of the pranayams which involve holding of the breath you might get severe palpitations.

If you feel fatigued in the course of doing Pranayama, rest for sometime and then begin deep breathing, which will remove the fatigue.

If you are pregnant, hungry or suffering from fever, you should not do Pranayama. Especially the kumbhak and soonyak (holding breath after breathing in or breathing out) should not be performed by pregnant women, cardiac patients, people with hypertension, children below the age of 10 years and elderly people above 65 years.

• Keep in Mind...

Do not strain yourself while doing kumbhak i.e. retaining the breathed air inside or keeping the air out after exhaling.

Pranayama does not mean just breathing in, keeping the breathed air in and exhaling it. It also means establishing control on the entire breathing process, and maintaining mental equilibrium, and concentration of mind.

When doing any kind of pranayama your eyes must be closed or else you might feel like a heavy headed. Even after the pranayams are over, leave your eyes closed till you feel settled and aware of the surroundings. Eyes if opened suddenly could give a headache.

Certain heavy pranayamas like kapalbhati, bhastrika must not be done if you are experiencing high blood pressure; it might aggravate the problem.

It is beneficial to chant the mantra Om aloud and repeat the same several times before doing Pranayama. This will calm your mind and make you fit for Pranayama, because a peaceful mind is very essential while doing Pranayama. Mental or loud recitation of Gayatri Mantra or any other sacred hymn brings spiritual benefits.

See that while doing Pranayama, none of your organs such as mouth, eyes, nose, etc. feels any strain and it should be done gradually without any undue stress or strain. All the organs of the body should be kept in normal condition. While doing Pranayama sit in an erect posture. Keep your spine and neck straight. This is essential for reaping the full benefit of Pranayama.

If it becomes necessary for you to take bath after Pranayama, keep an interval of about 15 to 20 minutes between Pranayama and bathing.

While practicing pranayama there should no pets in the same room. They can disturb your practice.

Initially it is a must to be done under a trained teacher otherwise u may do it wrongly. As much as possible don't do it watching TV.

BENEFITS

Doing the Pranayama properly will help you with health issues and improve your health in so many ways.

• Health issues like Obesity, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Constipation, Flatulence, Acidity, Respiratory problems, Allergy, Migraine, High blood pressure, Diseases pertaining to kidneys, Sexual disorders, Parkinson’s Disease and Insomnia

• Certain process of aging like appearance of wrinkles, forgetfulness and dwindling of eyesight can be relieved.

• Face becomes bright, luminous and calm.

• Energy and concentration level increases.

• Conditions like depression are relieved.

• Your blood circulation gets better which increases the body strength.

• All the physical and mental disorders and abnormalities are cured and toxins eradicated from the body.

• Freedom from negative thinking can be achieved and the mind develops the habit of positive and constructive thinking.

Pranayama is the exercise with a lot of benefits and if done in the framework provided then all the benefits could be yours. But you have to do it the right way or don't do it at all because instead of curing yourself, you might be inviting the disease.