3 simple Breathing Practices for an energised Spring
After my son was born, my immune system was practically non-existent. When he brought a regular cold home from nursery, I got full-blown sinusitis, which I had never experienced before. So, I introduced different breathing practices to clear the airways and keep them that way. Kapalabhati, the skull-shining breath, has been a staple in my morning practice ever since. The absence of sinusitis in my life now speaks for its tremendous power.
As you might remember, spring is the domain of Kapha dosha with its heavy, slow, cold & sticky qualities. And as you might also remember, Ayurveda says we must constantly balance the opposite qualities.
So, if we introduce light, fast, hot/warm & clear.
Suppose we don’t introduce the opposite qualities in spring, for example. In that case, we risk catching colds and coughs, getting congested in the sinuses or chest, or we might retain fluids around the feet, ankles, or hands, and puffiness of the eyes.
To stay light, fast, warm and clear through the airways in the spring, here are my 3 favourite breathing techniques.
The powerful Kapalabhati – skull shining.
What is Kapalabhati?
Kapalabhati translates as skull shining, and that’s what it does; it clears phlegm from sinuses and nasal passages, leaving your headlight and clear.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a medieval Hatha Yoga text, recommends Kapalabhati as one of the six cleansing acts, which makes this technique a kriya, a cleansing action rather than a pranayama, a directed breathing. This cleansing breath paths the way for other breathing practices.
The text mentions that Kapalabhati destroys all diseases caused by Kapha. And, together with the other five actions or kriyas, which free us from excess weight and Kapha disorders, we are ready to practice pranayama and succeed without much strain.
So even in the past, Yoga practices have been used as tools to free the body from all kinds of diseases caused by the three doshas.
How to practise Kapalabhati?
This can be tricky, as Kapalabhati is an active outbreath and a passive inbreath. We exhale strongly as if we blow our nose super strong; the abdominal muscles contract to throw the air out through the nose.
Then we release the abdominal muscles, naturally letting the body draw air in. Just as you open a vacuum-packed item, as you pierce the packaging, the air rushes in. As you release the hold of the abdominal muscles, the air flows into the lungs without us needing to breathe actively.
This makes it the tricky part. As we need to develop the trust that our body lets sufficient air in. Because an active inbreath guarantees our survival, naturally, we want to control this essential process rather than relying on the body to do a proper job. But once we step into the trust, it works like a charm.
Due to the heavy involvement of the abdominal muscles, this technique is an excellent strengthener for this muscle group. In the beginning, the abdominal muscles might get tired quickly. But, as we gradually build up our practice, the muscles get stronger, and Kapalabhati becomes more effective.
And as the abdominal muscles get stronger, our digestion benefits from this too.
Can everyone practise Kapalabhati?
This is what I have been taught:
Full Kapalabhati is contraindicated for those with high or low blood pressure, heart disease, hernia, gastric ulcer, epilepsy, vertigo, migraine headaches, significant nosebleeds, detached retina, glaucoma, history of stroke, and for anyone who has undergone recent abdominal surgery.
Any practice towards the full version can be safely practised by everyone.
Try out the short 10 min tutorial to get started:
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The heat-stoking Bhastrika Breath – the breath of fire.
Another cleansing technique is Bhastrika breathing, the breath of fire, also often translated as bellow breath because of its pumping action.
It is similar to Kapalabhati with the difference that Bhastrika has an active inbreath and an active outbreath.
Just as in Kapalabhati, the breath needs to flow deep down into the abdomen; the navel is a good focal point. The depth of the breath prevents us from hyperventilating and feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
Having said that, light-headedness or dizziness can occur during the beginning phases as the body needs to get used to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. Therefore, when feeling dizzy, always stop and take a few natural breaths until the dizziness subsides before resuming.
All breathing techniques require patience; although we breathe all the time, it must be learned properly.
Our progress should be slow and ensure that the breath stays at ease at all times.
And not to forget, after any breathing practice, it is advisable to rest for a few moments allowing the body to digest the technique before moving on to other activities.
Improper breathing practices can lead to irritation, nervousness, tiredness, and improper flow of Prana, our vital life force. Circling back to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika,
Hiccups, asthma, bronchial diseases, earache, pain in the eyes and various other disorders can manifest through the wrong practice of pranayama.
HYP II.17
Stay warm with Deep Belly Breathing.
Deep belly breathing is very accessible. Everyone can practise it at any place and at any given time.
Breathing deep into our belly or abdomen is the first part of the three-part breathing, forming the base for all pranayama techniques.
The best way to start breathing into your belly is by lying on the floor (or bed) with the knees bent.
In the beginning, it is helpful to place the hands around the navel to become aware of the rhythm of the breath with its rise and fall of in- and outbreath.
As we breathe in, our abdominal wall rises gently away from the spine; as we breathe out, it slowly relaxes back down towards the spine.
Once we have established a good rhythm and breathing into the abdomen is easy, we can lengthen the in- and outbreath; counting is a great tool. We can count the natural length of the breath and start slowing the breath a little down for a longer count. For example, if your natural count of the inbreath is three, try lengthening the inbreath to four. The same with the outbreath.
When this rhythm is established, we can focus on the natural pauses after the inbreath and after the outbreath.
You can do that now; bring your awareness to your breath and notice a short pause after in- and outbreath. Although it might feel like an ongoing and in and out, in fact, though, the rhythm is:
inhale – little pause - exhale – little pause.
The more relaxed we are, the longer the pauses. When we feel stressed, they get shorter and more rushed. Do you notice the rhythm?
Eventually, we can pause our breath a little on either side to come to a rhythm of, for example
inhale to four, pause to four, exhale to four, pause to four.
The benefits of deep abdominal breathing
It strengthens the muscles involved.
Deep breathing elicits the relaxation response, switching our nervous system from stress mode to rest and digest mode. This makes it the number one tool for tackling stress, and it is free, and you can use it everywhere and whenever needed.
When we pause after the inbreath, the gas exchange, which provides the cells with oxygen and removes waste from the cells back into the bloodstream to eventually be exhaled, is improved.
As we come into rest and digest mode, our digestion is improved, resulting in more nourishment for the body and its tissues, and we feel less hungry and less snacking.
Our energy levels improve, and we feel less tired, and tiredness, as you might have experienced yourself, can also lead to snacking.
The benefits are compelling, and the simplicity and accessibility of deep abdominal breathing really leave us no excuse anymore; why not integrate this into our daily life right?
Quick Reminder
This may have been a lot to take in, so let’s sum it up.
The Kapha dominant springtime can lead to coughs, colds, congestion, and a flare-up of allergies if we are not balancing the natural qualities of Kapha, which are slow, heavy, cold, and sticky, with the opposite ones of fast, light, warm/hot and clear.
There are 3 relatively easily accessible breathing tools for you to use, especially during this time of the year, but not exclusively, as they can be practised all year round.
The first two are kriyas, cleansing techniques:
Kapalabhati, skull shining, active outbreath and passive inbreath. It clears the sinuses and nasal passages and stimulates digestion.
Bhastrika, bellow breath, active in- and outbreath. Stokes are our digestive fire, strengthen the abdominal muscles and help keep the airways clear.
Deep abdominal breathing is easily accessible by everyone, whenever and wherever we are. It helps to beat stress, increase our energy levels, strengthen our digestion and help to beat stress and stress-related eating.
Enjoy your practice it please let me know on Instagram, Facebook or even good-old email.
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
P.S. If you like to learn more about breathing, why not join our Monday evening Breathing Space? A 45 min online session revolving around seasonal breathing.
