Breath. Breath of fire (Agni pranayama) Fire breath kundalini yoga

Photo: Andrey Kiselev/Rusmediabank.ru

As techniques she uses meditation, asanas, chanting mantras and, of course, pranayama, of which breathing of fire is one of the basic ones.

The first thing you should pay attention to is that the breath of fire is not hyperventilation of the lungs and not full yogic belly breathing. The fire breathing technique is not that complicated and can be mastered by every beginner in yoga. To do this, try to breathe quickly through your nose without pausing, without opening your mouth. The breathing rate is about 2-3 respiratory cycles (inhalation + exhalation) per second. As you exhale, you should draw in your stomach, but not too much. The navel center and solar plexus move towards the spine. Inhalation will occur automatically while the abdomen relaxes, the diaphragm will stretch down.

If you find yourself out of breath while doing breathing of fire, then most likely you are simply forgetting to relax your abdominal muscles. If you do everything correctly, then you can breathe the breath of fire for as long as you like. To start, try doing this for 1-3 minutes.

photo by Natalia Grishko

Practice at a slow pace at first. To better control the technique, sit cross-legged and place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. The first one must move, and the second one, on the contrary, must remain motionless.

As you successfully master pranayama, increase your breathing rate to the recommended 2-3 breathing cycles per second.

photo by Natalia Grishko

photo by Natalia Grishko

If you do not experience any discomfort when using the fire technique, then very soon you will receive your bonuses. However, to do this, the breathing exercise must be practiced until it becomes automatic.

What is it for?

First of all, breathing fire is an energetic practice that fills us with vitality. The logic of the process here is simple: breathing exercise saturates the brain with oxygen and thereby stimulates our activity and focus.

Another pleasant bonus from using the breath of fire is strengthening the nervous system and aligning the psycho-emotional state.

This pranayama is also beneficial for health, as it helps strengthen the immune system.

In addition, the breath of fire weakens addictions that are harmful to us (addiction to smoking, drugs, fast and unhealthy food, etc.)

Are there any contraindications?

Breathing of fire has few contraindications. But it is better for women not to practice it during menstruation. You should also be careful with such practices if you have high blood pressure and heart disease.

If you are not at risk, then be sure to try this amazing

Breath of fire, the benefits of which I became aware of at one seminar, is usually practiced in hatha yoga and kundalini yoga classes. Breathing is truly a magical ability of the human body. It is not surprising that with the help of proper breathing you can get rid of diseases, improve metabolism, improve mood, and strengthen the nervous system. Unfortunately, we know little about it and use even less in our lives.

I increasingly began to come to the conclusion that very powerful and effective techniques for self-healing, changing your life, and solving many problems lie literally in the palm of your hand and are available to absolutely everyone. The only thing that is required of a person is to do it every day. At this point we all stumble together. Well, okay, let's start breathing fire!

Why is it good

Breath of fire is considered one of the most powerful cleansing techniques. And it is called fiery because it enhances the “fire” of digestion, “burns” waste and toxins. In general, it normalizes the functioning of the digestive system, relieves gas, bloating, indigestion, has a positive effect on the functioning of the kidneys and liver, normalizes acidity, and relieves discomfort. Also, the breath of fire relieves depression, as it literally “breathes” optimism into you and burns away all the bad things. Since this technique can cause an increase in appetite when performed from 100 cycles at a time, you need to remember this and, in order to complete cleansing, do not increase your daily diet, but drink. This will contribute to even faster and more effective cleansing.

How to do

The exercise is performed only on an empty stomach. Best in the morning before breakfast. You need to sit straight with a straight spine in the lotus position or on your knees, lengthen your neck, tilt your chin slightly towards your chest, thus forming a light throat lock. Relax your stomach completely. Remember that this breathing is performed only through the diaphragm, the chest does not participate in the process. Place your left hand on your stomach, exhale sharply through your stomach, then simply relax your stomach. Just feel how the diaphragm works. Do not deliberately inhale; when you relax your stomach, the air will enter on its own. Inhalation-exhalation is one cycle. The duration of inhalation and exhalation should be equal. The hand on your stomach is only to check that you are breathing from your stomach and not from your chest; there is no need to put pressure on your stomach.

At first, you may feel slightly dizzy and hot - this is quite normal. Start small - cycle 27 is enough to start with. Gradually work your way up to 108 cycles. And remember that the power of this technique lies in its daily repetition. Just do this every morning the same way you brush your teeth.

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Pranayama strengthens and heals the respiratory organs. Breathing exercises help normalize blood pressure, improve heart function, and improve immunity. Pranayama also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. The practitioner's mood and overall well-being improves.

Important Details

The practice of pranayama requires complete concentration - concentrating on breathing and your own sensations in the body and mind - the effectiveness of the practice depends on this. It is not recommended to perform exercises in an absent-minded state, thinking about something extraneous.
Beginners should carefully monitor their sensations while performing breathing techniques. If you feel dizzy or experience any other discomfort, you should stop the practice, lie down and relax.

It is better to start with a small number of breathing repetitions, and with regular practice you can gradually increase the duration of the breathing exercises.

Basic Breathing Exercises

1. Kapalabhati – Fiery or Purifying Breath

The name of the technique "Kapalbhati" includes two Sanskrit words - Kapala- this is a “skull”, and Bhati- means “to make sparkling, to clean.” Literally, this name can be translated as “cleaning the skull.” In fact, it is implied that Kapalbhati breathing clears the mind and clears the pranic channels ( prana- this is life energy).

Execution Technique
Usually Kapalbhati is performed in a comfortable sitting position, and it is very important to keep your back straight. Many practitioners perform Kapalbhati in Siddhasana (sitting cross-legged), Vajrasana (sitting on the heels) or Padmasana (sitting in a lotus). You can close your eyes. The facial muscles are as relaxed as possible.

In a sitting position, you should close the index and thumb of each hand in a ring, the remaining fingers are slightly extended, the palms are open with the inside facing up. This position of the fingers is called Jnana Mudra. The hands are lowered with the wrists onto the knees.

Breathing is done through the nose. First you need to concentrate on deep, even breathing, tracking each air flow. At the end of the next exhalation, we strongly and quickly squeeze our abdominal muscles, sharply exhaling all the air through our nose, as if we want to blow our nose. In this case, the stomach moves inward towards the spine. The exhalation should be short and powerful, while being as complete as possible.

A powerful exhalation is immediately followed by a short, passive inhalation. To inhale correctly, we release the abdominal muscles, returning the abdominal wall to its relaxed state.

What to Pay Attention to

• When performing Kapalbhati, only the stomach moves, and the abdominal muscles should not be strongly strained.


• The facial muscles should be relaxed. The chest remains motionless.


• It is very important to maintain emphasis on abdominal exhalation. To do this, you need to learn to quickly and completely relax your abdominal muscles during a short inhalation, and squeeze your abdominal muscles as much as possible while exhaling.


• The diaphragm remains soft both during inhalation and exhalation.


• Beginners should concentrate on the correct execution of Kapalbhati - the force of exhalation and the smoothness of inhalation. Those who have mastered the technique well concentrate their attention on the area below the navel, both while performing the technique and while resting. You can also concentrate your attention in the area between the eyebrows.

The technique of performing Kapalbhati can be briefly described as follows:– sharp exhalation through the nose, passive inhalation. As you exhale, the stomach retracts, pushing out all the air; as you inhale, it relaxes, drawing in air. Thus, you get short and sharp bursts of air through both nostrils.

Number of Approaches
Beginners should perform Kapalbhati in 3 sets, 10 breaths each. After each approach, you need to rest for half a minute, maintaining deep, even breathing.

Gradually the number of breaths is increased to 108 times in one approach. It is recommended to perform 3 approaches. The best time to perform Kapalbhati is in the morning. For best results, this exercise should be performed every day.

Positive Effects of Kapalbhati

• tonic effect on the body as a whole, cleansing the energy channels of the body, cleansing of toxins;


• strengthening the nervous system;


• beneficial effect on brain function


• strengthening the abdominal muscles, eliminating excess fat deposits in the abdominal area, improving tissue structure;


• tonic effect on the abdominal organs due to internal massage;


• activation of the digestion process, improvement of food absorption;


• improvement of intestinal motility.

Contraindications
Kapalbhati should not be performed by people suffering from the following diseases:

• pulmonary diseases


• cardiovascular diseases



• hernias in the abdominal cavity

2. Bhastrika - Breath of the Bellows

Bhastrika is a breathing technique that fans the practitioner’s inner fire, warming up his physical and subtle body. In Sanskrit the word "Bhastrika" means "blacksmith's bellows".

Execution Technique
The body position when performing Bhastrika is the same as when performing Kapalbhati - a comfortable, stable position, sitting with a straight back, eyes closed, fingers joined in Jnana Mudra.

First, take a slow, deep breath. Then you need to quickly and forcefully exhale air through your nose, and then immediately after that inhale with the same force, resulting in a series of rhythmic inhalations and exhalations, equal in strength and speed of execution. As you exhale, the stomach retracts and the diaphragm contracts. As you inhale, the diaphragm relaxes and the stomach protrudes forward.

After completing the first cycle, you should relax, keep your eyes closed, and focus on normal, smooth breathing.

More experienced students, after completing each cycle of Bhastrika, take a slow, deep breath through the nose and hold their breath as they inhale. While holding your breath, a throat lock is performed - Jalandhara Bandha- and lower lock - Mula Bandha. To perform a throat lock correctly, you should press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and lower your chin. Then, you need to squeeze the muscles of the perineum to create a lower lock.

The throat and lower locks are held throughout the entire breath hold. Then, the lower and upper locks are released and the air is smoothly exhaled.

Number of Approaches
Like Kapalbhati, for beginners, the Bhastrika cycle should include 10 inhalations and exhalations. This cycle can be repeated three to five times. Gradually, the speed of performing Bhastrika should be increased, while maintaining the rhythm of breathing. Experienced practitioners perform 108 breaths in one cycle.

What to Pay Attention to

• Inhale and exhale air with little effort.


• Inhalation and exhalation must remain equal and are obtained correctly with systematic and equal movements of the lungs.


• The shoulders and chest remain motionless, only the lungs, diaphragm and abdomen move.

Positive Effects of Bhastrika

• prevention of colds, acute respiratory infections, chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, pleurisy and asthma (Bhastrika breathing effectively warms the nasal passages and sinuses, removes excess mucus and helps resist infections and viruses);


• improved digestion and appetite;


• improving metabolic rate;


• stimulation of the heart and blood circulation;


• strengthening the nervous system, relieving physical and mental stress, harmonizing the emotional state;


• massage of internal organs;


• increasing the vitality of the body;


• clarity of mind.

Contraindications

Bhastrika is contraindicated for people with the following diseases:

• high blood pressure



• brain tumors


• ulcers, stomach or intestinal disorders

3. Ujjayi – Calming Breathing

The name of the technique "Ujjayi" comes from the Sanskrit word uji, meaning “to conquer” or “to acquire by conquest.” This pranayama helps to bring into order the upward directed vital energy, which is called udana. Practitioners of Ujjayi breathing protect themselves from physical and psychological problems associated with the imbalance of this energy.

Execution Technique
Like the other techniques described above, Ujjayi breathing is performed in comfortable sitting position. The back is straight, the whole body is relaxed, the eyes are closed. This type of breathing can also be practiced lying on your back- especially before savasana(the so-called “corpse pose”, an asana that concludes a yoga class, in which practitioners strive for complete relaxation). Lying Ujjayi is also recommended to be performed before bed to get rid of insomnia and to have a more restful and sound sleep.

Focus on slow, deep, natural breathing. Then, you need to slightly compress the glottis of the larynx, while breathing will be accompanied by a low hissing and whistling sound coming from the larynx area (a whistling “sss” during inhalation and “xxx” during exhalation). You will also feel a slight tightening sensation in your abdominal area.

The sound coming from a slightly compressed larynx is caused by air passing through it. This sound is reminiscent of the soft, subtle sound we hear when a person sleeps. It is important that breathing through a covered glottis remains deep and stretched - for this, the abdomen expands, taking in air, during inhalation and retracts completely at the end of exhalation.

What to Pay Attention to

• deep inhalations and exhalations should be approximately equal, with each inhalation flowing into the subsequent exhalation, and vice versa.


• the movement of air along the compressed glottis creates a gentle vibration that has a calming effect on the nervous system and calms the mind


• try not to squeeze the larynx - compression of the larynx should remain light throughout the entire respiratory cycle.


• the facial muscles should be as relaxed as possible.


• The sound produced by Ujjayi breathing helps you focus your attention on your breathing and go deeper into yourself. When performed at the beginning of a yoga class, this breathing helps practitioners focus on internal sensations during the asanas and become more aware of each form. Ujjayi is also recommended to be performed before meditation.


• Ujjayi breathing should be practiced for three to five minutes and then resume normal breathing.


• Ujjayi can be performed even while walking, while adjusting the length of the breath to the pace of movement. A small cycle of Ujjayi will quickly normalize your condition and increase concentration while waiting in line or in transport.

Positive Effects of Ujjayi

• has a calming effect on the nervous system and mind, relieves insomnia;


• normalizes high blood pressure;


• helps cope with heart disease;


• relieves tension during menstruation;


• leads to a deeper understanding of asanas;


• develops a sense of the subtle body;


• increases mental sensitivity.

4. Full Yogic Breath

Full breathing is the deepest type of breathing. It involves all the respiratory muscles and uses the entire volume of the lungs. With full breathing, the entire body is filled with fresh oxygen and vital energy.

Execution Technique
It is recommended to begin mastering full breathing in a sitting position - the back is straight, the whole body is relaxed, the fingers are connected in Jnana Mudra or simply lying on the knees. The facial muscles are also relaxed.

A complete breath consists of three stages:

• lower, diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing,


• medium, chest breathing


• upper, clavicular breathing.

Before you start take a full breath, you need to smoothly exhale all the air. Then a smooth inhalation is performed in the following order:

• We start with lower breathing - the stomach moves forward, and the lower sections of the lungs are filled with air.


• Breathing smoothly moves to the second stage - chest breathing. The chest expands with the help of the intercostal muscles, while the middle sections of the lungs are filled with air. The stomach tightens a little.


• Chest breathing smoothly flows into clavicular breathing. The subclavian and neck muscles are engaged, and the upper ribs are raised. The shoulders straighten slightly, but do not rise. This ends the inhalation.

Full exhalation also begins in the lower parts of the lungs. The stomach is pulled up, the air is smoothly pushed out. Then the ribs drop and the chest contracts. At the last stage, the upper ribs and collarbones are lowered. At the end of the respiratory cycle, the relaxed stomach protrudes slightly forward.

What to Pay Attention to

• When breathing fully, you should maintain a feeling of comfort; you should not overexert yourself while inhaling, overfilling the chest with air.


• The transition from one stage of breathing to another is carried out continuously; stops and jerks should be avoided.


• inhalation and exhalation are equal in duration.


• There is another option for performing full breathing for more experienced yogis, when the practitioner strives to make the exhalation twice as long as the inhalation, while also holding the breath for several seconds while inhaling and exhaling.

Number of Approaches
For beginners, it is enough to perform three cycles of full breathing. Experienced practitioners can perform up to 14 cycles.

Positive Effects of Full Breathing

• the body is filled with vital energy, fatigue goes away, and the overall tone of the body increases;


• the nervous system calms down;


• complete ventilation of the lungs occurs;


• the body is cleansed of poisons and toxins due to a good supply of oxygen to the lungs and blood;


• resistance to infectious diseases increases;


• All abdominal organs are gently massaged;


• metabolism improves;


• endocrine glands and lymph nodes are strengthened;


• the heart is strengthened;


• blood pressure is normalized.

Contraindications
Care should be taken when:

• any lung pathology


• cardiovascular diseases


• hernias in the abdominal cavity.

"When breathing is wrong,
the psyche is also unstable,
and when breathing is even,
then the psyche is balanced".
Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

It's surprising how little attention we pay to proper breathing in our everyday lives. We can live a day without food or water, but deprive us of our breath and we will die within minutes.Breath is life. Most people have forgotten how to breathe properly. They breathe shallowly through the mouth and use little or no diaphragm, raising their shoulders or squeezing their belly when inhaling. Thus, only a small amount of oxygen is inhaled and only the upper part of the lungs is used, leading to poor vitality and low resistance to disease. There is a lot of “stagnant” oxygen left in our lungs - and how can we saturate all our organs with this vital component?!..

People often consider inhalation to be the most essential part of breathing, but in factthe main thing is to exhalebecause the more carbon dioxide-laden air you exhale, the more fresh air you can inhale. And now we can give a definition: breathing is The process of oxygen entering the body and removing carbon dioxide from it. Let's consider this a good starting point.
Once upon a time I described basic breathing techniques , - then I wrote about the healing respiratory system of Kokyu-Ho, - but there is not much difference, i.e. Basic techniques are also basic in Africa. Almost all breathing exercises have basic types of breathing. These are lower or abdominal breathing, middle, upper and full breathing.
Since our mental state affects the way we breathe, therefore, we can learn to control the psyche by controlling our breathing. By regulating our breathing, we not only increase our oxygen consumption, but also prepare ourselves for concentration and meditation.

Fire Breath

And now, after such a short introduction, we finally come to the main topic of my article.
Imagine an exercise that can cleanse and activate the lungs, stimulate cardiovascular activity like jogging, tone the body, and clear the mind. Now imagine doing this while sitting comfortably with your eyes closed (or open). Intrigued?
People who practice yoga are well acquainted with an exercise that meets all these requirements - this Kapalbhati . It is also calledfiery or cleansing breath.
If you have already practiced this pranayama and understood its effects, then my article, using materials from the magazine "YOGA-International", the column "Pranayama", 1992 and advice on the practice of Kevin Hoffman, will answer your questions and inspire you to further deepen your practice . For those who are not familiar with the practice, there will be an opportunity to learn something new and useful for themselves.

Let's start with a detailed look at the effects of Kapalbhati in the body. These effects are just a byproduct of the vigorous contractions of the abdominal muscles and the fast, active exhalations that characterize this exercise.

OPTIMAL ACTIONS You need to learn to minimize your actions. Talk less, eat less, sleep less, think less, fuss less and run here and there. The less we do, the more space of awareness arises. It is impossible to do nothing at all; being in the human body, we are doomed to action. Most people spend their lives in continuous bustle, uttering millions of unnecessary words, losing themselves in countless useless thoughts, performing an endless number of meaningless actions and body movements. In fact, all this is not necessary. You need to learn to act correctly. The right action is an adequate response to an emerging situation. There is no need to take initiative; in the intervals between active situations, you need to learn to live in calm inaction. From this inaction, having preserved and accumulated energy, you emerge into correct action. This action flows out of your correct internal state. The flow of change does not stop for a second. Life continuously creates more and more new situations to which one way or another we have to respond and react. What is an adequate response to a situation? This means responding to an emerging change using a minimum of means. If you are asked about something, answer as briefly and clearly as possible. If you are asked for help, do what you can without cackling or raising dust. If you need to go somewhere or do something, do it without doing a million unnecessary and unnecessary things. If you need to think about or decide something, think it over and decide, without being distracted by extraneous thoughts, and hit the target. If there is no situation that prompts you to action, do not worry or worry, it will definitely come. Use your downtime to rest, recuperate, meditate, or just be still. Sometimes you don’t know how to react to a situation that arises. Then don't do anything. Action is born from inaction. Everything must have its time and any situation, as well as your reaction to it, must mature. Let some time pass and you will see what and how to do or not do. Never rush or be nervous. Loss of nervous energy takes life. By all means, learn to remain calm in all life and death situations. Achieve this at any cost. However, if the time has come to act, act without hesitation and without delay. Throw yourself into action immediately, completely, surrender to it completely with your whole being. Do everything as well as you can without losing your calm and confidence. Keep your mind clear and don't let doubt or uncertainty cloud it. When you feel them approaching, focus on the clear, clean empty center within you and make the experience intense. A clear consciousness will absorb doubts and uncertainty and dissolve them within itself. Learn to find joy in both peace and action. Look at everything that happens and everything you do as a game. Feel the joy of Lord Shiva playing with his Universe through you. Find action in inaction and inaction in action. Realize the unity of both. Feel the unmoving center in everything, this will help you discover the ancient truth of Advaita: nothing ever happens. And, at the same time, everything happens ─ everywhere and always. Movement occurs in rest, rest exists in movement. Look at the world as a field of endless energy, the source of which is inexhaustible. Everything is energy, overflowing and flowing from one form to another. Find energy in rest and in fatigue, in love and in hate, in the hot sun of the south and in the icy deserts of the north. Bathe in this energy, drink it, become it yourself. Perceiving the Universe as an endless playing and dancing Shakti, you first feel like its child, and then merge with it and, in the end, become its center and source. By becoming like Shakti, dissolving in her movement and connecting with her power, you transform all your actions into impeccable dance movements. Every word you say is on point, every movement you make is filled with strength and joy, every thought you have is only about Her. Ilya Belyaev “Freedom to be”