The practice of yoga is accompanied by breathing, sometimes slow and calm, and other times powerful and invigorating. Today, from Sincronia Yoga We explain the breath of fire in yoga: what it is, how to practice it and its energetic benefits.
What is breath of fire in yoga?
The origin of the expression "breath of fire" comes from Kundalini Yoga, whose popularization in the West was thanks to the master Yogi Bhajan, who methodically sequenced it and popularized the use of white turbans and other characteristic elements of this practice.
Kundalini Yoga is one of the eight original branches or types of yoga (just like the hatha-yoga, Bhakti Yoga or Raja Yoga); an energetic yoga focused on mobilizing, awakening and increasing latent spiritual energy.
Breathing fire is a key breath of the practice of Kundalini Yoga within the kriyas or cleansing and purification sequences that are practiced. It is a vigorous and invigorating breathing technique that cleanses, purifies, and centers. It is based on intense and rapid abdominal movements for expelling the air outwards.
This breathing technique gets its name because it “stirs up” the internal fire or agni. Among its benefits, it activates digestive fire, prevents and relieves constipation, and clears and cleanses the nasal passages. It also has significant energetic benefits, purifying and activating energy channels. nadis, It raises vital energy, breaks down mental and emotional barriers; and ultimately raises latent spiritual energy or kundalini.
So, within the techniques of pranayama Is breath of fire used in Hatha Yoga?
Yes, there are two breathing awareness techniques, or pranayama, From Hatha Yoga, there are techniques that could be considered equivalent to Breath of Fire and are explained or taught interchangeably as such, although, as we will see, they differ in their execution. Personally, I equate Breath of Fire to kapalabhati, But I have known yoga schools and teachers who taught it as bhastrika. Let's look at both in detail.
Kapalabhathi: the breathing of skull cleansing
Literally kapalabhati It means skull cleansing. This breathing technique uses vigorous and rapid expulsion of air in short bursts to clear the nasal passages and sinuses. It is a very active breathing technique and should always be practiced gradually, as hyperventilation could occur due to the large amount of air involved.
The exhalation of kapalabhati It is active, while inhalation is passive, The air enters through the negative pressure of the lung, without having to make any muscular effort to inhale.
The way to practice it is as follows:
- Locate our center or kanda. This is an energy point located two to three finger-widths below the navel. According to yoga, it is the center of the body, breath, movement, and vital energy. Being situated below the navel and inward, it is a point for activating the deep abdominal muscles. The movement of this point toward the spine and upward is the foundation of breathing. kapalabhati.
- Take two or three full breaths in preparation to feel the natural movement of our breath.
- We begin with an inhalation at the navel.
- When exhaling, do so vigorously and quickly in a sharp burst, bringing the point of kanda Upward and inward so that the diaphragm pushes the air from the lungs outward. If the nasal passages are very congested, you can accompany the exhalation with a nasal sound to expel even more air. But kapalabhati It is not practiced with the nose but with the abdominal area.
- Let the inhalation occur passively through pressure change, without any effort on our part, and remain focused exclusively on the exhalation in quick, sharp bursts.
- Perform a series of vigorous exhalations and passive inhalations for 1 minute, ending with a full, controlled breath held until lungs are full. Rest for 6 to 8 breaths and repeat for two more sets.
The rhythm between exhalations will depend on your experience and current health. You can start with a rhythm of one abdominal thrust (exhalation) per second. With more practice, you can increase to two thrusts per second, three thrusts, and so on. A common way to practice is to do the first set slowly, the second quickly, and the third as fast as possible.
Bhastrika: the breathing of the bellows
The following technique of pranayama which is identified as the breathing of fire is bhastrika or the breathing of the bellows. This breathing produces a peculiar noise in its practice, very similar to a fire stoker or fireplace bellows.
Unlike the previous one Both exhalation and inhalation are active processes This technique involves moving even more air, making it necessary to master the previous technique and have a good understanding of lung capacity to avoid hyperventilation.
Let's see how to practice it:
- Locate our center or kanda.
- Take two or three full breaths in preparation to feel the natural movement of our breath.
- We begin with an inhalation at the navel.
- When exhaling, do so vigorously, bringing the point of kanda upwards and inwards so that the diaphragm pushes the air from the lungs outwards.
- Immediately upon inhaling, do so vigorously, bringing the kanda point forward and downward to stretch the diaphragm back and allow more air to enter.
- Perform a series of vigorous exhalations and vigorous inhalations for 1 minute, ending with a full, controlled breath held until lungs are full. Rest for 6 to 8 breaths and repeat for two more sets.
Although the pace of bhastrika It will also depend on practical skill; it is slower than kapalabhati by actively performing both. You can start with a rhythm of 1 full breath every 2 seconds and slow down to 1 full breath every second.
When you inhale, does your belly button go in or out?
Whenever air enters the body, the respiratory cavities (or rib cage or abdominal cavity) should "fill" and then "flow." When we begin practicing breath of fire and/or other techniques of pranayama We may notice that our breathing is paradoxical, that is, when we inhale the navel or abdominal area contracts inwards and when we exhale the navel relaxes and pops outwards.
To better understand this effect, we can do a very simple exercise that will allow us to see what the response is to natural breathing.
- We will place our hands on the abdomen at the level of kanda, This point is two or three fingers below the navel.
- Inhale naturally without effort.
- As you exhale, make the sound of the letter "Oooooo" for as long as you can, even if it seems like you are running out of air, keep making the "Oooooo" until you are completely empty.
- When you can no longer empty your lungs, simply let air in without making any effort to inhale until you feel that you are full enough.
- Repeat several times, paying attention to how and when your hands sink and how and when they fill up.
Now you can answer for yourself the question: when you inhale, does your belly button go in or out?.
Contraindications of the practice of fire breathing
As we have seen, although the practice of fire breathing is very beneficial, its vigor and intensity can be contraindicated for certain practitioners. For example, people with high or uncontrolled blood pressure, diaphragmatic blockages, uterine prolapse or other abdominal organ prolapse, hiatal hernias, etc., should not practice fire breathing.
Furthermore, it is not recommended for pregnant women, postpartum women, or women during menstruation. In all three cases, vigorous movements should be replaced with gentle, controlled movements. kanda inwards without the blow, turning the blows into a relaxing internal massage.
All that remains is for me to invite you to experience the benefits of fire breathing for yourself. Yoga class led by Sincronia Yoga and our teachers.
