Kapalabhati Pranayama

yoga breathing pranayama

Photo Credit: spirit essence || larissa

The breath of fire or the skull shining breath is invigorating, energizing, and purifying.

Kapalabhati is a very active, forced exhalation with a passive inhalation. To exhale, the belly quickly pumps into the spine forcing the air out of the nose (like trying to blow out a candle through you nose). Place a hand on your belly to feel the belly actively pumping. Play with the tempo (45-60 exhalations/30 seconds), but keep a steady rhythm. Start with 2-3 rounds of 30 exhalations, and gradually increase the exhalations if comfortable.

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About Timothy Burgin

Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has studied and taught many styles of yoga and has completed a 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training. Timothy has been serving as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com since 2000. He has authored two yoga books and has written over 500 articles on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Timothy is also the creator of Japa Mala Beads and has been designing and importing mala beads since 2004.

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Comments 7

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prativaa2004
August 2, 2010 at 4:42 am
am a premium member.but dont seem to have access to the audio.can this be rectified.thnx
Reply
Timothy
August 2, 2010 at 8:37 am
prativaa2004 – I’m seeing it fine. Please contact customer support to resolve this issue with your account
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prativaa2004
August 2, 2010 at 11:08 am
thanx…itsfine now…….
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Sury Nama
October 9, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Thank you. That clarified alot of questions. I appreciate how the audio allowed me to experience the rythym. Thanks again.
Reply
Jairy
June 21, 2012 at 5:47 am
I don’t understand how you inhale in this breathing method? please help me out.
Reply
Timothy
June 21, 2012 at 7:30 am
Jairy – The inhalation is passive and you don’t have to think about inhaling. Focus on the exhale and just relax the abdominals after the exhale.
Reply
Jairy
June 22, 2012 at 10:54 am
thank you, timothy!

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