Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati ( Sanskrit , f., कपालभाती, kapālabhātī) is the name of a breathing exercise ( pranayama ) of yoga . Kapala literally means bowl or skull, bhati means something like light or glow. This exercise is also assigned to the kriyas (purification exercises ) of yoga. In Kundalini Yoga this exercise is called " fire breath ".
Kapalabhati is usually practiced with a clear emphasis on the exhalation: it is powerful and active, while the inhalation remains passive and reflexive. In this exercise, you exhale by pulling your abdominal wall inward. The exercise is used in the yogic context as a means of changing consciousness and thus as a turning away from strong attachment to the present.
After prolonged or repeated practice, the feeling can arise that the head has become empty, the flow of thoughts has been interrupted. In this respect, the medical effect of the exercise is similar to the vortex dance of the Sufis , who sometimes change their consciousness by constantly turning in the dervish dance. The Kapalabhati is therefore also used to prepare for meditation . The exercise also causes increased exhalation of carbon dioxide , which in the respiratory center reduces the incentive to inhale. This in turn enables longer, effortless breathing pauses ( Kumbhaka , Sanskrit: कुम्भक). A distinction is made between holding the breath after exhaling ( Bahya Kumbhaka ) and after inhaling ( Antara Kumbhaka ).
variants
Advanced variants combine Kapalabhati and alternating breathing (Nadi Shodhana Pranayama): you only breathe through one nostril, the other is kept closed. The change can take place either after a set number of breaths or between each inhalation and exhalation. The latter variant is the most difficult. One practice that is sometimes confused with kapalabhati is called bhastrika , which becomes pranayama by adding kumbhaka . In this respect, Bhastrika can be viewed as a kind of intensified kapalabhati. There are also variants of Bhastrika in which the nostrils are used alternately. According to authorities such as André Van Lysebeth , Kapalabhati can also be practiced by asthmatics under certain conditions .
Note
According to the statements of trained yoga teachers, Kapalabhati should be studied carefully and slowly. It is advisable to consult a good teacher. It is also important to let learning Kapalabhati go hand in hand with the development of a balanced body awareness.
Critics doubt this exercise because, similar to hyperventilation , the narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain can lead to a lack of oxygen. Since, in contrast to hyperventilation syndrome, breathing is consciously controlled, there is no evidence of any alleged damage to health.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Search results for "kApAla". In: spokensanskrit.org . Retrieved April 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Search results for "bhati". In: spokensanskrit.org . Retrieved April 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Die Welt : The fire breath brings you new energy , from June 10, 2014, accessed on May 18, 2017.
- ↑ Stella Hombach: Stress relief with yoga: breathing exercise with side effects . In: The daily newspaper: taz . July 9, 2020, ISSN 0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed July 10, 2020]).
