Fire Breathing In Yoga: 6 Benefits

Pranayama or fire breathing is a breathing technique in yoga. It consists of different breaths that complement the asanas or positions of each yoga modality. Breathing is one of those pranayamas and has several benefits for the body.

One of the most important factors in yoga is breathing because it allows the yogi to relax and breathe deeply while doing asanas. It calms the mind, releases tension and sends oxygen to the brain.

What is fire breathing?

The Sanskrit name for this is “kapalabhati”. “Kapala” translates to skull and “bhati” translates to “cleansing”. This refers to a purification of the mind.

The exercise helps to control anxiety, nerves, worry, sadness, pain, fear, etc. The most common position to perform this is the lotus position.

How is it done?

• For beginners, the fire breathing consists of breathing softly and deeply through the nose until you fill your lungs. Then exhale forcefully to expel all the air.
• In addition, tighten the abdomen through your spine as this stimulates the diaphragm.
• Increase the rhythm according to your experiences.

What are the benefits of fire breathing?

Practicing fire breathing has several benefits. Essentially, it provides a better understanding of emotions and the health of the overall breathing. In addition, we can also find the following benefits:

1. Fire breathing helps control stress

Breathing in a controlled way improves concentration and cleanses the mind from negative energy and stress.

When we are stressed, our membrane, the area of ​​the solar plexus, contracts. This is where we keep our emotions.

When breathing, emotions can flow freely and leave the body. This balances the body and improves your mental and physical health.

2. It cleanses the blood and releases toxins from the lungs

Fire breathing improves blood circulation and helps purify the blood due to the amount of oxygen it receives.

It also helps cleanse your respiratory system. By expelling all the air, there is no residue left in the system. New and cleaner air enters the lungs when you inhale again.

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3. It improves lung capacity

Humans do not tend to use their lungs to their maximum capacity because they breathe in a limited way. We often take small breaths that do not fill our lungs.

By practicing fire breathing frequently, the lungs become accustomed to gradually absorbing more air.

4. It strengthens the third chakra

This chakra, also called Manipura, is responsible for focusing on the emotions. It is the largest and strongest of all chakras and relates to our actions and emotions.

Have you ever felt an emptiness in your stomach when you are scared or sad? This is probably due to the manifestation of a third chakra imbalance in the body.

5. It helps in memory and concentration

Deep breathing not only oxygenates the blood but also the brain.

This improves our cognitive capacity and concentration because it helps the brain to function properly.

6. It stimulates the function of the digestive system

The digestive system is activated due to the constant movement of the membrane while doing this breathing.

By doing this, we also experience improved digestion and prevent stomach problems.

Also read: Four natural remedies to soothe abdominal pain

Precautions

• If you have just started breathing, always do so under the supervision of an instructor until you master it. It is a delicate technique that requires time and patience.
• Avoid breathing so fast that you become dizzy. Your respiratory system is not used to inhaling and exhaling such a large amount of air so quickly. Let the system get used to it in a progressive way so you do not overdo it.
• If you feel dizzy, stop exercising. Do not continue if you start to feel uncomfortable. Due to the repeated impact of the air in the lungs, they can get tired and this can make you faint.

• Listen to your body. It is important to always exercise in a healthy way.

Contraindications

This exercise is not for women who are pregnant or menstruating. It is also not recommended for those who have epilepsy, high blood pressure, emphysema or heart problems.

Fire breathing is without a doubt a technique that is beneficial to health because it improves both the mental and the lung capacity.

However, it is an exercise you should perform with caution if you are just starting out. Also, be careful if you have done this before but will require a little more from your body. The key to yoga is patience. You will not see progress from one day to the next, but the progress will be gradual.

Continue to train with responsibility and patience.