Categories: Alternative Medicine

The Bhastrika Pranayama Breathing Technique

I have covered the basic guidelines for doing pranayama every day so as to remain fit and healthy through out the life in my earlier article. I shall start covering the procedures for doing simple breathing techniques from this article onwards. As soon as you take your position in either sukhasan or padhmasan, start taking very deep and slow breaths from nose. No mouth respiration may be resorted during the practice of this pranayama. While taking deep breaths try to isolate yourself from all the thoughts coming in your mind and make your mind completely empty. Around 5 to6 such deep breaths shall make you ready to start the first breathing exercise, which is known as Bhastrika Pranayama. Sit in Dhyan mudra with your thumbs of both the hands touching your finger nearest to the thumb. The remaining fingers are to be kept straight and the entire hand is to be kept on your knee. Keep your eyes closed. Start breathing in rapidly with force through both the nostrils and exhale through both the nostrils immediately without any retention of your breath inside. The exhalation also must be done with the equal great force.

Try to repeat this exercise for about 20 times initially. If you feel tired in between and feel fatigue, stop doing this exercise and start relaxing by taking slow and deep breaths for about couple of minutes. Start once again the Bhastrika exercise by taking fast and deep breaths with equally forceful exhalation. This exercise may please be done for around 100 times maximum in about 3 minutes. Do not try to overexert yourself. As this exercise is quiet stressful, you may feel tired initially after doing it just for 15 to 20 times. If your nose is plugged, go on trying this exercise and the nose openings will be cleared soon. While performing exhalation, always think that all the impurities and diseases of your body are going out of your body. While breathing in, continuously think that all the fresh, natural, and pure elements are entering inside your body and your body has become completely healthy without any diseases. This thought process is very important and brings tremendous benefits to the individual. Relax by taking slow and deep breaths after completing this exercise.

This Bhastrika pranayama is the best to cure the cold, sinus, allergy, migraine, and head aches. It also helps to cure depression on permanent basis. It would increase your memory and sharpen your brain. That is why this pranayama is the most suitable for the school and college students. It can be of great help to office executives who have to undertake lot of activities at a time. The lungs also become strong by doing this pranayama on regular basis. As this pranayama produces lot of heat in your body, try to restrict doing this exercise for maximum 2 minutes only during the peek summer. However, during winter you can do this exercise for the maximum duration of 3 to 4 minutes. One word of caution is for the people having heart problems. They must perform this pranayama very slowly and not more than one and a half to two minutes. The persons suffering from high blood pressure also must perform it very slowly and for a small duration of time. I have seen many patients of migraine getting cured by doing this simple breathing exercise on regular basis. The basic essence is to perform this pranayama on regular basis always. If you stop doing this pranayama in between, the benefits that you have got can be washed away within no time. The best time to perform this pranayama is during the early morning hours or during late evening hours with the empty stomach. At least 4 hours time must be left after lunch or breakfast to perform this pranayama. You may find it little difficult to continue this exercise in the beginning as you may get slight head ache and body ache. Just ignore these small symptoms and continue doing this pranayama and you will observe that all these symptoms go away within maximum period of 10 days.