Bhastrika Pranayama

Duration – 2 to 3 Minutes

In Sanskrit, Bhastrika means bellows or a flexible air bladder. In this Pranayama the in and out breaths sound like a blacksmith’s pair of manual ‘hearth bellows’.

Caution – Yoga Aspirants who have history or complaint of High or low  blood pressure or any kind of cardiac problem, shall breath normally and avoid putting any strain to  respiratory system. Do not practice for long.

1. Sit in any Comfortable Asana ( Padmasana, ArdhaPadmasana and Vajrasana etc.)

2. Inhale deeply to full capacity with expanding chest and exhale normally without retaining air in or out.

3. Do not inflate stomach or move shoulders at all. Inflate chest to full capacity up to diaphragm and sides of rib cage.

4. Keep mouth closed and don’t allow any tension or wrinkles to appear on face. Have a sense of easiness and tenderness and breathe with pleasure.

5. Practice Pranayama reverentially and with full self confidence. Keep spinal column vertically erected in a line and awareness totally focused on incoming and out going breath.

6. Perform in a rhythm and harmony, not too fast or not too slow. Relax after making 20 strokes. Breathe normally.

Benefits of Bhastrika Pranayama – Enhances body immune system, the internal resistance to fight ailments. Those who suffer often or even chronically from Colds, Sinus, Headache, Migraine, Asthma or any kind of respiratory problems, are benefited with regular practice of  Bhastrika Pranayama. Bhastrika invigorates Prana to activate entire body, but too many strokes are harmful as breathing is so forceful.

Advance Bhastrika Pranayama – After regular and prolonged practice of Bhastrika Pranayama, say for a year or so, involve rhyme (Mantra) “SO” in inhalation and “HUM” in exhalation. It will take the practitioner above physical aspect of Pranayama.

Relax after practicing Bhastrika Pranayama. Inhalation, exhalation and out-retention in the varied ratio of 1:2:4 or we can say 4:8:16 seconds or 6:12:24 seconds. 3 to 5 breaths or more as the time may permit, is advisable.

Notes - Pranayama is a method of controlling Pran, the life force through the regulation of breathing. It is the breathing process or the control of inhalation & exhalation and the retention of vital energy. The invisible vital energy or vital force is called in Sanskrit “Prana“. In Pranayama, we breathe approximately 4000 ml. of air which is 8 times of the normal breathing (500 ml.) All alveoli are opened, increasing the space 50 square meter i.e., 20 times of body surface. The lungs are made up of about 73 million cells (alveoli). In normal breathing only 20 million alveoli get opened, 53 million remain unutilized. Therefore, blood gets much less oxygen for purification and hence more diseases. It is how the enhancement of energy level and immune system of body and practicing Pranayama in oxygen rich (garden etc.) early morning can be explained.

The current of Prana is said to travel through (micro tubular organs) ‘ Ida’ (afferent) and ‘Pingala’ (efferent) path to stimulate the nerve centers in the spinal cord, mainly the ‘Anahata‘ which stimulate the lungs and thereby give energy to all other centers. According to Science of Yoga, all nerves currents and all molecular motions in the brain cells and nerve centers are caused by Prana.

(It may be interesting to know for the Yoga aspirants that fusing or mental repetition of a rhyme like ‘SO’ – ‘HUM’, ‘AUM’, AUM NAMO BHAGVATE VASUDEVAYA’, AUM NAMO NARAYANA BAHAVATE VASUDEVAYA’, ‘AUM NAMO SHIVAYA’, OR GAYATRI MANTRA’ with inhalations and exhalations; it becomes Sabija- Pranayama – Pranayama with seed. It helps Yoga practitioner in conquering the sense organs- becoming ‘Jitendriya‘ and taking him near to the Omniscience, God the creator of all beings.)