Kapalabhati (skull-shining breath)
Sharp pumping exhales. Morning fog only.
Ready
3 minutes
3:00
During a pumping round the circle holds steady — follow your own count, about one pump a second.
Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy.
What it is
Short, sharp exhales through the nose with a passive inhale, in rounds, with rest between.
It is warming and wakes up a foggy head. It is also the strongest practice here, so it comes with the longest list of people who should skip it.
How to do it
- 1Sit tall. Pump the belly in on each exhale; let the inhale happen by itself.
- 2About one pump a second for a round, then rest and breathe normally.
- 3Two or three rounds is enough. Never before bed.
Before you start
- Skip this one if you are pregnant, or if you live with heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions, or epilepsy — unless your doctor has said otherwise.
- Skip it after eating, with a hernia, recent abdominal surgery, or glaucoma.
- If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally. That is the whole rule.
Try another
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