Bhastrīka Prāṇāyāma
Forceful inhale and exhale through both nostrils, fanning the inner fire; powerful medicine, and a practice to learn from a teacher.
How to practise
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Sit tall; take a normal breath.
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Inhale and exhale forcefully and equally through both nostrils, the belly pumping each way.
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One breath per second for 10 strokes; then one long inhale, hold briefly, and a slow full exhale.
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That is one round, sit quietly and observe the heat and ringing clarity before the next.
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Begin with 1–2 rounds only.
Benefits
- Strongly kindles agni, digestive fire and metabolic heat
- Rapidly dispels kapha heaviness, dullness and cold
- Charges the nervous system with alertness
- Of all the breaths, the one the texts credit with raising kuṇḍalinī (with practice)
Contraindications & cautions
- Pregnancy, hypertension, heart disease, epilepsy, panic disorder; avoid entirely
- Fever, infection or acute illness; avoid
- Pitta and vāta constitutions should practise only occasionally, briefly, and gently
- Learn this from a qualified teacher before practising, force without guidance injures
If you are pregnant, or live with a cardiac, respiratory or mental-health condition, consult a qualified teacher and a physician before practising. Never strain the breath.
In the tradition
The bellows (bhastra) was the smith’s tool that made fire burn white, and the Pradīpikā is frank about what the breath version can do, including the stirring of kuṇḍalinī. That power is exactly why the same tradition insists it belongs in the hands of a teacher. This page describes; a teacher transmits.
Sources & further reading
- Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā , Svātmārāma (chapter 2, verses 59–67; the bellows that kindles the gastric fire and awakens kuṇḍalinī)
- Light on Pranayama , B. K. S. Iyengar