Kundalini breath of fire is powerful pranayama technique. I have a personal intimate relationship with this breathing work, sharing my story. What are the benefits? And why is it not advised in pregnancy?
What is kundalini breathe of fire?
Kundalini breathe of fire is a type of pranayama (control breathe) technique used to work with your fire element of the body.
Your lungs naturally know when to breathe in, the role of you in this breathing exercise, is to focus on exhaling rapidly.
I teach this style of breathing exhaling though the nose, but it can be done through the mouth if you feel better this way.
It definitely does not help me.
A brief story of how i found Kapalbhati
My first visit in India in 2009 and i’d just come out of a 10 day Vipassana. I felt i could do anything after this experience of really testing me out.
I met Alpesh my first real trusted teacher. I’d met many, but never felt they got me and that bond needed in a student teacher relationship, needs to be present for growth to ignite and flourish.
I found yoga and pranayama learning, took many false teacher starts, before finding the ‘right’ ones for me. In truly trusting the process of healing and letting go.
He asked me to do a 28 hour course with him over a week, and I was high on life and in the mood for more.
Up early, 4 hours a day of breathing, crying, breaking, and opening up, from the drama that fell out.
He taught me nostril breathing which i fell in love with immediately.
However the fire breathe was a bit trickier to master, I had so much built up fire needing released .
I wrote Alpesh a letter before i travelled on and gave him three times the amount i’d paid for the course, as a gift for him to spread his teaching to others.
I really believe its medicine for the soul and this is why i teach today. Thanking him for opening my eyes up to the magic within and the honour i felt to have learned and instigated real change within.
Each and every one of us has our own unique magic, ready to shine, if you dare to look.
It ain’t out there, its all in you.
How to do cleaning breathe?
Heres a video of how to do cleaning breathe.
I’ve started the video with how NOT to do it, because its a very common mistake, before showing how to do it properly.
⚠️ Please note you are not hyperventilating as i demonstrate at the beginning of the video. Merely forcing the breathe out as you exhale.
The slower you breathe the stronger you be.
It can take some practice to suss out, please note i’ve been practicing many years. Pardon the tea burned belly in this video 😂.
What are the benefits of fire breathe?
Kundalini breath of fire :
- Strengthens the chest area and abdominal wall
- Improves posture
- cleanse the organs
- vitalise the nervous system
- improve the circulatory system
On a more deeper level, it also fills you up holistically in that after practicing through time, real internal changes can be felt.
These range from mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. The way you think and react can be profoundly nourished and in turn, behaviour changes, grows and flourishes from practice.
Pregnancy and fire breathing
Before i share why its ⚠️ not advised to do kundalini breath of fire when pregnant , i’d like to share a real funny story.
When i was pregnant I felt great, I personally loved it and felt naturally high. I was doing a lot of kundalini breath of fire and was in my goddess power.
So in I went to my midwife appointment, 7 months and I shared with her my love of fire breathing.
“Fire breathe?” she asked
“Yeah I practice it morning and night, i just feel so wonderful doing it and i can feel Seb kicking me as i do it” I said.
She put her hand on my shoulder and said “He’s kicking you to ask you to stop”
The reason kundalini breath of fire isn’t advised in pregnancy is its a pull away from the placenta every time you sharply exhale.
Your baby needs the placenta to survive.
This type of controlled breathing, is a powerful rapid exhale. It can cause a rupture to the placenta and also encourage light headedness and fainting in pregnancy.
Really is it worth it?
Its only 9 months!, remember you’ll have plenty of fire’y medicine needed moments, once your babies grows older! Mellow yellow for pregnancy, best way to be for you and your baby.
Keep relaxed and gentle in pregnancy with padma mudra meditations and gentle pregnancy exercise.
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