Abdominal exhalation (also known as Kapalbhati pranayama in yoga)

Please read and follow all rules for breathing exercise practice here.

Method:

1. Sit in Sidhasana or any other sitting posture or even on a chair and make the spine and head erect in a relaxed manner.
2. Place the palms on the knees and close the eyes.
3. Breathe rapidly from the abdomen.
4. Exhale with forceful contraction of the abdominal muscles.
5. Inhale by passively allowing the abdominal muscles to expand; there should be no effort.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 continuously as long as you can do without feeling want of breath.
7. Now, keep both inhalation and exhalation natural till the breathing system becomes relaxed.
8. Steps 4 to 7 constitute 1 round of abdominal exhalation exercise.
9. Practice multiple rounds continuously for a duration of 3-5 minutes.

Benefits:

1. Benefits for body:

1. Digestive: it massages and improves the functioning of the digestive organs.
2. Brain: it clears the frontal lobe of the brain by speeding up the blood flow.
3. Respiration: It cleans out the lungs. It improves their elasticity and makes oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange more efficient.
4. Diseases: Due to its good effects on health of respiratory system, it helps in removing respiratory ailments like bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma and emphysema. In case of asthma and emphysema, during attacks, it should not be practised, but its practice at normal times helps in removing asthma and emphysema.

2. Benefits for mind:

1. It is one of best breathing exercises to be done just before thoughtless awareness practice because it empties the mind of thoughts, emotional feelings and excessive images and thus, introduces a tranquil state of mind.
2. It wakes up the mind. So, it can be used to remove mental tiredness.

Note: If you don’t grasp the technique of this technique, watch its demonstration by Swami Ramdev here.

Limitations:

1. It should not be done by people who suffer from high blood pressure, vertigo and hernia.

Great lock exercise (also known as Maha Bandha in yoga – Maha for Great and Bandha for Lock):

Please read and follow all rules for breathing exercise practice here.

Picture of a person performing Great lock exercise.

Method:

1. Sit in Sidhasana or any other sitting posture or even on a chair and make the spine and head erect in a relaxed manner.
2. Place the palms on the knees and close the eyes.
3. Exhale completely.
4. Hold the breath out after exhalation (i.e., don’t inhale after exhalation and keep the breathing process stopped.).
5. Keeping the breathing process stopped, bend the head forward and press the chin tightly against the chest.
6. Keeping the breathing process stopped, now, contract the abdominal muscles as far as possible inward and upward. This is a kind of sucking action of the abdominal muscles.
7. Keeping the breathing process stopped, now, pull the lower abdominal muscle (muscles just above urinary organ) upward.
8. Maintain this position as long as breathing process can be kept stopped with comfort.
9. Keeping the breathing process stopped, first release the lower abdominal muscles, then release abdominal muscles and then remove the chin from chest and straighten the neck and head.
10. Now, inhale deeply and completely.
11. Steps 3 to 10 constitute one round of “Great Lock” exercise . Practice 6-10 rounds continuously.

Benefits:

1. Benefits for body:

1. It is the panacea for many abdominal and stomach ailments, including constipation, colitis, indigestion, worms and diabetes, provided they are not chronic. But, it should not be done without bowel evacuation as then it creates problem and may cause constipation. If you are using it for controlling lust in some other time, you can use this technique without bothering about bowel evacuation as that will be an occasional usage and that too for all-important brahmacharya practice.
2. The digestive fire is stimulated and the abdominal organs are all massaged and toned.
3. It improves blood circulation to the whole trunk area and strengthens all the internal organs.
4. It stimulates the pelvic nerves and tones the uro-genital and excretory systems.
5. Intestinal peristalsis is also stimulated, relieving constipation and piles.
6. It is also beneficial for anal fissures, ulcers, prostatitis, some cases of prostatic hypertrophy and chronic pelvic infections.
7. It releases energy, which spread throughout the body via the brain and endocrine system making it very beneficial in cases of asthma, bronchitis and arthrisis.
8. The stimulus on the throat helps to balance thyroid function and regulate the metabolism.

2. Benefits for mind:

1. The adrenal glands are balanced, removing lethargy and soothing anxiety and tension.
2. It balances breath flow in two nostrils, which helps to expand the awareness (conscious mind) and induce thoughtless awareness practice.
3. It relieves depression, stress, anxiety and anger and gives us mental relaxation.
4. It is one of the most effective means to attain control over sexual impulses in a scientific and non-repressive manner.

Precautions:

1. People suffering from cervical spondylosis, high intracranial pressure, vertigo, high blood pressure or heart disease should not practice it.
2. Persons suffering from colitis, stomach or intestinal ulcer, diaphragmatic hernia, glaucoma and raised intracranial pressure should not perform it.
3. Don’t inhale or exhale until the chin has been released and the head is fully upright.
4. It should also be avoided by pregnant women.

Nerve-purification breathing exercise (also known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in yoga):

Please read and follow all rules for breathing exercise practice here.

There are two techniques of nerve-purification breathing exercise:

1. Basic method: It does not involve breath-retention. It should be done during the age of 8-12 years.
2. Advanced method: It involves breath-retention. It should be done during the age of 13 or more years.

1. Basic method

1. Sit in Sidhasana or any other sitting posture or even on a chair and make the spine and head erect in a relaxed manner.
2. Place the palms on the knees and close the eyes.
3. Close the right nostril with thumb of right hand.
4. Inhale slowly and deeply through left nostril.
5. Close the left nostril with ring and little fingers of right hand and remove the thumb from right nostril.
6. Exhale completely through right nostril.
7. Inhale slowly and deeply from right nostril.
8. Close the right nostril with thumb of right hand and remove ring and little fingers from left nostril.
9. Exhale completely through left nostril.
10. Steps 3 to 9 constitute one round. One should practice many rounds continuously for at least 3-5 minutes.

Basic stage has many benefits:

1. It equalizes the flow of breath in both nostrils, leading to calmness of mind, which induces thoughtless awareness.
2. The whole body is nourished with an extra supply of oxygen and the carbon dioxide is more efficiently eliminated. This purifies the whole system and increases the overall health of the body, including its power to resist the disease.
3. The deep, slow breathing encourages the removal of stagnant air from the lungs.
4. It purifies the nervous system and makes our nerves relaxed and healthy, which in turn, saves us from various mental tensions and diseases.
5. If one’s nasal is blocked due to cold, one should do jal neti kriya to unblock it so that free breathing may be done during nadi shodhana pranayama.

2. Advanced method

1. Sit in Sidhasana or any other sitting posture or even on a chair, with spine, neck and head held in a straight line.
2. Place the palms on the knees and close the eyes.
3. Close the right nostril with thumb of right hand. Index and middle fingers rest on forehead near the region of centre of two eyebrows throughout the entire practice or alternatively, they can rest tucked inside the palm.
4. Inhale slowly and deeply through left nostril.
5. Close the left nostril with ring and little fingers of right hand.
6. Hold the breath and while holding the breath, bend the head forward and press the chin tightly against the chest. Stay in this position as long as breath can be held comfortably. Concentrate the mind in the mid-center of two eyebrows.
7. Remove the chin from chest and straighten the neck and head.
8. Remove the thumb from right nostril.
9. Exhale completely through right nostril.
10. Inhale slowly and deeply from right nostril.
11. Close the right nostril with thumb of right hand.
12. Hold the breath and while holding the breath, bend the head forward and press the chin tightly against the chest. Stay in this position as long as breath can be held comfortably. Concentrate the mind in the mid-center of two eyebrows.
13. Remove the chin from chest and straighten the neck and head.
14. Remove ring and little fingers from left nostril.
15. Exhale completely through left nostril.
    
16. Steps 3 to 15 constitute one round. One should practice many rounds continuously for at least 3-5 minutes.

Advanced stage has many benefits:

1. It has all the benefits of basic stage.
2. Chin lock presses the carotid sinuses, which are located on the carotid arteries, the main arteries in the neck. These sinuses help to regulate the circulatory and respiratory systems. Normally, a decrease of oxygen and increase of carbon dioxide in the body leads to an increased heart rate and heavier breathing. This process is initiated by the carotid sinuses. By artificially exerting pressure on these sinuses, this tendency is prevented, allowing for decreased heart rate and increased breath retention.
3. It produces mental relaxation, relieving stress, anxiety and anger.
4. It develops introversion of mind and one-pointedness, which, in turn, helps in thoughtless awareness practice.
5. The stimulus on the throat helps to balance thyroid function and regulate the metabolism.
6. It gives all the benefits of breath-retention described here.

Precautions for advanced stage:

1. All precautions for breath-retention given here applies to advanced stage.
2. People suffering from cervical spondylosis, high intracranial pressure, vertigo, high pressure or heart disease should not practice it.
3. Don’t inhale or exhale until the chin has been released and the head is fully upright.

General Rules for breathing exercise (pranayama) practice:

1. There should be no violent respirations, no extended breath-retention beyond a comfortable measure, no forcing of breath, body or mind.
2. Practise in a clean environment with fresh air. Never perform it in a foul-smelling, smoky or dusty room.
3. Try to practice at the same time each day and in the same place. This builds up a positive vibration and the regularity creates inner strength and willpower.
4. It should be practiced on an empty stomach.
5. One should practice at least 1 hour before meals and at least 3 hours after taking meals.
6. Follow all precautions for breath-retention given below in case you want to practice breath-retention (breath-retention is used in all Locks or Bandhas).
7. It should be commenced after 8 years age (not before that).

Precautions for breath-retention:

1. One should not hold breath to the point of pain or suffocation otherwise it may harm lungs. One should hold breath only till one feels comfortable.
2. One should practice at least 30 min before meals and at least 1 hours after taking meals.
3. One should take a bath after at least 1/2 hour of practice (because lots of heat is generated in the body during breath-retention, so body should be allowed time to get normalized before taking bath).
4. Only after the age of 12, it should be practiced. This is because the chest, heart and lungs are not strong enough before 12 for the practice of breath-retention.
5. One should have healthy lungs, heart and normal pressure.
6. Our mind becomes very concentrated during internal breath-retention. So,whatever thoughts one has in mind while holding breath that becomes very strong and has very powerful influence over the mind. It implies that one must have only positive thoughts during breath-retention (if negative thoughts come, quickly replace that with positive thoughts). Due to the same reason, one should give auto-suggestion while holding breath.