Imagine an exercise that can cleanse and activate the lungs, stimulate cardiovascular activity at a level equivalent to jogging, invigorate the body, and clarify the mind. Now imagine doing it while sitting comfortably with your eyes closed. If you read the July/August issue, you know that the exercise that fulfills this fantasy is kapalabhati. If you've been practicing since then, its time to refine your technique and take a closer look at the benefits of kapalabhati. (The basic practice is below, if you're just joining us.) This article will answer your questions and should inspire you to deepen your practice.
Let's begin by looking more closely at the effects of kapalabhati on the body. These effects are the byproduct of the vigorous muscular contractions of the abdomen and of the rapid, forceful exhalations that are the hallmark of this exercise.
Cleansing and Strengthening
Kapalabhati is primarily a cleansing technique. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the exercise is the active movement of metabolic wastes from the tissues where they are produced into the lungs, where they can be eliminated. The emphasis on exhalation dramatically increases the expulsion of volatile wastes through the lung tissue. Volatile wastes include wastes from all metabolic processes in the body, including carbon dioxide. The level of waste in the blood rises during periods of exertion, just after digestion, or when the body is inactive for long periods, such as when you are sleeping. Sluggish bowel function and low respiratory and cardiovascular activity also add to the amount of waste in the blood.
Kapalabhati's powerful exhalations expand the volume of air passing in and out of the lungs, increasing the flow of blood in the lung tissue itself, as well as throughout the body. This is an effective combination for expelling volatile wastes.
When waste levels decrease, the body tissues release additional waste into the blood. Clearing waste through the lungs reduces the burden on other routes of elimination, such as the skin, liver, colon, and kidneys. If kapalabhati is continued long enough, this cleansing affects all tissues. There is also evidence that the vigorous exhalations eliminate more carbon dioxide than is eliminated during normal respiration.
Another significant benefit of kapalabhati is increased cardiovascular activity. An energetic practice (two exhalations per second for one minute) accelerates the heart rate to a level that most people can achieve only by participating in vigorous sports. But this type of exercise requires using large muscles and expending a substantial amount of energy, which produces metabolic wastes such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide. On the other hand, kapalabhati uses only the abdominal and spinal muscles: the abdominal muscles are used vigorously, but the spinal muscles are required only to keep the head and trunk erect. The net result is robust circulation and elimination of volatile wastes, while expending only a small amount of energy and producing few additional wastes.
The vigorous muscular contractions during kapalabhati alternately compress and release the abdomen, giving it a thorough massage. This stimulates the digestive system and increases blood and lymph circulation in the abdomen. The result is a healthier digestive and eliminative system.
The vigorous use of the abdominal muscles has the added benefit of making them stronger, thus improving posture and respiration. After practicing for some time, your breath will be freer and more active. The strengthened abdominal muscles are less likely to bulge outward, which they tend to do when they lose their vitality. (You may have noticed that the muscles used in kapalabhati are the same as those used in agni sara, which makes these two exercises complementary.)
Practice Tips
Regular practice may raise some questions and cause minor problems. Here are a few tips to help you develop a vigorous, trouble-free technique.
• Maintain a firm posture. Practice in a posture that keeps your head, neck, and trunk aligned comfortably. This is not the time to experiment with a new or challenging posture, no matter how desirable that posture may be. If you are struggling with your posture, you will be contracting muscles unnecessarily and perhaps excessively. This will distract you from the work at hand.
• Sit erect, keeping the shoulders relaxed and the chest open. The inhalations in kapalabhati are not complete. The exhalations are. At the end of an inhalation, you will find that if you actively contract the diaphragm, you can draw much more air into the lungs. For this reason, if you do not sit erect, the position of the rib cage will limit the inhalation, which in turn limits exhalation and reduces the effectiveness of the technique. So when you begin, be sure the head is held up and the shoulders are relaxed and dropped away from the ears, so that the rib cage is expanded comfortably.
• Practice kapalabhati in a seated posture, on an empty stomach, with distractions removed or reduced. Kapalabhati is not an exercise to practice while driving, nor can it be practiced while walking, because the abdominal muscles cannot be completely relaxed while standing upright. Kapalabhati should be practiced only in an appropriate posture and environment.
• Contract only the abdominal muscles with each exhalation; all other muscles remain relaxed. Sitting in a comfortable posture with the head and torso aligned makes this easier, but will by no means assure that you are relaxed.
Sitting in front of a class of experienced students recently, I was struck by the number and variety of superfluous movements they made while practicing kapalabhati: scrunching up the face, lifting the shoulders, or bending forward with each exhalation. Such accessory movements diminish the effectiveness of the practice. Eliminate them. If you can keep the rest of the body relaxed and deeply at ease, you will find it easier to inhale smoothly and effortlessly. Remember, the inhalation is generated by relaxing both the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm.
• Flare the nostrils open. This allows the maximum volume of air to pass in and out. Not everyone is able to do this at first, but with a little practice most people can open the nostrils at will; its easier than wiggling your ears. During exhalation, the sensation of the air passing out of the nostrils should be felt deep within the nostrils, not at the tip of the nose.
• Keep the tongue in contact with the roof of the mouth, and the teeth and lips closed gently. When you begin practicing more vigorously and your body is relaxed, you may notice a snoring/snorting sound as the soft palate moves during the forceful exhalations. Keeping the tongue in contact with the roof of the mouth will eliminate this noise.
• Don't always work at your full capacity. You need not apply maximum force every time you practice. Forceful exhalations are important, but you don't always have to exhale as vigorously as you can. At times, practicing at 60 to 75 percent of your capacity may feel just right. So experiment, and listen to your body in the quiet times between rounds. One symptom that can develop from excessive practice is the light headedness of hyperventilation.
• Practice uddiyana bandha (the abdominal lift) to increase the mobility of the diaphragm. If you are experiencing difficulty either exhaling completely or inhaling completely, you may benefit from practicing the abdominal lift as a preparation for kapalabhati. Kapalabhati requires relaxing the abdominal muscles quickly and completely after each exhalation and keeping the diaphragm relaxed through both the inhalation and the exhalation. If the diaphragm isn't relaxed, it provides resistance both to expelling air and to inhaling freely. During uddiyana bandha both the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm are relaxed, so practicing it will help you develop the habit of relaxing both of these muscles simultaneously.
• Don't worry about applying mula bandha (root lock). Mula bandba is not mandatory with kapalabhati. However, as you progress into more vigorous practice, the muscles of the pelvic floor may contract spontaneously. If it comes, let it continue; if not, that is fine too.
• Keep some tissues or a handkerchief handy when you practice. The forceful exhalations of kapalabhati may expel mucus from the nasal passages and, if continued, can even draw fluid from tile sinuses. For this reason, kapalahhati is one of the several exercises used for clearing the nasal passages after the jala neti, or nasal wash. Therefore, never restrict the nostrils when practicing kapalabhati.
When to Stop
Pain is a signal to stop. If you experience pain, consult a physician who understands yoga exercises before continuing. If you have high blood pressure or coronary heart disease, do not practice kapalabhati without checking with your physician.
The specific signals that show you have reached your comfortable capacity are listed below. When you begin to experience any of these, stop.
For most people, the first signal to stop is a decrease in strength and control of the abdominal muscles. If you ignore this and continue, the abdominal muscles may cramp. Two signs of impending cramps are an inability to relax the abdominal muscles and an irregular rhythm of exhalation. The exhalations will become irregular as the muscles reach their comfortable limit of performance. Stop at this point. Building the strength of the abdominal muscles slowly is an important part of developing a vigorous kapalabhati practice.
Discomfort is the second signal. Be sensitive to discomfort or pain just under the ribs, especially the "stitch in the side," which results from running long distances. Such pain may indicate that you are using the diaphragm actively during inhalation, causing it to cramp. If this is the case, go back to practicing more slowly, and learn to keep the diaphragm relaxed and passive during the inhalation.
As the strength and endurance of your abdominal muscles increases, gradually increase the number and the forcefulness of the repetitions. At this point, you will begin to experience the limits of your body's ability to tolerate the expulsion of carbon dioxide, and you may experience mild symptoms of hyperventilation. Each of us has developed a window of tolerance for the carbon dioxide concentration in our bodies. Those of us who are more athletic can tolerate a greater range of carbon dioxide blood levels, while the more sedentary among us have a lower tolerance for changes in CO2 blood levels.
When the body's tolerance for carbon dioxide reduction is reached, symptoms of hyperventilation appear. They include a tingling sensation in the lips and fingertips, a feeling of light-headedness or dizziness, and possibly a sense of jumpiness or uneasiness. These signals should be respected. Pressing on at this point is not wise. But after a few weeks of practice, you will find that your tolerance level can be slowly expanded, and you will be able to eliminate a greater quantity of volatile wastes through your lungs. The key is to gradually expand your capacity with regular practice. Nothing is gained by rushing the process.
For example, if after 15 repetitions you experience dizziness (or cramping of the abdominal muscles), then stop, and establish 15 as the number of repetitions you will do per round. Practice three rounds of 15 repetitions each, resting briefly between each round. After a week or ten days, you will be able to increase the number of repetitions by 5 without experiencing dizziness. In this way, your capacity to tolerate a greater clearing of carbon dioxide and volatile wastes increases gradually, comfortably, and surely.
Listen to Your Body
You now have all the information you need to practice and refine your kapalabhati practice. All that remains is to stir in some inspiration, a little awareness, an ounce of effort, and a few months of practice. Let your experience be your guide. Listen to your body and be keenly aware of its signals--they will not misguide you. Progress gradually according to your capacity. What's the hurry?
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KAPALABHATI: THE BASIC TECHNIQUE
Kapalabhati consists of a rapid series of forceful exhalations, each followed by a passive inhalation. Practice slowly at first, and increase the speed gradually.
This practice requires a firm, stable posture, one that allows you to keep the head, neck, and trunk in alignment. Use your meditation posture or sit upright in a chair. A proper posture is the key to stability, to keeping the chest open, and to allowing the abdominal muscles to move freely. Only a stable, aligned posture allows the abdominal muscles to relax during inhalation.
Exhalation
The exhalation in kapalabhati is short, powerful, and complete. Begin by breathing through your nose and establishing your base line of deep, even breaths. Then, at the end of an exhalation, contract the abdominal muscles strongly and quickly, forcing the air out through the nostrils. Use only the muscles that form the front wall of the abdomen, from just below the ribs to the pelvis. The contraction of these muscles will move the abdomen inward toward the spine, forcing an exhalation. The abdomen should be the only part of you that moves. Each exhalation should be as complete as you can make it in one short, powerful blast.
Inhalation
Inhalation follows immediately. It is accomplished by relaxing the abdominal muscles and allowing the abdomen to return to its resting position. Do not actively inhale. Initially, this may be difficult, but this passive inhalation is the defining element of kapalabhati. To consciously avoid contracting the diaphragm during inhalation, practice slowly and deliberately at the beginning.
For an effective practice, you must develop the ability to relax the abdominal muscles quickly and completely after each exhalation and keep the diaphragm relaxed through both inhalation and exhalation. Think of kapalabhati as an abdominal exhalation exercise. Because inhalation is passive, it takes longer than the exhalation. Start with one to one-and-a-half exhalations per second
Establishing a Practice
Consider these three aspects of kapalabhati in your efforts to refine the practice: the number of repetitions, the force applied to the exhalations, and the rhythm and speed of respiration.
1. Begin with 10 to 15 repetitions per round, three rounds per sitting, and one sitting per day. Each round is separated by deep, even breathing until equilibrium is re-established. Gradually increase the number of repetitions per round,: increasing 5 repetitions per week. One hundred and twenty repetitions per round is considered a vigorous practice for most people.
2. Make each exhalation as forceful as you can without straining. The force is observed in the quickness and completeness of the exhalations. Strive for short, explosive exhalations that are comfortably complete. Aim to expel 70 percent of the lung capacity with each exhalation in less than 1/4 of a second.
3. The rhythm of exhalation should be regular and consistent, like the ticking of a clock. Begin practicing at the rate of approximately one exhalation per second until the motions become second nature. A week should be sufficient, but it may lake longer. Gradually increase the exhalations to two per second, and then focus on increasing the completeness of the exhalation and maintaining a rhythm.
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Kevin Hoffman is a hatha yogi who practices and teaches in eastern Pennsylvania.
Yoga International (now Yoga + Joyful Living)
Nov/Dec 1992
Issue 9