Neutral
The neck is straight, the chin in its natural place. No additional effect. This is always where you start.
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Technique · breakdown
Bhastrika
The bellows breath. The most intense technique of this group.
Both phases are active: the inhale and the exhale are forceful, fast and deep.
Health
Path
Essence
How it differs from kapalabhati
The name is literal: a blacksmith pumps the bellows to raise the fire.
In kapalabhati only the exhale is active. Here both phases are.
That is why the number of cycles is strictly limited.
Place in the system
Where it stands
Kapalabhati → Fundamental Breathing → Bhastrika → Ajagari.
Rhythm, then distance, then intensity.
Kapalabhati is learned first. Only then bhastrika.
Structure
A round is a pair
Intense breathing, then uddiyana with a long retention on the exhale. After every round.
- First round: neutral head, twenty cycles, then uddiyana with a retention.
- Second round: jalandhara bandha, twenty cycles, then a longer retention.
- Third round: setu bandha, from twenty to forty cycles, then the longest retention.
- The count grows step by step: twenty, then thirty, then forty.
Reaching the full scheme takes more than a month of work. Learn one round at a time.
Safety
The position of the head. Three levels
The position is held through the whole round, not only at the end. It changes the physiology completely.
Jalandhara bandha
The chin drops towards the chest. The mechanism is the carotid sinuses, not mechanical compression.
Setu bandha
The head is taken back. Here the mechanics of the cervical spine are what matter. Learned last.
Physiology
Why the retention is essential
Forced breathing washes carbon dioxide out of the blood.
A long retention brings it back to normal.
A round without a retention is a different practice with a different result.
The inhale after a retention
A calm controlled inhale means the retention was yours. Grabbing at the air means you went past the border.
Variations
Forms of the technique
With fists
The arms are thrown forward or up on one of the phases. This increases the activation. For prepared practitioners.
With opening of the ribcage
Open palms, straight arms at chest level, opening out on the inhale. Used in sequences for bronchial asthma.
Abdominal bhastrika
Breathing with the belly instead of the chest, with the emphasis on the inhale. Strong effect on the abdominal organs.
An adapted form for asthma and full intense bhastrika are two different practices under one name.
Effects
What the practice gives
- Respiratory system: vital capacity, clearing the airways, work with accumulated mucus.
- Digestion and metabolism: the diaphragm massages the digestive organs, heat is produced.
- Nervous system: a measured rise in sympathetic activity.
- Mental clarity: concentration and cognitive function.
There is no direct clinical research on this exact protocol of three rounds with three head positions.
Required reading
Contraindications
The list here is stricter than in any of the previous techniques.
Bhastrika is not performed with
- Heart conditions
- Hypertension or any blood pressure problems
- Pregnancy
- Menstruation
- During a migraine attack
- Epilepsy
- Any serious brain condition
- Stroke in the medical history
- Glaucoma or raised intraocular pressure
- Hernias
- Recovery after surgery
For the head positions in particular
- Jalandhara: care with hyperthyroidism and raised intracranial pressure
- Setu bandha: any problem in the cervical spine, degenerative changes, a history of injury
Never on a full stomach. And not in the evening — this is an activating technique and it will disturb sleep.
The breakdown
Two lectures on bhastrika
Bhastrika. The bellows breath
Mechanics, the three head positions, the structure of the practice, the role of the retention and the therapeutic effects.
$39
Coming soonBhastrika. The border
Retention as a border rather than a number, the inhale as an indicator, drishti, the traditional layer and stability of the mind under load.
$39
Coming soon