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Spike Your Energy and Maximize Your Workout
This week, we continue our series about the benefits of and the various types of Breathing. In our initial article, we discussed the vast benefits of proper breathing. We also learned that basic Yogic breathing is inhaling and exhaling through the nose, which prevents us from dehydrating. In our previous article, we discussed Ujjayi Breathing, which warms the body and simultaneously increases metabolism while reducing anxiety and calming the mind. This week, we talk about Breath of Fire Breathing.
Breath of Fire Breathing
Breath of Fire Breathing is an extremely energizing technique. This customizable breathing opens your energy pathways allowing for maximum mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. To perform this breathing, you inhale deeply, and exhale through an open mouth in spurts like you are pumping your stomach. But you are actually elongating your diaphragm, completely filling it, on the inhale, and compressing it inward on the exhale. The inhale occurs automatically. The exhale is a deliberate exercise. You use your abdominal/diaphragm muscles to surge your exhale. According to Pieter Schoonheim Samara, “Breath of Fire will entirely charge the nervous system, causing the glands to secrete and purify the blood. When it is done with certain postures and movements, which are meant to put contracting (drawing in) or expanding (releasing) pressure in nerve plexuses and glandular centers, those areas are made to fire and become completely charged.”
Benefits of Breath of Fire Breathing
This type of breathing:
- Increases energy, vitality, and endurance
- Detoxifies and cleanses the body
- Magnifies the benefits of exercises that you do in conjunction with this breath
- Massages the internal organs, helping to improve digestion
- Exercises your abdominal muscles giving you a stronger core
- Steady, soothes, and balances the mind
- Circulates energy to the nervous, glandular, and circulatory systems, effectively channeling energy into the nerves, which elicits vibrancy, lucid thinking, and optimum power
Here is a short demonstration of Breath of Fire from Trina of Your Yoga Place.
Conclusion
The speed and power of Breath of Fire Breathing depends on you. Probably, you will start off slow and gradually increase your speed and power with practice. Take it easy and slow. Don’t get discouraged or irritated if you don’t get this right away. It takes practice and persistence. The benefits of this breathing are phenomenal, especially if you couple it with your Yoga poses because it enhances the benefits of the poses.
*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start.
© 2010 KaTrina Love Abram
Trina Love-Abram combines her passion for words and Yoga to elevate mind, body, & soul prosperity, believing that a consistent, safe, and balanced Yoga, nutrition, and meditation regimen builds mental, physical, & emotional strength, awareness, and peace. She is available for workshops, conferences, and speaking engagements. Follow Trina’s blog at www.youryogaplace.com and on Twitter: @Yogawriter
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