Samani Bhavit Pragya
Bhastrika Pranayama
Posture:
Sit straight in a comfortable posture. Let the left hand rest on the left knee and place the right hand next to the nose.
Process 1:
Bhastrika is a Sanskrit word meaning the bellows of a blacksmith. Air is drawn in and out forcefully like a bellows, so it is known as Bhastrika Pranayama. For the first type of Bhastrika, inhale and exhale quickly in short and shallow breaths through both nostrils from four to ten times. Then exhale completely, holding the breath for a while. After this, inhale through the right nostril and retain the breath for a while. Again, inhale and exhale through the nostrils contracting the middle and lower portions of the abdomen.
Time 1:
Begin with three pranayamas, increasing one by one up to twenty one.
Process 2:
The second type of Bhastrika is practiced by breathing quick and fast through both nostrils making the sound of a bellows. After inhaling and exhaling ten to twenty times, inhale deeply and retain it for a while.
Time 2:
In the beginning, practice one pranayama and gradually increase this to eleven times.
Process 3:
The third type of Bhastrika is practiced like Anuloma - Viloma with the right thumb against the right nostril and the ring finger against the left nostril. Rest the remaining fingers between the eye brows. Inhale through the left nostril closing the right nostril. Remove the thumb and exhale through the right nostril and inhale immediately through the same nostril. Increase the speed of inhalation and exhalation by expanding and contracting the abdominal muscles.
Time 3:
Continue this pranayama for three to five minutes.
Benefits:
Bhastrika supplies a plentiful supply of oxygen to the lungs. It produces heat in the body and increases appetite, destroys mucus, removes disorders of the respiratory system, improves efficiency of the nervous system, reduces fat in the abdominal region, and enhances purity of consciousness. Bhastrika is useful for digestive function, diabetes, sinus, etc.
