— HeyMonicaB

Kapawhat?! Kapal-bah tee. It’s a breathing exercise (pranayam) that is literally translated to “glowing” or “shining” skull. Dude, it’s the BEST because it purifies the mind by forcefully ridding all toxins. The breathing itself is a series of forceful exhalations one after the other while never intentionally inhaling. The body will automatically inhale for us – we don’t need to worry about it.

We have all heard of laughter being the best medicine. Kapalbhati works the same way. Think about laughing, “ha-ha-ha.” The whole time it’s exhale-exhale-exhale. During laughter and kapalbhati we are exhaling and ridding the body of toxins, while bringing in a lot of fresh oxygen. Ok lemme tell ya more, it gets better!

Benefits of kapalbhati:

Totally purifying.
Good for weight loss. It’s a cardio work out. 10 minutes of kapalbhati is equal to 1 hour of cardio workout, like running. No kidding! But you have to work up to it just like regular cardio.
Strengthens Respiratory System. Strengthening lungs, lung capacity, purifies nasal passage, and removes blockages in the chest.
Strengthens & stimulates Digestive System. Remember, “We are what we digest” so we need to digest food properly. This will help!
Stimulates Circulatory System. Gets the blood to all parts of the body by opening channels and promoting circulation.
Purges us of all negativity. Mind, body, spirit
Helps to overcome stress, depression and negative emotions.
Gives mental clarity.
Helps bring higher awareness as it removes blockages and focuses our mind on pure and right intention

Ready to try it?! Ok, I have included a video so that you can see how it’s done.

Kapalbhati Demo

You can also follow instructions below:
1. Do this daily in the morning if you can, before breakfast (2 hours if after meal. You will get a cramp otherwise. Trust me.)
2. Start with a count of 20-30, then rest. See how you feel. This is very individual depending on your cardiovascular condition, so take it easy if you haven’t done exercise in a while. Or if that was a piece of cake, then try for 45 seconds or one minute.
3. Sit with legs crossed in a lotus-like position or if in a chair, both feet on the ground
4. Spine straight, chest open, like a string is going from your butt up through the top of your head and holding you straight
5. Using on the the diaphragm, inhale while ballooning the belly
6. Start! Forcefully exhale, using the diaphragm and count, 1-2-3-4-5 (you will automatically inhale, but focus on the exhale)
7. Take a rest when you are tired and repeat 3x. Even with just 2 minutes of this a day, you will notice the benefits.

If you try this and notice a difference, please share! I know I benefit greatly from it – just mental clarity, less crabbiness, I get a LOT more done during the day, and I take things more in stride. I hope this helps you discover more clarity and brings a nice sheen to your brilliant skull :)