Energising Breath For The Morning: Bhastrika Pranayama

This short but effective breathing practice of Bhastrika Pranayama ("bellows breath") will help you awaken the body, activate the energy flow from within and create more focus and clarity in your mind. Perfect for when you feel tired and low on energy. It's a strong, activating practice that ignites the inner "fire"—digestion and metabolism—so it's not suitable for people with heart conditions, neurological issues, uncontrolled blood pressure, epilepsy, or during pregnancy or menstruation. It's best done on an empty stomach. Sit comfortably, listen to your body and enjoy!

Transcript

Good morning. Namaste. Welcome to this morning practice today. We're going to share a Bhastrika Pranayama. So the Bhastrika Pranayama is a bit more activating breath, Energizing, Creating that inner heat. It's really great for the morning or other times during the day when you feel like you need more energy, You feel that mental fog and you just want a little bit more clarity. It means bellows breath. So it's like we are using the breath to ignite that inner fire, Ignite that Agni, That fire within and through that letting the prana and energy flow through the body. Traditionally, Bhastrika is in and out through the nose but today we're going to be inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, Making it a little bit less intense. But still really nice and warming. We'll be also using the arms for that breath. So on the inhale we'll be lifting the arms all the way up and then on the exhale we bring the elbows in, We create fists and we like squeeze this breath in. Okay, Just remember about your posture. Our asana seated pose is really important. So just maybe cross your legs, Use a bolster, A block or a pillow to sit on. So your knees are a little bit lower than your hips, So you have that space as well in your belly to breathe nice and strong. We're going to start just with one round of 10, Then the second round of 15 and the last one will be of 20 or 25 or more if you feel comfortable to. Okay, So just fast. Three grounding breaths, Exhale fully through your mouth. And inhale deeply through the nose. Inviting more pee Exhaling any tension. Creating more space Beautiful last exhale here and let's start with our fast round. And you're stretching the arms all the way up, Keeping the palms open, Stretch your arms to the sky, And then exhale, Keep going. Five more. Finding your pace and after the last one just let go. Release your arms down, Palms facing up to the sky. This one was just very gentle, Just a little introduction. But maybe you can already notice. That's more of the energy flow from within. As we're using the arms, We're also engaging more blood flow through the whole body. Take two more breaths in between. You and we're going to do our second round about 15 times or if you want feel free to do more okay so inhale we stretch all the way up lengthen and then exhale. In and out. You can do a little bit faster or slower adding your own pace and keep going three, Two, And one. If you want, Feel free to do a few more here. Such a little latin girl. Just grounding the back of your palms, Keeping the palms open exhale to release Inhale, Feel that energy. Noticing your heartbeat. Maybe noticing some of that warmth around your body Just staying aware and awake. You and we're going to do one more round like this this time about. 20, 25 or even 30. If you feel comfortable with that, Remember adjusting your pace here, But really connecting to that fire energy from within, That awakening inner light. Let's start together, Inhale, Arms open xl Keep going in and out. Feel your breath. Feel that strength, That power of your breath. And maybe 10 more. And then the last one. Let go, This time inhale, Stretch your arms all the way up Stretch your fingertips open, Lengthen, Open your chest, Your heart. Feel that energy reaching up to the sky. Taking that warmth in. And exhale. Very very slowly lower your palms down. Maybe slide them a few times up and down your thigh you can close the eyes and just noticing all those sensations around your arms, Your heart, And then the whole body. Nice and active breath. Feeling that prana circulating through you, Flowing to all your cells, Your muscles, Breath is life. Always remind yourself, Breath is life. So breathe with. Awareness with celebration. With openness. Just take a few more grounding breaths here. You basking in this warmth that you have created. And feel free to stay here for a bit longer if you've got some time for meditation. Otherwise let's finish together, Inhale, Stretching arms all the way up and exhale hands to heart Namaste. Thank you so much for joining. This was a pretty short but sweet practice. It's very powerful. You can experiment with this breath, Maybe a bit slower, Maybe a bit faster, Maybe a few more rounds. Remember that you can always, Always come back to your breath and let this breath guide you through today. Namaste. Love, Peace and so many blessings.