Bhastrika is a type of yoga breathing pranayama with great impact on boosting mental wellness reducing anxiety. Bhastrika boosts digestive and respiratory system health.
written by dr.sanjana p [vb]
Bhastrika means bellows of blacksmiths which helps to melt metals. Similar to the bellows fire, the pranayama helps to ignite the flow of energy within the body. Researches show that bhastrika pranayama helps to boost positive mood, mental wellness reducing anxiety.
Health benefits of bhasthrika pranayama
- It clears your airway of mucus and helps your breath well
- It improves digestive health
- Bhastrika boosts mental wellness reducing stress.
- Bhastrika helps oxygenation of blood and tissues
- It strengthens abdominal muscles
- It has potential to boost positive mood
How to do bhastrika pranayama?
Steps
- First you can sit in vajrasana or sukhasana (cross-legged position) of comfort.
- Now you make a fist and fold the arms.
- Inhale now deeply raising the arms straight upward and open your fist slowly.
- Now start exhaling slightly forcefully, bring your arms down next to your shoulders and close your fist
- Continue doing this practice for 20 breaths.
- Relax now keeping your palms on your thighs. Take a few normal breaths.
- Repeat the process for a few more rounds
Cautions
- Pregnant women need not do this pranayama
- Individuals having high blood pressure, panic attack can do it only under the guidance of a trainer.
- Do bhastrika only in empty stomach.
Research evidences about the benefits of Bhastrika
As per the research studies evidence suggests that bhastrika improves self-regulation, positive mood, reduced stress, and anxiety.
Evidences suggest that yoga particularly pranayama help in reducing anxiety.
Several brain regions involved in emotion regulation, such as the amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) play an important role in anxiety disorders, and evidence suggests that anxiety-prone individuals have increased activity in the bilateral amygdala and insula when compared to healthy controls.
one study shows that anxiety levels were significantly reduced by bhastrika pranayama and increase positive mood, and that these changes are associated with the activity and connectivity of a brain network involved in emotion processing, particularly the amygdala, anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and the prefrontal cortex. However, the study recommends that further extensive studies are needed in future in this regard.
Another research study shows that stress reduction observed after a yoga breathing training was associated with the predominance of parasympathetic activity found after the practice.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7253694/