Breath of Glow - Kapalabati

February 19, 2008

Kapalabati, is used in many KY sets and kriyas, but it is not Breath of

Fire, nor is Breath of Fire Kapalabati, though many teachers teach a type of

kapalabati as though it is Breath of Fire.

Breath of Fire was also mentioned in Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi,

where he tells a story of going to a cave to see this practice, and the yogi

did the Breath of Fire with such ease, yet power, that the whole room filled

with electricity.

The distinction and way to practice Breath of Fire, versus Bastrika, versus

kapalabati is explained in the link below to "

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Breath%20of%20Fire.pdf> Breath of Fire " The other article, "

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

BASIC%20KUNDALINI%20YOGA%20BREATHING.pdf> Basic Kundalini Yoga Breathing "

explains long deep breathing and how that can lead to the proper way to do

Breath of Fire.

Regarding the use of the words " Breath of Glow " - a number of yoga practices

will use some new term to try to get confusion out of their intended meaning

of the practice. Nevertheless, many people practice and teach kapalabati or

some half baked variation of kapalabati as the Breath of Fire that Yogi

Bhajan taught.

If you want a very good explanation, you should read Shakti Parwa's book on

Kundalini Yoga about how to practice and the feeling of the experience in

the lungs regarding Breath of Fire. There is an inhalation and exhalation

aspect to KY's Breath of Fire, where the proper inhalation aspect is often

not taught, forgotten or neglected, resulting in a kind of a weak

kapalabati, but you will see in the weblink explanations and Shakti's book

that there is a filling aspect that is felt through the abdomen, solar

plexus and lower chest area to the base of the throat, all related to the

movement of the diaphragm. Kapalabati is also not base breathing nor is

Breath of Fire base breathing where the abdomen only is pumped.

Finally, when practiced correctly you will find that only the diaphragm is

doing the work, and it does so with rhythmic ease. It's a matter of working

into the proper way to do the breath. If you find that you are feeling like

you're using your abdomen and chest or rib cage muscles to do the breath,

then the energy from the breath will not go directly to the areas put under

pressure by the movement and position if a KY exercise or Kriya. It was

quite easy to learn Breath of Fire from Yogi Bhajan, because he gave a good

example of how to do it and would correct people doing it wrongly. But then

people, who had never been taught correctly, took the idea of Kapalabhati as

being Breath of Fire resulting in some multitude of people never

experiencing the possibility and full potential of a kriya, set or exercise.

There are even some yoga books, I recall one by one of the Super Models,

that give kapalabati as the way to practice Breath of Fire. So that the

wrong practice winds up prevailing , and you see the confusion here.

After reading the 2 articles

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Breath%20of%20Fire.pdf> Breath of Fire and

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

BASIC%20KUNDALINI%20YOGA%20BREATHING.pdf> Basic Kundalini Yoga Breathing, it

might be useful to also read in order, as follows:

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Sadhana%20Aradhana%20Pradhupati%20-%20Monday,%20Nov%208,%202004.pdf>

Sadhana, Ardhana, Pradhupati 2004

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/AProperU

nderstandingTheActive-PassiveAspectsofKundaliniYogaPractice6.pdf> A Proper

Understanding of the Active-Passive Aspects of Kundalini Yoga Practice

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/WhatisYo

ga010305_8.5x11formatting.pdf> What is Yoga? 8.5 x 11

These all come from the weblink:

http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/radiant.html

RADIANT ROAD TO REALITY

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/AProperU

nderstandingTheActive-PassiveAspectsofKundaliniYogaPractice6.pdf> A Proper

Understanding of the Active-Passive Aspects of Kundalini Yoga Practice

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/WhatisYo

ga%20010305A4formatting.pdf> What is Yoga? A4

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/WhatisYo

ga010305_8.5x11formatting.pdf> What is Yoga? 8.5 x 11

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Sadhana%20Aradhana%20Pradhupati%20-%20Monday,%20Nov%208,%202004.pdf>

Sadhana, Ardhana, Pradhupati 2004

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

BASIC%20KUNDALINI%20YOGA%20BREATHING.pdf> Basic Kundalini Yoga Breathing

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Breath%20of%20Fire.pdf> Breath of Fire

http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/B

reath%20of%20Fire.pdf

<http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/worddocuments/Pieters_Articles/radiant/

Role%20of%20the%20Teacher%20-%20TT%20class%20Sept%5B1%5D.%207-14,%202003.pdf

> Role of the Teacher

These were originally handouts in a TT program taught in Bangkok a few years

back, which may be helpful reading to bring Kundalini practice and Sadhana

into focus, a central point from which to understand how all the multitudes

of aspects all turn around and are held by one core or theme or hub.

For more about Kapalabhati go to google.

Pieter

_____

<Kundaliniyoga/message/26691;_ylc=X3oDMTJwaW5m

YzA3BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzQ2MDcyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDk1NQRtc2dJZAMyNjY5

MQRzZWMDZG1zZwRzbGsDdm1zZwRzdGltZQMxMjAzNDIyODE2> Re:

Posted by: " sarab "

<sarab?Subject=%20Re%3A%20Breath%20of%20Glow>

sarab

Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:09 pm (PST)

Kabalibati? I've heard breath of fire (BOF) referred to as Kalibati. Is this

what you are referring to with " kabalibati " ? If not, what Is the

proper sanskrit name for BOF? And where is Kabalibati written about so I may

learn more about it; I had a hard time understanding the breath of glow

description and Alisa seems to make a clear distinction between it and BOF.

February 19, 2008

Sat Nam,

Yes, these 2 articles explain it well, and how to get into it, easily and

smoothly. Once you have the rhythm and feel it working in you, without

effort or stress to your abdominal or rib cage muscles, just continue and

wait until there is a sensation to add power, then let that happen. You

will see that it goes through very stable stages, when the body is ready for

the power and to handle the circulation of the energy flow. At the end you

inhale deeply with the help of pushing your hands with the pressure downward

of your arms to fill the lungs from the bottom, through the middle into the

top clavicle area. Then stretch your lower spine up through your back,

bring the shoulders back, neck and head straight, stretching the upper neck,

and feel how the chest area expands and how the breath suspends without

blocking your throat to hold the breath. You will feel the prana expand from

the heat all through your body. Then just as important, slowly exhale,

again pushing your hands against the knees, squeezing the breath out from

the top to the bottom until the shoulders are pressing downward, and the

breath is again suspended out, and you will begin to feel the dissolving

force of the apana penetrating deeply into the nerves, dissolving tensions

you never knew were there. Repeat several times. Then relax and apply your

awareness to watch and feel the flow of energy as it expands to the

sensation of Radiance when the glands start to secrete to sustain the

voltage created, which is the passive aspect in each KY exercise and kriya,

that is often neglected in the way many teachers teach. However, it is a

vital part of the transformation process. The combination of the experience

of prana expanding in the heat and apana flowing downward to the base of the

spine then penetrating and dissolving all through the body, is what will

enable the flow of radiance to happen easily and naturally, as your system

and body field strengthen and sustain voltage. Eventually you will notice

the transformation and the awakening of a special kind of intuitive

knowledge about who and what you really are, which inky we call Sat Nam, the

experience of " I am the Truth. " Where the " I " you experience is the realized

to also be the " I AM THAT I AM " of the Primordial Being, we call Adi Shakti.

And it's all very easy. Just do the breathing right, and practice and

remain aware of the basics in all kriyas, sets, mantras and meditations,

and this will all emerge by itself into clarity.

Click on the website www.kundalini-matashakti.com. When it opens, click the

left or right photo of Yogi Bhajan. When that opens, click on PATIENCE PAYS

and listen often. Patience Pays is in the weblink:

http://www.kundalini-matashakti.com/yogibhajan.html

Pieter

www.kundalini-matashakti.com

www.adityahrdayam.com

Alisa Andrew [alisa02]

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:15 PM

pietersa

Re: Breath of Glow - Kapalabati

Thanks again for being so helpful about the different techniques. I'll work

on perfecting my breath of fire.

-

pietersa <pietersa

Kundaliniyoga

Cc: sarab ; alisa02 ; 'Doreen Palke'

<DoreenPalke ; 'doreen' <doreen.palke

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 8:48 AM