A POWERFUL BREATHING TECHNIQUE
Heal yourself through breathing. Or breathe better to feel better. This is the whole point of the set of techniques, some over 2,500 years old, brought together in pranayama. Kapalbhati is one such technique. It cleanses your airways and respiratory system, strengthens your lungs, and brings fresh oxygen into your blood. Therefore it can prevent respiratory viruses.
Kapalbhati - how to proceed
• Sit on a chair or in a comfortable cross-legged position with your back straight.
• Start with a few deep breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Inhale and keep your chest cavity open. To exhale, contract your abdominal muscles and force your breath out
as if you were blowing your nose. Then, inhale passively— let your belly fill with air like a balloon in a vacuum chamber.
remplit d’air tel un ballon qui était « sous vide »).
• Continue doing this slowly but vigorously and at a steady rhythm; one breath every one to two seconds.
Once you’re comfortable with it, speed up to two breaths per second.
• Do three cycles of 10 breaths; add in some normal breaths if you need to.
Slowly increase to 30, 40, or 50 breaths per cycle.
• Inhale and exhale deeply between each cycle, and hold your exhale breath by engaging your three bandhas—your pelvic floor,
navel, and throat—for a few seconds, without forcing them.
• If you feel at all dizzy or nauseous, stop immediately.
• Finish the session by holding a deep inhale breath, engage your three bandhas, and exhale when you have
the urge to take a breath.
MORE ARTICLES
Cardio-fun during the off-season
A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM BIKING TO SKI TOURING
Too cold to ride the bike but not enough snow yet to do ski touring? I have tested mountain biking in the snow
My favorite set of abs
STRONG ABS IN 10 MINUTES!
Here is my favorite workout, to do 2 to 3x a week
Running in the mountains
HOW TO START?
Not so long ago, I thought running on hills was impossible. Yet, I wanted to try to learn how to manage the effort. Here is how...
Supplements
AN AUTUMN IN GREAT SHAPE
I drink infusions of sage and take spirulina every morning.
THE JUICE
THE SAME FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS!
I have received this recipe from a friend, who like me is in perfect health! Thanks to the antioxidant properties of its ingredients, his juice has definitely contributed to my children's health too.
How to transform a stroll
When the drudgery of "walking the dog" becomes an opportunity to push myself and do a workout that I hadn't "planned".
My daily juice
BOOST YOUR DAY!
Every morning, I prepare a fresh vegetable and fruit juice. Juicing has been part of my morning routine for the past 20 years.
Training in hot temperatures
TOO HOT TO TRAIN?
Is it too hot to do your favorite outdoor activity? Were you not able to get out early enough in the morning to avoid the heat? When this happens to me and still feel like sweating, I get my yoga mat and... here I am doing 15 minutes of push ups and abs.
Yoga during holiday
INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE
When my yoga teacher is on holiday, it isn't always easy to stay motivated to spend more than 20 minutes on the mat. This is what helps me do a bit more: first, when I get up in the morning, I get dressed for a yoga session.