My Favourite Pranayama Practices

Here’s a breathing technique, called the Shining Skull Breath or Kapalabhati Pranayama. I learned a version of it during my first Medicine Wheel (MW) called the shaman’s breath.

In the morning I get up at 6 and do three rounds of 100 breaths, at whichever pace I feel like at that moment, before yoga. Usually quite a bit faster than in this video. I find on these days even though I’ve gotten up so early, I feel much more relaxed and able to cope with day to day stuff. Read: I’m a much better mama!

In the MW, the version we learned was Kapalabhati, but our teacher also added in a mediation/visualization, where we pulled up energy from the earth and then pulled down energy from the cosmos/universe into our bodies – while clenching the mula bandha (core and kegles). It was similar to this video. Here is an example of alternate nostril breathing or Anuloma Viloma as well. I do this if I have enough time in the morning, clearing out each chakra with each round.

It’s great to do these things on your own, but also sometimes really nice to use a video like this and let yourself be guided.

I have also found this to be super useful – in teacher training we were taught to do the “3 way breath” - very similar to circular breathing in kung fu practices and the ‘full yogic breath’ in this video. Try this for 5 minutes and see how you feel. I do this whenever I feel stressed or disconnected, ungrounded. Works like a charm!