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Kapalabhati Breath, Breath of Fire, Skull Shining Breath

3/24/2022

Breathe with me!

Kapalabhati Breath
aka Breath of Fire
aka Skull Shining breath

is an amazing pranayama practice with so many benefits.

This is a vigorous breath practice that helps to cleanse the body & mind of toxins.

Kapalabhati breath emphasizes the active exhale and a passive inhale.

It’s a great way to expel that Fight energy when noticing yourself becoming activated.

To begin:
Sit in a simple cross legged position or on your knees if that’s comfortable.
Take a deep breath in through your nose, and exhale
On your next breath breath in 3/4 of the lungs capacity
Begin the forceful exhale out the nose - your naval will draw in and up
As you forceful exhale imagine releasing what has contributed to your fight energy activating.
Repeat this process for 2-4 rounds. start small with forceful exhales for 20-30 seconds & add on as you become comfortable.

In addition to supporting the release of Fight energy activation this pranayama is also great for focus, cleansing the lungs & respiratory system, increasing oxygen to the body, building energy & strengthens & tones the abdominal muscles.

Give it a try and drop a comment about how you feel after below!

Love, Light+Body Wisdom,
Carah

Written by Carah Elizabeth
@carah.elizabeth

ARIZONA YOGIS
You can practice with Carah Mondays 6 - 710pm: Yin Yoga & Reiki

#bodywisdom #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealth #nervoussystemhealing #energyhealingpractitioner #healingtrauma #healingpatterns #somatictools #somatictherapy #somaticpractitioner #somatichealing #somaticexperiencing #pranayama #energyhealing #gilbertyoga #gilbertyogastudio

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Restorative Yoga

3/10/2022

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Why Restorative Yoga?
By Amber Renae

One of the most powerful ways to find ease and flow in your life is by adopting a practice rooted in relaxation. The goal can simply be to breathe easier, feel lighter and slow the mind down.
In our busy day to day lives, it can be a challenge to find time to unwind. Many people struggle with falling asleep at night because their nervous system is wound up from their daily tasks. More so in the Western culture, we find that we always need to be “doing” something and dismiss the act to simply “be”. We are human BEings after all!
Adopting a practice to increase balance and harmony doesn’t have to be difficult. A beautiful and powerful tool for relaxing the mind, body and soul is through restorative yoga. Restorative yoga is a gentle, therapeutic and passive style of yoga that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of the nervous system responsible for the “rest and digest” phase of the body. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system allows for a deeper sense of relaxation, healing and (you guessed it) restoration. The poses in restorative yoga are held for a minimum of 5 minutes to allow the parasympathetic nervous system to turn on. Due to its passive and gentle poses, restorative yoga is accessible to all bodies and all levels. When we allow ample time, space and stillness for the body to hum into its natural rhythm, we allow in healing and harmony.
Some of the benefits can include:

Relaxes your mind and body
Soothes the nervous system
Reduces stress and anxiety
Improves sleep
Aides in healing on the emotional and physical levels
Boosts the immune system
Allows for stillness of the mind

Some Postures Include:
Supta baddha konasana
Materials: 3 pillows or 1 bolster and 2 blocks

Sitting on the mat or floor, place a pillow behind you with the short end at the base of your spine.
Bring the soles of your feet together and knees out to the sides, this is called supta baddha konasana (otherwise known as butterfly)
Place 2 pillows or 2 blocks underneath each knee for support
Lay back onto the pillow behind you
Rest here for at least 5 minutes while you allow the body to soften while focusing on belly breathing

Supported Child’s pose
Materials:1 pillow or 1 bolster

Sitting with you knees on the mat, bring your knees a little wider than hips width distance apart, the toes can be touching if this is available
Bring the pillow in between the legs so the short end is placed against the pelvis
Fold forward, bringin the chest onto the pillow and allow the hands to rest on the side of the body. The forehead can be placed on the pillow or resting one cheek on the side (ensuring you switch halfway through for balance)
Rest here for at least 5 minutes and allow the heart to melt into the pillow and the hips to become heavy as you welcome in restoration

Supported Supine Twist
Materials: 2 pillows

Lay with your back on the floor or mat and place 2 pillows stacked upon each other on one side of the body
Bring one leg into the chest, bending the knee and squeezing it into the chest
Use the opposite arm to place the hand on the thigh or knee (if your left knee if up then use you right hand and vise versa) and gently guide the knee to the opposite side of the mat until it lands on the stacked pillows

*If two pillows is not enough then stack more on top to provide support for the leg

Allow the outside arm to come out long and wide
Rest here for at least 3 minutes as you allow the body to detox and release with the support of a twist, remember to continue deep breathing

Restorative Classes DAILY at Gilbert Yoga (Spring 2022):
Tuesday 730-840pm Heather Lynn
Wednesday 6-710pm Amber Jaworski
Friday 12-110pm Gulsim Temirbolatova
Saturday 9-1010am Amber Renae
Sunday 430-540pm Jen Berg

Sources:

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Kapalabhati Breath, Breath of Fire, Skull Shining Breath

Restorative Yoga

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