Research review: The effects of bhastrika in the elderly

By joemillerJanuary 3, 2012January 3, 2018 Bhastrika, Breathing, Health, Physiology, Pranayama, Research Leave a comment

You don’t need to know anything about science to practice yoga. The ancient yogis didn’t. Their method was introspection. They discovered the effects of yogic practices through sustained attention to their own internal physical and mental states. Given how much variation there is between individuals, that’s probably still the best way for you to determine the effects of your own…

Hyperventilation: Is kapalabhati hyperventilation? (part 4)

By joemillerDecember 25, 2011January 3, 2018 Breathing, Health, Kapalabhati, Physiology, Pranayama 5 Comments

The Sanskrit word kapalabhati means “skull-shining.” I often begin my day with kapalabhati after using the neti pot. It leaves me feeling both mentally energized and calm–a very different feeling from the agitation that accompanies hyperventilation. And, in fact, despite appearances, kapalabhati isn’t hyperventilation, as long as it’s done properly. The technique To practice kapalabhati, sit in a comfortable, upright posture…

Hyperventilation: Why breathing more isn’t necessarily better (part 3)

By joemillerAugust 28, 2011January 3, 2018 Breathing, Health, Physiology 1 Comment

In the 1930s, Dr. William Kerr proposed that chronic, low-level hyperventilation could be behind a host of non-specific symptoms in patients suffering from anxiety, where no organic dysfunction could be found. This has sometimes been called the “fat folder syndrome” for the thickness of the patient’s medical file. These patients complained not only of anxiety or panic, but also feelings…

Tadasana: Finding the summit of the mountain

By joemillerMay 28, 2011 Asana Leave a comment

In many yoga styles tadasana—mountain pose—is the starting point of the practice. Settling into the pose, we search for the feeling of the height of a mountain by finding the broad base of a mountain in the feet. The challenge of tadasana is that humans are not built like mountains. In fact, with our small base of support and high…

Hyperventilation: Why breathing more isn’t necessarily better (part 2)

By joemillerFebruary 2, 2011January 3, 2018 Breathing, Health, Physiology 1 Comment

In part one of this series, I covered what might seem like a paradoxical outcome of hyperventilation—that breathing more than necessary actually reduces the amount of oxygen to the brain. In this installment, I’ll explore two more effects of my experience of over-breathing: involuntary muscle spasms while hyperventilating and long periods of apnea (not breathing)…

Hyperventilation: Why breathing more isn’t necessarily better (part 1)

By joemillerJanuary 2, 2011January 3, 2018 Breathing, Health, Physiology 1 Comment

Recently, when I was in California I spent an evening practicing holotropic breathwork. I didn’t know much about this beforehand, and you might not either, so I’ll just set the scene. There were about 20 or so of us in a circle, along with a facilitator (whose instructions generally only increased my mystification). After a…