KAPALABHATI
SHINING FOREHEAD

“Kapalbhaati is a cleansing Pranayam. Kapal means “Skull” & Bhati means “Shining” in Sanskrit. It is called “Shining Forehead”. Characterized by active, audible - exhalation & passive, dormant - inhalation through nostrils with powerful contraction of abdominal muscles done in quick succession.”

Kapalbhaati is one of the Shat Kriyas or purification practices besides being a cleansing Pranayam. It is also known as shining forehead as it flushes the mental nerves and face with oxygen and blood supply. To clear the mind of thought waves and improve concentration, you may start by taking a deep long breath and exhale while pulling abdomen in and relaxing, keeping the steady rhythm, emphasizing the exhalation each time and as you complete the round follow with holding your breath to your capacity and finally, exhale slowly. It consists of active exhalation and passive inhalation with full contraction of abdominal muscles where an exhalation is aggressive, active, audible & prolonged and inhalation is passive, silent & short.

Benefits

Body
Flushes the stale residual air in the lungs and helps a fresh supply of air to reach them.
Lends elasticity to the diaphragm and increase the capacity of lungs.
Helps to clean the sinus and respiratory passages.
Stimulates & tones the abdominal muscles & organs.
Eliminates the cough accumulated in wind pipe.
Purifies the blood by redirecting it back to lungs for oxygenation.
Tones up the heart and activates the respiratory, circulatory & digestive system.
Also, mobilizes the fat by regulating the metabolism of body.
Brings heat to the body when it is cold.
Brings shine & luster to the facial skin and also reduces wrinkles by slowing down the aging process.

Mind
Brings clarity of thought.
Helps in suspension of thought process when done prior to meditation as it is called “The Gateway to Mediation”.
Helps to stabilize the imbalanced sleep patterns.
Reduces tension, anxiety & hyperacidity.
Imparts a sense of exhilaration to the self.
Helps in increasing the concentration & focusing ability making one alert & spontaneous by activating the nervous system.

Pranic or mystic
Opens the door to the Sushmana or Central Channel which makes it an excellent Pranayam for awakening the Kundalini or serpent power.
Also, helpful in opening up the 3 knots called “Granthi” in the sushmana nadi i.e. the Brahma, Vishnu & Rudra Granthi to help rise the Kundalini to reach the Sahsarar chakra or thousands petaled lotus..

To read more about the Procedure, Duration, Contradictions read the book " Yoga Ancient Heritage Tomorrow's Vision by Dr. Indu Arora.