Aug 7, 2009

Breath of Fire is yoga's substitute for cup of coffee

Are you looking for a way to reduce your use of coffee and learn how to energize yourself naturally?

I like “Breath of Fire,” a dynamic breathing technique from the practice of Kundalini Yoga. Here’s a YouTube video by Gurmukh teaching this technique which offers a huge list of benefits, including opening energy pathways in the body, detoxifying the system and increasing vitality. It can change your energy and mood in as little as one minute -- no caffiene involved.



There are many variations of this technique – the version that I learned comes from Joachim Mayer who teaches Kundalini Yoga in Racine. When I sometimes teach it to clients, it involves keeping your mouth closed and breathing in and out rapidly through the nose. I don’t use the sticking-out-the-tongue part. Sometimes the hands are at rest on the knees and sometimes they are raised above the head.

Here’s another version with Anmol Mehta who has many videos on YouTube. Try it. Coffee’s lure will never be the same.