Kapalbhati Breathing Exercise For Stopping Hair Loss

Yoga exercises are good for hair growth and for stopping hair loss. Some of the main causes for hair are hormonal imbalance and stress, strains and anxiety in daily life. Of course there several other reasons. Hair loss due to hormonal imbalance and stress, strain can be prevented by proper yoga practices. Kapalbhati breathing exercise is one of the most important technique for reducing stress and strain. In this article I discussed pros and corns of kapalbhati pranayam.  In the book Yoga for Hair Growth, I discussed pranayama techniques ( yoga breathing exercises) for stopping hair loss.

Kapalbhati Prnayama Yoga Practice

The word kapalbhati is made up of two words, “kapal” means forehead and the word “bhati” means shining or illuminating. This exercise adds beauty and shinning on the face. Among all the pranayama techniques, this exercise is most easy and beneficial. If you can not do any other exercises, you can do this exercise for at least 5 minutes (10 to 15 counts) slow kapalbhati per day for getting the benefits of yoga. 

Excessive kapalbhati practice should be avoided. In this breathing exercise exhalation is active while inhalation is passive, The Technique of this breathing exercise involves mild active exhalations and automatic inhalation. The exhalations and inhalations should be done through the nose. Forceful exhalations should be avoided. Kapalbhati practice is a gradual process, because the muscles in the chest and abdominal area needs time for adjustments. 

Kapalbhati involves conscious movements of the diaphragm (the membrane separating abdomen from chest) by active exhalations. Kapalbhati heats up the body and cleanses the toxins from the body. To avoid the over heating of the body and the system , excessive practice must be averted. Optimal balance between the Sun (warm) and moon (cool) is vital for all yoga practices. This pranayam should be practiced in a perfectly straight sitting posture.  

Benefits for Kapalbhati Pranayama:

• Kapalnhati is a voluntary Hyperventilation practice. Systematic and regular mild practice of kapalbhati develops tolerance in nervous system and removes the toxin from the cells.
• During kapalbhati exercise, the brain cells receives blood rich in high oxygen content, it improves blood flow and the functioning of brain cells improving learning, concentration, concentration and efficiency.

Risk Associated with Kapalbhati Pranayama:

Kapalbhati is a very powerful breathing exercise. Wrong and excessive kapalbhati pranayama practice is having detrimental effect on health.  The breathing exercise should be done gradually and gracefully.

Precautions:

Do not practice Kapalbhati Pranayama if you are suffering from acidity, ulcers, high blood pressure or heart disease or you are pregnant. Stop Kapalbhati Pranayama if you feel uneasy. Women should strictly avoid it during menstruation and pregnancy, as it can harm them and the developing fetus.

References:

1. Yoga for Hair Growth by Kristin Russel

2.  Effects of Kapalbhati by Baljinder, Kanwaljeet and 

Parminder Published in 2009,  International Journal of Sports Science and Engineering, Vol. 03, No. 02, 2009

3. Kapalbhati Pranayama: Breath of Fire or Cause of Pneumothorax? - A Case Report, CHEST,May 2004,Vol. 125,no. 5,1951-1952.