Bhastrika Pranayama and lung expansion exercises what is the upper safe limit, 500 per day too bad?

Question

I have hyperventilation issues in my lungs, so every 2Km that I swim I need to give a break. Otherwise I can't keep the cardio cycle, may be not a physical limit but a psychological one.

However the point is, I'm experiencing Bhastrika Pranayam is helping me a lot to improve that hyperventilation condition. But my question is am I overdoing it? Is 500 Bhastrika Pranayam per day is oky? As medicine says that anything too much is bad!

I have researched many places, yoga texts only says that, if you drink enough water each time you need to feel wet again in lungs/air tubes, then there's no upper limit to do that yoga exercise.

Does my understanding correct? If I drink enough water and get more vitamin C from natural food sources then I will be able to grow the lung tissues right safely right ? Any scientific cardiological answer?

Answer 1

I have met a number of people who overdid Bhastrika and Kapalabhati pranayama. Both are very heating or warming for the nervous system.

Many yoga practices have been overprescribed because of their immediate benefits without considering the subtler but more profound and sometimes longer effects on the endocrinal and nervous systems.

If you do find that 500 rounds is what is needed to manage hyperventilation, it is suggested to build up to that number by dong rounds. For example, 10 rounds of 50, gradually working up to 5 rounds of 100. Between each round, natural breathing until the system feels internally calm, then continuing with the next round.

Also consider doing a balancing and/or tranquilizing pranayama afterward such as alternate nostril breathing (balancing) and bhramari pranayama (tranquilizing). If you feel that your system is overheating over time (diahreah, irratibility, pain in different areas of the body) or the weather is warm (for which bhastrika is normally contraindicated), finish the practice with a cooling pranyama like sheetkali or sheetkari.

Be gentle to your nervous system! Pranic injuries are not fun and take time to undo!

All the practices above are well explained in the APMB book (Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda).

The APMB reference is available for free viewing on satyamyogaprasad.net or via the APMB app.