Boost Your Mornings & Workouts, Cut Down on Snacking with “Coffee Breath”
Always practice on an empty stomach or at least 3 hours after eating
How do you prefer your coffee or tea?
Milk, oat, almond, cocoa milk, sugar or none, cappuccino, espresso or decaf? How many cups energize your day?
One for a morning start, second one for mid-morning clarity, maybe a third post-lunch for an afternoon boost...
What if You GO for a “Coffee Breath” instead?! I’m calling it “Coffee Breath” because it delivers a powerful effect on your body - just like a coffee or a tea, but without any caffeine or tannins.
This ancient pranayama breathing cleansing practice called ‘Kapalabhati’, increases oxygen delivery to your body, helps with detoxification, gut mobility, it enhances vitality, helps cleanse your lungs and clears stagnant energy and stuck emotions.
It's like a strong coffee cup, but without jitters, offering immediate energy and alertness boosts.
Make it Your Daily Routine
Imagine a powerful internal massage for your abdominal organs, potentially even reducing some belly fat.
This is a "Breath of Fire" or, as I like to call it, "Coffee Breath," a playful name for a rhythmic, energizing pranayama practice deeply rooted in yogic traditions.
During my pranayama training, our yoga teachers' colleage coined "Coffee Breath" for Kapalabhati Kriya, or the "Breath of Fire."
Coffee breathing originated centuries ago from yogic practices aimed at unlocking latent body energy.
This energetic breath sets you up for action, naturally raising morning cortisol levels at a pace your body can control. Coffee Breath stimulates your "fight or flight" response - typically at 30-60 breaths per minute!
When: In the morning, before sports, but always on an empty stomach, it's a play between yin and yang, bringing energy down to your abdomen.
How: Using lower abdominal muscles, imagine sneezing a soccer ball out. You exhale through the nose, and the inhale happens naturally. Relax your diaphragm, face, shoulders, spine is straight but - all relaxed.
My fellow breathwork coach lost some belly fat and weight thanks to Coffee breath, cutting her snacking habits.
I also use this breathwork technique sometimes to reduce my sweet tooth.
It's my go - to morning routine to wake up fully without coffee or tea and before vinyasa yoga practice.
How to perform:
Sit comfortably with a straight but relaxed spine.
Rapidly inhale and exhale through your nose, keeping breaths equal in duration and intensity, about two to three cycles per second.
Always use in moderation and stay safe, because I teach moderate breathing practices.
We can start with 3 series of 20 to 30 breaths.
Intensive practices beyond 10-20 minutes can provoke anxiety and hyperventilation, stressing your body with unnecessary overbreathing.
However, Coffee Breath is not for everyone.
Pregnant women, individuals with serious cardiovascular issues, uncontrolled high blood pressure, serious spinal issues or complicated hernias should avoid it.
Don't practice right after eating or before bed, as its energizing nature can induce an acid reflux feeling and disrupt your sleep.
Modern Day Life Hack
Imagine a modern yogi in a busy workday.
Instead of another coffee cup, you sit for 3 minutes, eyes closed and you start the “Coffee Breath” practice. This rapid breathing recharges your body, clears fatigue, moves your inner energy, releases stagnant, negative emotions.
Whether as a morning starter or as a midday revitalizer, it's a reminder of this potent tool within us - our BREATH.
TRY your Coffee Breath Now
To practice, we'll exhale by engaging muscles of your lower abdomen and force the breath out with a sneezing sensation.
After each sharp exhale, relax and allow the breath to enter on its own.
Sit comfortably with a straight spine, on the floor or in a chair, feet grounded.
Place your hands on your knees, palms up or down.
Close your eyes, if you feel like, take several deep breaths to center yourself.
Inhale and exhale through your NOSE. There is a version with an exhale through a mouth but a nose inhale.
Here we will practice Nose/Nose on inhale and exhale.
With each exhale, draw your lower belly powerfully inward, engage your abdominal muscles.
With every inhale, your belly relaxes.
To keep a steady tempo try finger snapping or tapping with one hand on your upper leg, it's helpful to maintant the rhythm.
After 2 or 3 rounds, slow down and breathe normally.
Reflect quietly how you feel and any new sensation that have emerged.
You may experience slight lightheadedness at the start of the practice or ears buzzing, but this will pass quickly. This practice boosts oxygen flow and stimulates circulation and that can sometimes cause temporary pressure changes in ears or sinuses.
Always listen to your body and stay within your safe zone and NOW:
Lets try again: COFFEE BREATHING - Breath of Fire
To begin, take a comfortable seated position.
Close your eyes, chin parallel to the floor, face and shoulders relaxed.
This exercise will wake up and energize your body.
Focus on sharp, strong exhales, relax and allow the inhale to happen on its own. It sounds like this (3 series of 20 breaths exhales)
Let's begin together...
3, 2, 1 and:
Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2
and 1.
Relax and breathe normally.
Face relaxed, shoulders relaxed, lower abdomen relaxed.
Let's try again.
3, 2, 1 and:
Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale Exhale
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2 and 1.
Relax and breathe normally. Face relaxed, shoulders relaxed, lower abdomen relaxed.
You did it!!! And now, you can still have your coffee, if you must ;-).
Let me know how it went for you? Any new sensations?
To Your Breath!
Infomative
Great was looking forward to this one gonna give it a try tomorrow