Kapalabhati

Kapalabhati (Sanskrit: कपालभाति, romanized: kapālabhāti), also called breath of fire,[1] is an important Shatkarma, a purification in hatha yoga. The word kapalabhati is made up of two Sanskrit words: kapāla meaning 'skull', and bhāti meaning 'shining, illuminating'. It is intended mainly for cleaning the sinuses but according to the Gheranda Samhita has magical curative effects.[2] The Technique of Kapalabhati[3] involves short and strong forceful exhalations and inhalation happens automatically.[4] There are three forms of Kapalabhati:

• Vatakrama kapalabhati, a practice similar to the Pranayama technique of Bhastrika, except that exhalation is active while inhalation is passive, the opposite of normal breathing.
• Vyutkrama kapalabhati, a practice similar to Jala neti, it involves sniffing water through the nostrils and letting it flow down into the mouth, and then spitting it out.
• Sheetkrama kapalabhati, can be considered the reverse of Vyutkrama kapalabhati, in which water is taken through the mouth and expelled through the nose.