Biohacking : The Positive Effects of Yogic Breathing

A  2019 narrative review examined 1400 case studies related to pranayama or breath regulation. The overwhelming amount of literature suggests that there is must be some beneficial effects to these breathing techniques. The practices were reduced to eight forms with the vast majority of case research on these three breathin exercises:
 
Bastrika (Bellow’s breath) – inhale and exhale quickly and forcefully without straining by flapping the abdomen. This should be practiced for up to 100 breaths.
Kapalabhati (Breath  of  fire / shining skull) –  Sitting with back and neck erect, one should inhale through both nostrils and exhale rapidly by flapping the abdomen during each exhalation at a pace of 60–120 breaths/min.
Bhramari  (Female honeybee humming breath) – After a full inhalation, closing the ears using the index fingers, one should exhale making a soft humming sound similar to that of a female honeybee.

The following areas were positively impacted by a pranayama practice:
  • neurocognitive- brain function
  • psychophysiological- physical symptoms induced by emotional factors
  • respiratory – breathing
  • metabolic / biochemical –  conversion of food to energy, building blocks  and waste elimination

An example of how neurocognitive changes can occur would be to wear an EEG during a 15 minute breath exercise. The muse brainwave monitor would be a good device to wear while practicing kapalabhati  breathing. What you might see / experience if you are able to reproduce the study results is the following:
  • First 5 minutes of 15 minute practice showed an increase in Alpha waves. These brainwaves are associated with concentration.
  • Later stages of 15 min exercise showed increase in Theta waves. These brainwaves are associated with creativity.
Another breathing exercise Bhramari (honeybee) has been shown to increase gamma waves. These could also be monitored on the muse and are normally quite difficult to produce without years of meditation training. The practice would need to be done  for 10 minutes. Bhramari breathing helped participants tune out irrelevant stimulation during cognition tests and decreases reaction time.


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.