ACornprotiw Satdy of tlu Cardiac Resporue o Bhasnika: A Yogic BreadrirgExacise ad, tlw ExerciseTobarceTac 35 A Comparative Study of the Cardiac Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/ijyt/article-pdf/7/1/35/1735875/ijyt_7_1_y354313llp003015.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 Response to Bhastrika: A Yogic Breathing Exercise and the Exercise Tolerance Test By Kevin Hoffman and John Clarke, M.D. Yogic breathing exercises form a spectrum this exercise, the diaphragm and abdominal muscles are employed...both inhalation and exhalation are vigorous from simple, diaphragmatic breathing to and forceful. Between seven and twenty one cycles should follow each other in quick succession.r complex exercises involving breath A wide range of benefits from the practice of Bhastrika retention and visualization. Many of the are described in The Complete Book of Yoga, by Hewitt, drawing from ancient commentaries: advanced exercises are potentially The ber,.fits of bhastrika are to clear the nasal passages, harmful if not taught and practiced purify the blood, cleanse the sinuses, remove phlegm, improve circulation, generate pranic vitality, tone the systematically. nervous system, stimulate the liver, spleen and pancreas, improve digestion, facilitate evacuation, strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles, and massage the aMominal ust as a novice climber does not attempt to scale organs (viscera).2 Mount McKinley on his or her second climb, so a beginning srudent would not practice the advanced Van Lysebeth further articulates the benefits derived exercises until after he or she has practiced and from the practice of bhastrika, suggesting that it stimulates mastered the simple exercises which regulate, strengthen, the sympathetic nervous system in particular.r and coordinate the respiratory appararus. One advanced respiratory exercise is bhastrika, which includes both a Th. eff"ct. of bhastrika have also been compared to the rapid, forceful inhalation and exhalation. The book, effects of aerobic exercise upon the body. This is an Science of Breath, by Swami Rama, explains bhastrika as interesting comparison because aerobic exercise typically follows: involves vigorous body activiry such as that found during swimming, jogging, or tennis, while bhastrika is performed Th. *ord bhastrika means "bellows" and in this sitting motionles. In aerobic exercise, the respiration rate pnmayama the abdominal muscles work like bellows. In increases both in depth and frequency, and heart rate 36 TIre loutruI ol Tlv Intcnatiorrol Assxiation d YogaThnapiss (HR) increases secondary to the activation of the sympathedc nervous system in response to the body's increased need for blood flow and oxygen. Bhastrika consists of rapid, relatively shallow breathing in a very o o regular sequence. This technique has tr€ been shown to induce a decrease in gF finger pulse volume, a decrease in od finger temperature, and in one study, -o (D-o= an increase in HR . These findings are consistent with an increase in E,= Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/ijyt/article-pdf/7/1/35/1735875/ijyt_7_1_y354313llp003015.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 sympathetic arousal. HR responses, f,ft soo however, are relatively small, TSgs especially compared to HR changes during aerobic exercise. In one study of five yoga students, no significant change in HR occurred.{ Thi, ,"rporrse of HR during bhastrika is the focus of this study because it is an easily quantifiable index of at least one facet of autonomic nervous system Breaths function, because it allows for a direct Figure 1. A typical example of the phasic change in HR or sinus anhythmia comparison with aerobic exercise, and in a relaxed sublect. finally because of the ambiguiry in the literature about the nature of HR varying levels of experience with the bhastrika in the laboratory periodically response during this exercise. Also, the exercise. All three subjects were during the three months of training. previous srudies of HR changes during healthy males berween 25 and 35 years Data drawn from pre-training, mid' bhastrika are limited in their findings of age. Subject I had approximately training, and end-training testing as they discuss only the average change one year of experience of intermittent sessions are presented here. For this in HR and do not take into account practice ofbhastrika. Sublect 2 had an sublect (52), the change in sym- the time course of the changes or the intermediate level of experience with pathetic activation due to the breath- possible raining effects that occur over bhastrika. Sublect 3 had practiced ing exercise was also calibrated by a period of regular practice. These bhastrika regularly for more than four comparing it to similar changes which studies also do not observe the more years. occurred during a maximal exercise subtle aspects of the beat-to-beat tolerance test on a treadmill. variabiliry of HR, and because of the Ir, to evaluate the effect of "r, discordant findings concerning the an intense"rr..pt period of training on the Each testing session was conducted at overall response of the heart, do not performance of bhastrika, Subject 2 the same time in the early morning, clearly address the issue of the ceased pmctice for a four month period and the subject was instructed not to direction and intensity of autonomic prior to the beginning of testing. eat prior to the sessions. At the nervous system (ANS) activation. Practice of bhastrika was resumed at beginning of each session, the resting the beginning of the testing and respiration rate of the subject was Th. ..r...nt protocol was also continued during a three month recorded while he was seated in a designed to permit observation of HR period, twice daily for three to five comfortable position. The subject was response to the gradual increase in minutes gradually increasing duration instructed to practice breath repetitions of the bhastrika practice according to comfortable capacity. awareness. During the practice of during a three-month training period The repetitions of the breathing breath awareness, the subject observed of one of the subjects. exercise were limited to the number his breath and attempted to regulate that most intermediate yoga students the flow so that it became smooth and Method commonly practice so that the results even with no jerks, pauses, or noise. would be of interest to most students This respiration rate and simultaneous Th. pr"r..,t study is based upon data practicing these techniques. This beat-to-beat HR was the baseline for collected during the practice of subject (SZ) underwent additional that session. (See Figure l.) bhastrika from three subjects with evaluations of HR response to A Compruhn Sndy of tle Codirc Respotue a Blvsill<,a: A Yogb Breathing Exercise ard tl,z Exerase Tolnance Tesc 37 tolerance test was conducted on a Quinton treadmill, with continuous 120 o monitoring of EKG and respiration; o blood pressure was monitored each '6o 100 minute. The speed and inclination of xo uJ the treadmill was increased every three o minutes according to the Bruce o 80 C, protocol until maximum exercise .a capacity was reached.' o o 60 (r Abdominal and chest excursions were o recorded using a Respitrace@ vest, Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/ijyt/article-pdf/7/1/35/1735875/ijyt_7_1_y354313llp003015.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 (D 40 3 recorded on a Siemans Mingograph E 5 EM 34 polygraph. HR intervals were z. 20 timed using a Coulbourn Micro- Processor and recorded by a Gultan Session #2A NP-7 digital printer. EKG for the exercise tolerance test was recorded on March April a Hewlett-Packard EKG with a bipolar 23 4 electrode placement in the CV-5 Figure 2a. Rate of increase in the number of repetitions of bhastrika tn electrode configuration. An analog successive recording sessions for Subject 2. printout of the HR intervals and an EKG were also recorded by the Mingograph. Af,.. relaxation and breath awareness first session: 30 repetitions, second were practiced for one to rwo minutes, session: 60 repetitions, third Results: Baseline Period or until HR fluctuations stabilized, the session: 80 repetitions, fourth subject was asked to perform a series of session: 100 repetitions, fifth and The ,espiratory arrhythmia (the rounds of gentle bhastrika. After the sixth sessions: 120 repetitions. normal wave-like rise and fall of HR exercise series was completed, the during a single respiratory cycle) during recovery phase was recorded, usually Th. ord". in which each exercise was the baseline determinations was for one to two minutes, until HR again performed was varied to avoid consistent, measuring 140 to 160 sabilized. Once the baseline level of habituation. The maximal exercise milliseconds (See Figure 1). The degree respiration rate and HR had been reestablished (usually within two minutes), a series of rounds of vigorous bhastrika were performed. In this second round, bhastrika was perficrmed as vigorously as possible. d) 680o Fo, Sublect 2, the protocol used for (r E (It the additional sessions, during his o three-month training period, was as T o) follows: .s (l'7na LL A tot"l of six recording sessions was (!c conducted, one every other week. All o the recording sessions were conducted at the same time (?:30 a.m.) to avoid any inherent physiological variations 60 due to time of day. The number of repetitions of the exercises was Session #2b gradually increased in each recording session according to the subject's 12345623 comfortable capacity. The increase in Figure 2b. Changes in the baseline HR during the sessions as in Figure 2a. repetitions was as follows: 38 Tlvlowvlof Thelntsrational Association dYogaTlvrqis* o !c 8 o .9, =s o (U o d) Vigorous Bhastrika Gentle Bhastrika (It o J- o o o Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/ijyt/article-pdf/7/1/35/1735875/ijyt_7_1_y354313llp003015.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 o o o5 c 60o (D o ea 3 o co .9.(! t*---t t ttr'-'-./'t-,'-\ o ---- 'L, - ^'\'-'ra-r T s rArr^t"^a-r- Subjed 1 40 Duration ol Breathing Exercise (Seconds) o ! c o I g 600 ,,I I = I =.E o ct o d) r(It \.