Kapalabhati

In the app: Kapalabhati Pranayama

Kapalabhati energizes you, clears the mind, and lifts sluggishness. Called the skull-shining breath, it's a series of short, forceful exhales through the nose with passive, automatic inhales. It's an activating breath, so skip it if you're pregnant or have heart or blood-pressure conditions, and stop if you feel lightheaded.

The rapid, forceful exhales increase oxygen turnover and stimulate the activating side of the nervous system, which raises energy and mental clarity. You may feel lightheaded, some tingling, and a spreading warmth as you go, all normal, and you can slow down anytime. Rapid yogic breathing like this has been studied for boosting alertness and cognitive readiness. One of the classical yogic cleansing practices, kapalabhati means skull-shining, named for the bright, clear feeling it leaves. It's completely normal to find this demanding at first, the capacity for it builds gradually over weeks of practice, so start gentle and let it grow.