LESSON 19/20 · THE PRACTICES (6)

The BELLY FIRE group: Agnisara, Nauli and the three ways into Kapalbhati — the part everyone skips

In the eighteen lessons before this, we went right through the practices that use the lungs. There is one more group almost no teacher is ever taught properly: the one that works in the belly once the air is all out. This is not “breathing” in the sense of in and out; it is what you do in the silence after breathing out. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha files these under shatkarma — the cleansing practices — rather than with the pranayama. And precisely because they sit in a different chapter, most students skip straight past them. This lesson fills that gap — and, more importantly, tells you who must NOT practise them.

1AGNISARA KRIYA — WAKING THE BELLY FIRE

Breathe all the way out, then draw the belly in and release it over and over: the bellows blowing into the furnace of digestion

The belly drawing up under the ribs when the lungs are empty — The belly drawing **up and in** under the ribs once the lungs are empty — this is the shape Agnisara is aiming at. Seeing that hollow means you are working the abdominal muscles, not straining against a held breath.

REMEMBER The whole action happens with the lungs EMPTY — not while holding a full breath.

The name means “rousing the essence of fire” (agni = fire). The method, per Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha: sit steadily, breathe in deeply, then breathe out as far as you can. Lean slightly forward, hands pressing on the knees, arms straight, and apply the chin lock (jalandhara bandha). Hold the breath out, then draw the belly in and release it, continuously and quickly, for exactly as long as holding the breath out stays comfortable. Release the chin lock, raise the head, and only then breathe in slowly and deeply. That is one round. Rest until the breathing is back to normal before the next.

THE DOSE Start with three rounds of ten in-and-out pumps.

The texts say it plainly: beginners find it hard and tiring quickly, because the abdominal muscles cannot yet be driven deliberately — that group has to be built slowly and gradually. Three rounds of ten pumps is enough to begin with. With steady practice you can work up to fifty pumps a round, and the time the breath is held out lengthens too. Don't strain. The phrase “do not strain” sits in the original itself.

REMEMBER In hot weather: finish with a cooling practice to bring the heat down.

This is a note almost nobody mentions but the texts record clearly: in hot weather this practice can raise body temperature and blood pressure too far, so afterwards you should always follow it with a cooling practice — Sheetkari or Sheetali (which you learned in Lessons 9 and 17). Pairing hot and cool correctly is the mark of a teacher who knows the trade.

HOW TO TEACH IT Empty stomach — early morning, before breakfast.

The texts place this practice after the postures (asana), and require an empty stomach — ideally early morning before eating, and best after a visit to the lavatory. This is something you have to tell your students before the session, not once they have arrived with breakfast just finished.

On the mat: Practise it yourself for two weeks before leading anyone. In the first week do only three rounds of ten, and get the feel of the difference between “deliberately drawing the belly in” and “straining against a held breath” — confusing those two is the root of every fault in the fire group.

2NAULI — ROLLING THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES INTO A WAVE

Three stages: raise the central column, move it left, move it right — and only then the rolling

The Nauli position: knees bent, folded forward, hands pressing on the thighs above the knees — Exactly the position the texts describe: **standing**, feet about a metre apart, knees bent, folded forward, **hands pressing on the thighs just above the knees, arms held straight**. The belly drawn in with the lungs empty — eyes open, looking down at the belly to check yourself.

REMEMBER Stage one is STANDING, not sitting — and it too is done with the lungs empty.

Stage 1 — Madhyama Nauli (raising the central column). Per the texts: stand with the feet about a metre apart. Breathe in deeply through the nose, then breathe out through the mouth until empty. Bend the knees slightly, lean forward, both palms on the thighs just above the knees, arms held straight, the weight of the upper body pressing down through them. Apply the chin lock and hold the breath out. Eyes open, looking down at the belly. Draw the lower belly in, then engage the rectus abdominis so it stands up as a single vertical ridge down the middle. Hold for exactly as long as the breath stays comfortably out. Release, raise the head, stand up, breathe in slowly and deeply. That is one round — rest until the heart is back to normal before going again.

The 1925 plates: the three stages of Nauli - right, central column, left — The **1925** plates from the Kaivalyadhama institute (Swami Kuvalayananda) — the first place to study these techniques scientifically. Three frames, the same man: **moved right** (Fig. XXXVI) — **the central column** (Fig. XXXVII, “both sides working”) — **moved left** (Fig. XXXVIII). Look closely at how the muscle mass shifts between the three: those are exactly the three stages you are learning. Historical documents, out of copyright.

GRASP THIS Stages 2 and 3: moving the muscle mass to one side.

Vama Nauli (moved left) and Dakshina Nauli (moved right) are done exactly like stage one up to the point where the muscle stands as a central ridge, and then that mass is moved across to one side. Once left and right can be isolated, a long-time practitioner moves on to the rolling (the muscle running round from one side to the other). For your teaching: stage one is enough to teach; the other two should be left to individual practice with a teacher present.

REMEMBER No Agnisara, no Nauli.

The right order is Agnisara → Nauli. Agnisara builds the ability to drive the abdominal muscles deliberately with the lungs empty; Nauli demands that same ability at a higher level. Jumping straight to Nauli leaves a student simply holding the breath and bracing without isolating any muscle — and bracing against a held breath is exactly what we want to avoid.

On the mat: Practise stage one in front of a mirror — the texts tell you to keep the eyes open and look at the belly for a reason: you have to see the ridge stand up to know you are doing it right; the internal sensation is very easily misleading.

3THE THREE WAYS INTO KAPALBHATI — AND THE ONLY ONE YOU SHOULD TEACH

You have learned the “air” version. The texts have two more using WATER — know them so a question never catches you out

REMEMBER Way one (Vatkrama) is precisely the Kapalbhati you learned in Lessons 9 and 16.

Vatkrama Kapalbhati — cleansing with AIR. The texts record exactly one sentence: “this practice is identical to Kapalbhati pranayama, technique 1”. That is, the version with an active out-breath and a passive in-breath that you already know. This is the only way suitable for teaching in a full yoga class.

GRASP THIS The other two use warm salt water — they belong to nasal hygiene and are not taught to a general room.

Vyutkrama Kapalbhati — clearing the sinuses. Mix warm water with salt at the ratio the texts give: a teaspoon of salt to half a litre of water, stirred until completely dissolved. Stand bent over the bowl, release, scoop water in the palm and sniff it gently up the nose so it runs down into the mouth, and spit it out. A few times, then dry the nose properly, as after a nasal rinse (jala neti).

Sheetkrama Kapalbhati — clearing mucus. The other direction: take a mouthful of warm salt water, do not swallow it, but push it back up and blow it out through the nose. Again a few times, and again drying the nose afterwards.

REMEMBER Anyone prone to nosebleeds must NOT do the two water versions.

The texts record the contraindication for the two water versions clearly: anyone prone to nosebleeds must not practise them. On timing: early morning is best, but the two water versions can be done at any time of day except after eating. Duration: a few minutes each, and done on a weekly rhythm rather than every single day.

On the mat: In a class you teach the air version only. Keep the two water versions for answering a student who has read a book and asks — knowing them and being able to explain them crisply is standing; teaching them to a full room is inviting risk.

4THE FIRE GROUP'S EXCLUSION LIST

Know it by heart before you open your mouth to lead — this group's contraindications are broader than any group so far

REMEMBER Agnisara: high blood pressure · heart conditions · acute gastric or duodenal ulcer · hyperthyroidism · chronic diarrhoea · pregnancy.

That is the list exactly as the texts give it, with nothing added or removed. Nauli shares the same contraindications, because the mechanism is the same: holding the breath out + strong abdominal engagement. In a full room you do not have each person's health record — so the safe way is to read this list out loud before you begin and say plainly: “anyone in one of those groups, sit and breathe naturally with us, don't follow along.”

STOP SIGNALS Spots before the eyes, tightness in the chest, nausea, shaking hands → stop and breathe naturally.

The fire group produces strong sensations very quickly. The general rule of this whole site still holds here, and here it holds more strictly still: a small dose, raised slowly, with a way back to natural breathing always open. The teacher must say in advance “at any point anything feels odd, drop the practice and sit and breathe normally” — said beforehand, not once somebody has gone pale.

THE PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARY You LEAD the breath; you do not treat illness.

The texts list many benefits for digestion and energy levels. When you teach, describe the feeling (“the belly warms, you feel more awake”) rather than promising treatment. Anyone with a stomach, thyroid, heart or blood-pressure condition, or who is pregnant — ask a doctor first. That is safety for your student and safety for you alike.

On the mat: Write the exclusion list out on paper and stick it in your planning notebook. Say it until it comes out easily — a teacher who knows the trade is one who can say no gently and without wavering.

5PLACING THE FIRE GROUP IN A SESSION

The right place, the right dose, and always a cooling practice behind it

THE ORDER After the postures — before the quiet breathing and the final rest.

The texts place Agnisara after the asana. In a sixty- to seventy-five-minute session, the sensible place is: warm-up → postures → the fire group (three to five minutes) → a cooling practice (Sheetali / Sheetkari) → quiet breathing (Nadi Shodhana or the even breath) → the final rest. Putting the fire group immediately before the rest with no cooling down is a common fault: students lie down with the heart still racing and cannot get into a resting state.

REMEMBER A morning class — not an evening one.

The fire group wakes and heats. Putting it in an evening class runs against the purpose: students go home unable to sleep, and you lose their trust without understanding why. For an evening class, use the settling group from Lesson 15 (Chandra Bhedana, Viloma, Sama Vritti).

A MODEL CUE Speak in images, not in terminology.

“Breathe all the way out… hold the breath out… now draw the belly in – release, in – release, gently… like bellows blowing into a charcoal stove… when you need to breathe in, raise your head and take one really slow breath.” — Say the Sanskrit name once at the start so students know what they are learning, then lead the whole thing in images.

On the mat: Write yourself an eight-minute “fire group + cool down” block and slot it into your morning class for two weeks. Note what your students say — this is the block most likely to make a session feel like “something different” in the whole set.

Source: Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha (Yoga Publications Trust) — the Shatkarma section: Agnisara Kriya, Nauli, Kapalbhati (three techniques); the steps, doses, notes and contraindications in this lesson follow that edition. Supporting: Ann Swanson, Science of Yoga; B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama. This material is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.

Image credits: Illustrative image (source: Pinterest) · The three-stage Nauli plates from Yoga-Mimansa Vol. I No. 2 (Kaivalyadhama, 1925) — out-of-copyright material. English captions compiled by Energy Yoga.