Study of immediate neurological and autonomic changes during kapalbhati pranayama in yoga practitioners
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care March 3, 2022 Varun Malhotra, Danish Javed, Santosh Wakode et al.
Kapalbhati, a fast-paced breathing exercise from yoga, produces significant changes in heart rate variability (HRV) during and after practice, indicating a shift away from parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity and toward sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activation. Brain wave changes were not statistically significant compared to baseline. After the exercise, gamma wave activity increased, suggesting altered control of the brain's default mode network, which is linked to self-referential thought and mind-wandering. The findings clarify previous inconclusive results about kapalbhati's immediate neurological and autonomic effects.