Pranayama.

Conscious breathing with a pattern to guide the vital energy.  Control is restriction thus we like to use guide; we feel that this is more acceptable to distribute the vital energy anywhere in our body. Control will mean restricting, when the real reason of practice is to remove all restrictions and free the consciousness.

Air or wind has a vital characteristic of mobility. Thus everything that absorbs it will attain this unique character of mobility of this basic element of the universe. Physical movement of everything in this universe is due to the basic element air, this is always accompanied with heat and the main phenomenon is absorption and expelling, Everything in this manifested world breaths, even those things that don’t move with in our time frame breathe. They contract and expand, this is not visible to us as the rate is very slow and we don’t have the power or level of patience to observe it. This act or breathing involves inhalation and exhalation. This is performed through the phenomenon of expansion and concentration of the lungs in humans and size of solid matter in other things. Atmospheric air along with vital energy is drawn into the body and absorbed into the blood in the lungs. Our skin also absorbs energy and air from the atmosphere thus the necessary ingredients required by all the parts of the body are supplied. Amount of vital air admitted depends on the state of the absorbing medium and the way we breathe, state is defined by the soundness of health physical, mental and spiritual and also the state of the interconnected parameters in the surrounding.

To give some examples: -

Basic vital element of the universe, earth, water, air, space, and energy all move due to air element. Flow of air is caused by the change in atmospheric pressure, which is caused by the heat from sun or earth but the basic thing that moves is air as heat is absorbed in it. Sound propagates in air due to the movement of air (vibration of molecules). Energy also moves due to vibration, which is magnified or damped by air. Water flows due to the element of air in it, is formed by the combining of oxygen and hydrogen of air, producing fire in the process. Water expands and contracts due to the addition or removal of heat. Vapor rises up in the atmosphere due to the expansion of air that is absorbed in water vapor as this changes the specific volume when heat is applied. Earth moves around its axis due to heating of its crust by the sun making that side, lighter when compared with the side that is opposite to the sun that becomes colder.  Human body moves using the limbs which functions due to contraction and expansion of muscles, contraction and expansion is the feature of the body due to the flow of blood and energy guided by the desire which is defined by thoughts caused by the air in the nostrils. Every part of the body or organs functions due to some sort of movement due to air element in one-way or other. Feelings are generated due to flow of energy as conduction, convection or radiation either within the medium or in air this is detected when it changes by the sense organs. Thoughts flow due to the part of vital air called “udhana vayu” which generates the required bioelectricity in the nostrils and is absorbed by the brain through the nerve ending that extend into it. The path this energy flow forms the pattern of thoughts the state of mind can alter this flow of energy, the most important one is stress.

Being alive is maintaining the fire in each atom, cell, organs its sub parts and interconnected things within the body. This is done by maintaining the supply of vital energy and expelling the used energy. The desire or love to be in existence and experience itself is the fire this is our basic nature. Experiencing itself is comparing or differentiation of itself with everything else (this is love towards everything and everything is god). Air after it is absorbed into the body and lungs bifurcate into 5 vital airs (prana, vayna, udhana, Samana, and apana).  Each has its own important function in keeping this body alive, “Prana” is the most important as it is the one that gives birth to the other four; the location of this part of the vital air exists in the body up to the nostrils from the tip of the nose. “Udhana” prevails from the nostrils until the entrance of the lungs this is the closest location the air flows with respect to brain, this along with prana instigates thoughts, and “Vayna” exists in the lungs and is absorbed into the blood carrying vital energy and oxygen to all parts of the body. “Samana” prevails in the stomach and aids the digestion function, as well as absorption of vital digested fluids into the blood. “Apana” prevails in the intestine and enables the movement of the waste products from the body, it also helps evacuate the urine and stools the menstrual discharge as well as birth of the child. Thus we see that everything given here is movement.

We are interested in only prana and udhana part of absorbed air as these are responsible for the thoughts, as we are interested in stilling these thoughts to enable to a state of meditation. As long as thoughts are formed automatically or as per our desire in our mind we cannot come to the state of meditation, as we will be engaged with them and create more thoughts related to them or actions related to them. This is because the consciousness will be occupied with it, either describing it or negating it. The static electricity and nascent oxygen are responsible for generating the bioelectricity, which form thoughts as they select the path inside the brain. This is absorbed by the nerve endings that protrude into the nasal cavity, this is absorbed and accumulated as bioelectricity in the nerve cells, the path it takes will depend on the thought that becomes aware to the consciousness and this is detected by it as the was a change in its present state.

One of the reasons the adepts go to the mountains is, the oxygen as we move into higher levels or elevation becomes lesser and lesser in concentration this helps in reducing the thoughts thus meditation can be achieved easily. The only other way is to gradually reduce our breathing to reduce the amount of air per unit time. Lengthening the time for inhalation and exhalation does this. What really happens is that air is drawn in slowly thus less air will come into contact with the nostril lining thus less absorption of oxygen and static electricity thus fewer thoughts. Smoking can simulate this in this plane here to a great extent. Thus a state of involvement or attachment freeing the consciousness is achieved this enables to allow it experience itself, this is actually changing the habit of the consciousness from continuously seeking external things or to stop seeking new things and keep it occupied with itself, once this habit is achieved meditation can be dawned at will, we can stay there as long as we want, whenever we want. The main reason consciousness does this is to confirm everything which is living.

Most of us breathe as we like or, as we feel comfortable or as the situation requires. The breathing recommended for spiritual practice is called diaphragm breathing. The correct in breath is done with slight expansion of the stomach with concentration focused at the navel this is done by contraction and expansion of diaphragm using the stomach muscles rather than the chest the next step is retention of breath in the lungs for as long as we are comfortable with concentration focused at the heart or chest. The next step is expulsion with reduced amount of out flow of air, achieving a longer duration as compared to the inhalation and retention, this must be gradual and relaxed and concentration should be at the center of the eyebrows or tip of the nose. The next step is retention after exhalation.

The feelings in the mind of the aspirant should be as follows during the four steps, during inhalation thing of pure fresh energy entering the nostrils from the entire universe with a cool feeling right up to the navel from the tip of nostril. During retention, generate feeling that the air is being absorbed and the cool sensation seeping through the entire body and gradually changing to warm pleasant. During expulsion feel that all the wastes and unwanted things mainly excess heat are going out as far as the deep ocean.      

Consciousness detects only those things that change or move this is achieved by the power of differentiation or intellectual power of consciousness. Comparing or differentiation is absorbing and expelling energy either its own or from all the surrounding. When the body absorbs and expelled its own energy it experiences itself through the sense organs comparing or differentiation the states before and after the breathing act with respect to intensity of heat, light and energy. This comparing or differentiation is breathing at the subtle level. When the body absorbs and expelled the surrounding energy it experiences surrounding things through the same sense organs comparing or differentiation the states before and after the breathing act with respect to intensity of heat light and energy. This comparing or differentiation is breathing at the gross level it is experienced as inhalation and exhalation. Internal and external sound also plays an important part mainly at the subtle level; this will become aware to us only at the advanced stages of practice when high level of concentration is automatically developed.

Meditation we are interested in dawns only after freeing the consciousness from the attachment with senses, which actually means bringing the intellectual activity to rest, one way to do this is to understand things completely as we have explained before, the real state of experiencing bliss or tranquility is beyond the manifested world is also beyond the mind. As everything with in the manifested world is transient and totally involved within the limits of five basic elements, thus being involved with this we stay stuck with it. This is why detachment is recommended for aspirant’s wanting to go beyond this world.  We humans are born into this world using the 5basic elements and are exit is also through them only.

To be continued “some breathing techniques”