One practice, an excerpt from a book you should get in full and practice assiduously:
“To begin the practice drink about four mouthfuls of cool, fresh water, and then sit in siddhasana or padmasana. Make sure that the head, neck, and trunk are in a straight line, and close the mouth, keeping the teeth firmly pressed together. Close the eyes gently, focus the attention on the bridge of the nose, and then observe the breathing. Exhale all the breath from the lungs. To make sure that every possible vestige of air is eliminated from the lungs, make three final exclamations of “uh,” a sort of grunt. Place the thumb of the right hand on the right nostril, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril, and close the right nostril. Inhale to your capacity through the left nostril. When the lungs are filled, swallow as if to swallow saliva, drop the chin into the neck (jalandhara), and retain the breath. The hand may now be returned to the knees or kept in position. Count slowly to 50 or to your own capacity. You should not hold the breath beyond your capacity or to the point of forcing yourself to gasp. When you have reached that limit, close the left nostril and allow the air to escape slowly through the right nostril to a distance of four inches, or until the tension in the lungs has been reduced somewhat. (The mind can he trained to measure the subtleties of breath and cannot he mistaken in the advanced stages. When the aspirant practices pranayama for a considerable length of time the length of breath comes under his control.) Then inhale through the right nostril, filling the lungs again. Immediately after that let the same quantity of air slowly pass out of the left nostril, and then take it in again as before. Then alternate to the right nostril and complete the same process. This process of short breathing should he continued until the capacity to retain the breath becomes exhausted. Then empty the lungs slowly until every vestige of air is eliminated, and resume normal respiration.Rest for a period before resuming the technique. While resting, keep the mind empty and do not allow it any action; establish only unmani-a state in which conscious thoughts are not allowed to function. The teeth should be kept firmly pressed together during the entire round of practice. In one round of this pranayama, the lungs are filled and the surface tension in the lungs is reduced a little, and is then again reestablished by a process of short breathing. This process is continued until one’s capacity to retain the breath any longer has been exhausted. Then the lungs are finally emptied completely. In the beginning the breath will naturally tend to escape more completely on each short breath, but this must be controlled in the manner described. Never allow the breath to escape quickly from the lungs or permit them to empty completely at any time. After the rest period repeat the process; this time begin by inhaling with the right nostril. Continue with the practice of alternating from one nostril to the other with each complete pranayama as well as during the short breathing process. After some practice this short breathing may be continued for about five minutes. At the completion of each round sit quietly with the hands resting on the knees or thighs, make the mind empty, and fix the attention between the eyebrows. After having developed this practice, the second round should be altered in this manner: empty the lungs completely and end the first round with a rest period. Begin at once to fill the lungs, through the right nostril, allowing only four inches of air to enter at this nostril. Then shift to the left and inhale, and then again to the right. Continue until the lungs are completely filled. The last inhalation should be taken in through the right nostril. When the swallowing technique is done, retain to the same count as before, and then start the short breathing until the power to sustain the breath is exhausted. Next the lungs are slowly and completely emptied by uttering the sound “uh” and pressing the abdomen in with each sound. In this process of short breathing, only the surface tension should be allowed to escape. The air should be allowed to flow down only about four inches from the nostrils. Naturally the entire quantity of air will want to rush out, but it is important that one prevent this from happening. The inhalation and exhalation must be done slowly. Kumbhaka should be done only to one’s capacity and never to an extreme. One should increase the length of the suspension slowly over many practice sessions. One should remember that he is dealing with a power that must be developed gradually. Diet must be considered from the standpoint of the individual and his physical condition. An adequate amount of milk and clarified butter should always be consumed. Ghee must be taken cautiously at the start according to one’s power of digestion and assimilation. Three meals a day may be taken initially if one fills his stomach only to one-fourth of its capacity at the morning meal, three-fourths at the midday meal, and only half a stomachful in the evening. Black pepper and ginger may be taken to aid in digestion and to warm the stomach. Something sour may be taken to flavor the food as needed. Barley, wheat, rice, green gram (fresh chana, not dried), ghee, and milk are the staple articles of food. Pure cane sugar may be used for sweetening. As one develops this practice the diet must he further simplified and should eventually consist almost entirely of liquids. However, this cannot and should not be done at the start, as it will lead to disastrous results. Approximately 30 minutes should elapse after a practice before food is eaten, but a small glass of milk may be taken immediately. In this technique of pranayama the air will eventually begin to enter the esophagus and stomach in small quantities and will finally reach the bowels. At this point some pain will be felt, and the practitioner must endure a reasonable amount of it. The practice will progress slowly until all pain disappears and the stomach and bowels can be freely filled with air. When one has control of kumbhaka the experience of hunger lessens, and one may live on only milk and a few sweet fruits. One develops the ability to float easily on water, and his physical powers increase remarkably. At that point one can begin to practice concentration of the mind. With regard to sexual practices, one may indulge a few times per month with no detriment but must be cautious and conserve his vital fluid to the utmost. If one seeks to master the breath in a hurry, he will fail. It is only when one has gained more and more experience with the slow development of his capacity that he can develop the powers that accrue from the regular practice of pranayama. The student may begin by practicing three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. At each sitting he may do as many rounds of pranayama as possible without exhausting his energy; one should never rise from his seat tired or worn from his practice. If one does this practice steadily, slowly, and patiently every day without a break, he will observe positive results. In time the breath will be found to create less tension in the body and will be easier to restrain; it will then flow comfortably throughout the body. At first one may notice that at the completion of the practice the nerves are tense and slight tremors may occur. There is no need for anxiety about this if one consumes enough wheat, barley, rich milk, and ghee with his meals. In time this will pass. In the beginning one will also perspire freely. This perspiration must not be wiped off but should instead be massaged into the body as if it were an oil bath. Fifty counts or seconds of kumbhaka is sufficient at the start, and one should stay at this level for at least two months. When this can be easily done, the period may be increased to 75 seconds. If pain develops it will pass in the course of two months or earlier. Only when the pain has subsided should one further lengthen the retention period. When one has reached 100 seconds of kumbhaka he should exhale to the navel, and then inhale this same amount immediately and repeat kumbhaka for another 100 seconds. Then, exhaling through the opposite nostril to the distance of the navel, one should immediately inhale and repeat the kumbhaka for another 100 counts. This should be repeated until he has done kumbhaka from one to five times. Then one may lengthen the kumbhaka to 125 seconds, breathing alternately through the left nostril, then through the right nostril, and finally through both nostrils. Slowly one may increase kumbhaka to 150 or 200 seconds or more, according to his capacity. The longer the period of kumbhaka, the more freely the body will perspire. Kumbhaka increases the heat in the body. To mitigate this, when the heat becomes too intense the practice may be done in water. Twice a week one may also massage the body from the top of the head to the feet with a special mixture. This mixture is composed of almond milk, almond oil, black pepper or ginger juice, saffron, and other ingredients that are cooling by nature. This mixture may be applied and left on for half an hour or more to allow it to soak in. When the full kumbhaka attempted is completed, one should allow the breath to escape in small gusts or bursts alternately through first one nostril and then the other until the lungs are deflated. Then one should inhale and perform kumbhaka as outlined above, doing the short breath to the navel after each kumbhaka. This process should be followed in the three formats described earlier, creating the equivalent of 3 x 400, or 1,200 seconds of suspension. Gradually one may increase this process until he attains the level of 3,000 to 5,000 seconds of suspension. At this point one is able to detect air beginning to enter the alimentary canal. The air will tend to remain in the lungs until about 4,000 seconds of kumbhaka are reached. After that point it will force its way out of the lungs and attempt to enter the alimentary canal, kicking back against the throat to enter the esophagus and stomach. The yogi may aid in this by swallowing and pressing the chin into the hollow of the neck, applying jalandhara. In this process the air will encounter obstruction in its downward movement. It will again rebound to the throat and will try for a deeper entry into the esophagus if the practitioner maintains his throat lock. This process will go on in a similar manner throughout its progress into and through the entire alimentary tract. When the air reaches the anus, mula- handha must he applied to prevent its exit. Pain will develop and may initially he quite acute, but as time progresses it will disappear and the process will become quite easy and natural. During this time the bowels will croak and the air may he felt moving below the navel from one side to the other. Before starting this practice of pranayama take about four mouthfuls of water to prepare for the air to enter the alimentary canal. At meals it will similarly be advantageous to eat a small amount of barley, wheat, or rice, well-soaked with ghee to lubricate and facilitate the entry of food into the stomach and bowels. The greater one’s capacity for kumbhaka, the longer he will be free from hunger. This is the result of air circulating throughout the alimentary canal and is referred to by the yogis as “living on air.” When one attains this stage he should consume only rich milk and a little sweet fruit. He may then seriously begin the practice of concentration and meditation. Pranayama may be considered to be properly developed when kumhhaka can be done for some five or six minutes. At this stage the yogi may begin training the mind for one-pointedness. The mind will soon become absorbed wherever the attention is directed. When this occurs the aspirant may then undertake the awakening of kundalini. However, if the mind becomes restless because of these strenuous pranayama and meditation exercises, then one should learn to relax. With regard to diet, one should initially observe a strict diet of green gram, which is ground, fried, and mixed with the same quantity of boiled barley, wheat, or rice, ghee, and a pinch of salt. This may be eaten once a day at the noon hour. This diet will facilitate the entry of the air into the alimentary canal. After this takes place the diet must be changed and limited to the more liquid foods, such as barley broth. The quantity of solid food consumed amounts to about 21 tablespoonfuls, which must be reduced at the ratio of a tablespoonful a day for nine days. Then unleavened bread of wheat or barley, and ghee, milk, and a little sweet fruit may be substituted.vegetables may be boiled together and eaten with curds well-sprinkled with ginger, cumin seed, and other spices as well as a small amount of salt. To reduce the extra heat developed by the practice of kumbhaka, spices should be fried in ghee and then added to the food.”
Rama. Path of Fire and Light, Vol. 1: Advanced Practices of Yoga (Kindle Locations 745-746). Kindle Edition.
0.000000
0.000000
Tags: breathing, buddhism, buddhist, Hindu, Hinduism, Krishna, kumbakha, longevity, meditation, mindfulness, one-pointed, one-pointedness, pranayama, tantra, tantric, yoga
