Regular breathing consists of inhalation and exhalation, but you can train your breath by consciously holding it. This enhances your vyana energy and expands your mental horizons. In Alternate Nostril Breathing (see page 55), you hold your breath with your lungs full. The Box Breathing exercise opposite features two different retentions – one after inhaling and the other with your lungs empty. The latter, an “external” retention, helps to relieve nervous tension and encourage a state of positive quietness. Your blood pressure tends to increase slightly as you inhale and decreases as you exhale, making a retention of breath with empty lungs the calmest part of a breath cycle. Try to practise daily after gently exercising. You may find it helpful to visualize your breath forming a rectangle with its four aspects – in, hold, out, hold. Then watch as your breath morphs into a three-dimensional box since your vyana breath is always outward-expanding.
Train your lungs by gradually lengthening the time you hold your breath out during Box Breathing (see opposite) as you become more advanced:
• Starter level: inhale 2 – hold in 16 – exhale 8 – hold out 2.
• Improver level: inhale 4 – hold in 16 – exhale 8 – hold out 4.
• Intermediate level: inhale 4 – hold in 16 – exhale 8 – hold out 6.
• Advanced level: inhale 4 – hold in 16 – exhale 8 – hold out 8.
Before trying this exercise, make sure you have mastered Single Nostril Breathing and Simple Alternate Nostril Breathing (see page 53) and Alternate Nostril Breathing (see page 55). Sit comfortably (see pages 35–7).
1 Sit with your back straight and gently seal your lips. Focus on the sound of your heartbeat. Rest your left hand on your thigh, palm up, and position your right hand in Vishnu Mudra (see page 54), palm in front of your face.
2 Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril for a count of 4. Feel the cool, dry air filling your lungs.
3 Gently pinch both nostrils shut between your thumb and ring and little fingers. Hold your breath for a count of 16. Refocus back to your heartbeat.
4 Release your thumb, keeping your left nostril closed, and exhale through the right nostril for a count of 8. Feel warm, moist air leaving your body.
5 At the end of the exhalation, close both nostrils between your thumb and ring–little fingers and hold your breath out for a count of 2. Imagine a string is pulling your diaphragm up toward your throat (see Abdominal Lift, page 73).
6 Release your thumb, keeping your left nostril closed, and inhale through your right nostril for a count of 4.
7 Close both nostrils between your thumb and ring and little fingers, and hold your breath for a count of 16.
8 Release your fingers from your left nostril, keeping your right nostril closed, and breathe out through your left nostril for a count of 8.
9 Close both nostrils and hold your breath out for a count of 2, pulling up your diaphragm as before. This is one round. Aim for 5 rounds daily.
CAUTION: AVOID DURING PREGNANCY: INSTEAD PRACTISE SIMPLE ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING (SEE PAGE 53). AVOID IF YOU SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION OR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE.