Perception of Breathing
It is impossible to canalise
and concentrate the mental functioning if the breath is not adequately
regulated. Breath is essential for metabolic functioning of the body. It is
also linked with conscious mind. Since mind is ever restless, it is extremely
difficult to steady the wandering mind directly. An efficient and easy way to
control mental activity is concentrated perception of breath-Svasa Preksa.
Proper regulation of
respiration by the conscious mind results in the development of the controlled
activity of the mind. To stop the restlessness of the mind, and canalise its
functioning, it is essential to be aware of breathing. Shallow, hasty and
irregular (spasmodic) breathing must first be regulated to be deep, slow, calm
and rhythmic. Even in Kayotsarga, breathing is not stopped, but is made
subtle.
Deep, slow and rhythmic
breathing is an essential condition for regulating mental process. Very slow
inhalation and complete exhalation (by the use of diaphragm) is called
dirgha svasa deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.
Complete awareness of breathing
and nothing else but breathing is the basis of Svasa Preksa. Attention
can be kept focussed on a single point in the respiratory tract, e.g. nostrils
or it can travel the entire tract during inhalation as well as exhalation.
Various facets of breathing, such as movement of the diaphragm, rate of
breathing and depth of breathing can conveniently become the object of
Svasa Preksa.
Svasa Preksa can be practised
in two ways viz. dirgha svasa and samavrtti svasa.
Dirgha Svasa Preksa
As already explained above,
Dirgha svasa is slow and complete exhalation and deep inhalation. The
first step in this process is to regulate the rate of breathing by reducing
the number of breaths per minute. Normally a healthy adult's rate of breathing
is 15/17 breaths per minute (b.p.m.). By practice of diaphragmatic breathing,
this rate can be drastically reduced. Even casual practice can easily bring it
down to 10/12 b.p.m. And further regular practice can reduce the rate to 6, 4
or even 2 or 1 b.p.m.
Regulation of breath, reduction
in its rate, and the rhythm results in steadying the mind. Simultaneously,
urges and impulses, emotions and passions and their impelling forces--the
primal drives -- all become amenable to control. When the breath is shallow
and its rate high, primal drives and passions are aroused, strengthening the
urges and emotions. Quick breathing acts as a vehicle for all these
distortions. One can easily pacify the passions by regulating the breath. If
one slows down the breath-rate and commences rhythmic breathing, the passion
forces would at once be retarded. This is because they are deprived of the
vehicle, and without a transport they cannot make much headway. A practitioner
of meditation would, in due course, be able to perceive in advance the
onslaught of rising passions, and thus will be prepared to nullify their
attack by resorting to 'dirgha svasa'. The rising passion would then
begin to subside. Thus by blunting the sharpness of their attack, a sadhaka
saves himself from being the victim of the dreadful urges and emotions.
Breath is a reality of the
present moment. Practice of Svasa-preksa leads the sadhaka to
live equanimously and impartially. He will also get rid of tension as a side
benefit.
As stated above, Preksa
Dhyana is the technique of seeing one's own self. Breath is the gate-way
to the self(consciousness). To commence the internal trip, one must pass
through the main gate way of breath. And when mind and breath become
inseparable, companions, the journey begins. In theory breath is a part and
parcel of the self; and so one can realize the goal of reaching the self via
the breath. In practice, seeing oneself simply means perception of all aspects
of breath by the conscious mind.
Samavrtti Svasa
Preksha
Like Dirgha Svasa Preksa,
Samavrtti Svasa Preksa is also an important process of this meditation
system. Here breath is exhaled through one (say, left) nostril and inhaled
through the other (right). Then exhaling through the right, it is inhaled
through the left. Throughout the process, the perceptive mind is closely
linked with the breath. As in Dirgha Suasa Preksa, breath is regulated
to be rhythmic. In due course by the practice of this, one can develop the
inherent capacities of the subconscious mind such as extrasensory perception,
clairvoyance etc.
