This is the pure breath exercise as taught by Swami Rama of the Himalayas.
It's best learned by lying on your back in Shavasana.
It's important that you are in a quiet space that is free of distractions and that you're resting comfortably on your back.
Once you've learned the technique,
You can practice it in seated meditation or at any time.
But for now,
Make sure that you're comfortable,
That your arms and legs are uncrossed.
And we'll begin.
Start by just becoming aware of your body and the space occupied by your body.
Become aware of the rise and fall of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale.
Try to relax the effort in your breathing and feel the body sinking into the points of contact it makes with the floor.
The pure breath has four qualities that we will refine through the practice.
The first quality of the pure breath is silent.
So as you're relaxing your effort in the breath,
Try to eliminate any noise that the breath might be creating.
Again,
This is done by simply relaxing your effort until the breath becomes silent on both inhale and exhale.
Once you've established a quiet breath,
We'll move on to the second quality,
Which is even or balanced.
So become aware of the flow of inhalation and the flow of exhalation.
And notice if they are the same length,
Same number of counts.
And if they're not,
Try to relax the effort of the stream of breath which seems to be a little more full or rich until the breath harmonizes and becomes even,
Balanced between both inhalation and exhalation.
Once the breath is even,
We can move on to the next quality,
Which is smooth or undisturbed.
So notice the inhalation,
The entire length of it from the beginning to the end.
And notice if there's any moment in the stream of breath where the breath kind of catches,
Or jerks,
Ripples in some way.
And if you notice a moment like this in the stream of inhalation,
Try to really relax in that moment until the breath starts to smooth out.
Do the same thing with the exhalation.
Follow it from beginning to end.
Notice if there's any moment of disturbance in the breath.
If there is,
Really loosen the effort,
Relax that moment until the stream of exhalation becomes smooth.
Chh.
Now that the breath is quiet,
Balanced,
And undisturbed,
We'll move on to the fourth and final quality of the Pure Breath,
Which is connected,
Or without pause.
So bring your awareness to the moments of transition between inhale and exhale.
Exhale and inhale.
At the very top of the inhalation,
At the very end of inhale,
Completely relax,
Just totally let go,
And the exhalation will automatically come to relieve you.
At the bottom of the exhalation,
At the very end of exhale,
Also just completely relax,
And the inhalation will automatically come to nourish you.
So now we're attempting to breathe in a way that's like waves rolling onto the ocean shore and rolling back again,
Smooth,
Even,
And without pause.
Each quality is attained through complete relaxation.
You can think of this as breathing in like a perfect circle,
Or like riding a ferris wheel.
On the inhalation,
You just gently ride on the way up at the top of the inhale,
Relax,
And the exhalation carries you over and down the other side.
At the bottom of the exhalation,
Again,
You relax,
And the inhalation carries you up and over the top again.
Smooth,
Even,
Connected breath.
Loosening effort until the breath is like a perfect circle.
Swami Rama used to say that when the breath is balanced and undisturbed,
That this is how our minds will be too.
That when we harmonize the breath,
We harmonize the thoughts of the mind.
In turn,
We soothe and harmonize the nervous system.
In addition,
Some You can continue this practice for as long as you'd like,
Continuing to make the breath smooth,
Even,
And connected.
When you feel complete,
You can roll over onto your side,
Rest for a moment,
And then come to a seated position and either start a meditation practice or simply go on about your day.
This completes the practice of pure breathing.
