Changes

(a) Sit in any comfortable posture.(b) Raise the spine along with the chest, floating ribs and navel and keep it erect. (c) Now bring the head down as far as you can. When elasticity is achieved at the back of the neck, perform jalandhara bandha.(d) According to yoga, the mind, which is the source of the emotions, is located in the region between the navel and the heart. Keep the back in constant contant contact with the emotional centre. Stretch the front of the body up and out without losing contact with the centre of consciousness.(e) During inhalation, expand the chest up and out, without tilting forwards, backwards or sideways.(f) Do not tense or jerk the dome of the diaphragm, but keep it relaxed. Start inhalation from the base of the diaphragm. The key point for starting deep inhalation is from the navel band, down below the floating ribs on either side. (g) Keep the lungs passive and non-resistant during inhalation in order to receive and absorb the incoming energy. While inhaling, fill the lungs fully with complete attention. Synchronise the movement of the breath evenly with the interior expansion of the lungs.(h) As a jug is filled from bottom to top, so fill the lungs from their base to the brim. Fill them to the top of the collar-bones and inner armpits. (I) As special care and attention are needed to train an underdeveloped person, similarly careful training is required for the lungs to receive the full intake of breath. So explore carefully by stretching the nerve fibres of the lungs during soft deep inhalation.(j) The bronchial tubes reach from the trachea to the periphery of the lungs, where they branch off into numerous branchioles. See that each inhalation reaches to the very tip of the bronchies. (k) The in-breath is absorbed by the living cells in the body, as water is absorbed into the soil. Feel this absorption and the exhilaranting sensation of percolation of the cosmic energy that follows. (l) The energy of inhalation enters from the nose and is received by the causal frame or the spiritual body. In inhalation the consciousness ascends from the navel to the top of the chest. The sadhaka has to maintain throughout a single unifying contest between the casual and subtle frames of the body and the consciousness ascending from its source. This contact unifies the body, breath, consciousness and the self. Then the body and the atam become one.(m) Each pore of the skin of the trunk should act as the eye of intelligence for absorbing prana. (n) If the inhalation is too pronounced the skin of the palms gritty. Regulate the breath so as to keep the skin of the palms soft throughout.(o) If the shoulders are raised during inhalation, the upper areas of the lungs are not expanded fully and the nape of the neck becomes taut. Watch this tendency of the upward lift and bring the shoulders down immediately. In order to keep them down and chest up, take a rod or weights and use them. (p) Relax the throat. Rest the tongue on the floor of the lower jaw without touching the teeth. (q) Keep the eyes closed and relaxed, but the inner vision active. When inhaling the eyes tend to turn up ; avoid this. (r) See that the ears, the facial muscles and the skin on the forehead remain relaxed. (s) The right method of inhalation removes sluggishness, stimulates and energies the body and the mind.

(a) Follow paras (a) to (d) regarding the techniques for inhalation. (b) In inhalation the body acts as an instrument for receiving energy in the form of breath. In exhaaltion it becomes dynamic, acting as an instrument for the slow release of breath. Retain the grip of the intercostal muscles and the floating ribs. Throughout. Without this grip, steady and smooth exhalation is not possible. (c) In exhalation, the source or the starting point is the top of the chest. Without losing the grip there, exhale slowly but completely till the breath is emptied at a level below the navel. Here the body merges with the self.(d) As you discharge the outgoing breath, retain the lift not merely of the central spinal column but also on its left and right side, keeping the torso firm like a tree trunk.(e) do not shake or jerk the body, for this disturbs the flow of breath, the nerves and the mind.(f) Release the breath slowly and smoothly without collapsing the chest. If exhalation is rough, it is an indication that the attention on the grip of the body and the observation of the flow of breath have been lost. (g) In inhalation, the skin of the becomes taut, in exhalation it becomes soft without losing the grip on the inner structural body. (h) The skin of the chest and of the arms should not touch closely at the armpits. There should be freedom and space without undue widening of the arms. (I) Exhalation is the art of calming the nerves and the brain. This creates humility and the ego becomes quiet.