Lesson 45 - Pranayama Q&A – Breathing is slowing down

From: Yogani
Date: Mon Dec 15, 2003 0:24pm

New Members: It is recommended you read from the beginning of the
archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first
lesson is, "Why This Discussion?"

Q: Since I began pranayama, my breathing has undergone a change. At
first I couldn't seem to find a rhythm, and I was behind or ahead of
my need for air as I breathed slowly. But lately, it is smoothing
out. I seem to have enough air, even as I slow down more and more.
Sometimes my breathing seems to suspend at certain points in the
cycle. Is this normal? Am I doing damage to myself when my breathing
becomes so slow that it almost stops?

A: Your experience is very good. It demonstrates that much
cultivation is going on underneath in your nervous system, and the
life force is coming up from the inside to replace your reduced
intake of oxygen. This is why you feel comfortable with your breath
slowing down, and are without strain. This is a normal consequence of
pranayama and it will not be harmful to you, as long as you don't
force the process.

There is a great natural principle at work here. It is why pranayama
is so effective for cultivating the nervous system. Recall
that "pranayama" means "restraint of the life force." When we
restrain the life force in a simple unforced way, something is
created. The gentle restraint of breath creates a biological vacuum
effect, a small suction on the life force in us. The body must deal
with this gentle deficit of life force in some way. It does so by
pulling from the vast storehouse of prana within the body, and this
prana flows out from deep within the nervous system. This is a new
dynamic in the nervous system, and the outflow of prana from within
plays on the nerves with a great loosening and purifying effect. This
process is at the heart of all the effects that come up from
pranayama. Right behind the flow of prana coming up in pranayama is
the bounteous flow of pure bliss consciousness, assuming we are
practicing our meditation every day.

We are all familiar with the benefits of applying the principle of
restraint in various areas of our life. If we gently restrain what
seems to be our immediate need, we invariably benefit in some way.
This is particularly true if we have been overdoing in terms of
fulfilling our perceived needs, as we are prone to do in our
consumption-oriented western lifestyle. There is great wisdom in the
saying, "Moderation in all things."

A very simple and obvious example is eating. If we gently restrain
our food intake, we begin to burn the fat in our body to replace the
reduction in food intake. This has an overall purifying effect in the
body, and will improve our health as long as we don't take the
process to an extreme and become anorexic.

The principle of restraint operates in many areas of life. If we
restrain our spending, even a little, we find that we have more
money. If we lose our job, which is not always perceived as a
positive event, very often we end up in a better one. Life has a way
of compensating for whatever is restrained, often with something
better. There is no doubt that if we moderate our excesses, we find
more in life. In many areas of life, we find that less is more.

This principle is also operating in meditation. As we easily favor
the mantra, we are gently restraining the endless streams of thoughts
that we are almost always immersed in. In meditation, we create a
state in the mind where the attention is not focused on meaning. Yet,
we are keeping the mind active with the mantra. We have not put the
mind to sleep. So, with less opportunity for attention to cling to
meaning there is a kind of vacuum created in the mind. What happens?
Well, you know what. The attention goes to quieter and quieter
levels, until the mind becomes completely still in the great silent
expanse of pure bliss consciousness. By gently restraining the flow
of mind, we create a vacuum that draws pure bliss consciousness into
us.

It has been said, "Nature abhors a vacuum, and rushes to fill it." It
is true. Much of yoga is based on the application of this principle
to stimulate the human nervous system to a higher level of
functioning and experience. We are not usually inclined to
voluntarily restrain things that we consider basic to our existence.
Yet, if we understand the principle of compensation that is operating
everywhere, we will find opportunities to move forward in our lives
with greater skill. Pranayama is one shining example of the
application of this principle. As you will see, pranayama reaches far
into the essence of what we are, and plays a major role in pulling us
out, enabling us to become ecstatically radiant.

The guru is in you.

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