Meditation - The breath

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

the human body (pauruṣa) at times is called the ratha or chariot… the term ratha is rooted in ṛ ( this sounds like ri in river) defined as ‘ to go, to move towards, to deliver up , surrender , offer , reach over ’. The logic here is the body as the chariot houses svātman , the SELF, Being, sva ( one’s own) core nature or Being.

Yet what is this body dependent upon ? It depends on prāṇa. This term is rooted in ‘prā’ defined as ‘the breath of life , breath , respiration , spirit , vitality’. No matter
what sense is removed or on vacation ( code for deep sleep) the breath continues day-and-night. It then is called ātmasāratha. It is the ratha of ātman or of SELF -
the chariot of this SELF, of one’s Being. It is the breath that can ṛ , ‘deliver up’ the self to the SELF.

Looking at this word in another light ātmasāratha the breath is the essence or sāra of the ratha ( body); or the SELF ~rides~ on the essence of the body i.e. breath.
That is why there are so many upāyae’s¹ (approaches, a means) that involve the breath.

We gain support from the breath:

• inward - going downward (adhaḥ¹) and therefore called apāna
• outward - going upward (ūrdhve) and therefore called prāṇa
• the rest point in between, the space, and this is called viṣuvát¹ some ( like me) call it madhya also.

iti śivaṁ

words

• adhaḥ = adhas ( by the rule of visarga of managing the ḥ sound ) and this is defined as downward
• viṣuvát - having or sharing both sides equally , being in the middle , middlemost , central
• upāya - approach, technique; that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

the human body (pauruṣa) at times is called the ratha or chariot… the term ratha is rooted in ṛ ( this sounds like ri in river) defined as ‘ to go, to move towards, to deliver up , surrender , offer , reach over ’. The logic here is the body as the chariot houses svātman , the SELF, Being, sva ( one’s own) core nature or Being.

Yet what is this body dependent upon ? It depends on prāṇa. This term is rooted in ‘prā’ defined as ‘the breath of life , breath , respiration , spirit , vitality’. No matter
what sense is removed or on vacation ( code for deep sleep) the breath continues day-and-night. It then is called ātmasāratha. It is the ratha of ātman or of SELF -
the chariot of this SELF, of one’s Being. It is the breath that can ṛ , ‘deliver up’ the self to the SELF.
Looking at this word in another light ātmasāratha the breath is the essence or sāra of the ratha ( body); or the SELF ~rides~ on the essence of the body i.e. breath.
That is why there are so many upāyae’s¹ (approaches, a means) that involve the breath.
We gain support from the breath:

• inward - going downward (adhaḥ¹) and therefore called apāna
• outward - going upward (ūrdhve) and therefore called prāṇa
• the rest point in between, the space, and this is called viṣuvát¹ some ( like me) call it madhya also.

this haṃsa (discussed below) is 'code' for one's breath. Here is what this svacchanda tantra (7.29-30) says

śivo dharmeṇa haṃsastu sūryo haṃsaḥ prabhānvitaḥ ||29
ātmā vai haṃsa ityuktaḥ prāṇo haṃsasamanvitaḥ |

Śiva is by his own nature haṃsa. The Sun filled with light is haṃsa. The soul is also called haṃsa, And breath goes along with haṃsa.

Now kṣemarāja's commentary:
“What has previously been defined as ‘śiva’, (being) a condensation of consciousness and bliss, is by nature, that is by his innate nature of freedom (called) ‘haṃsa’, that is, the one who emanates and re-absorbs the universe; hence being of the nature of hāna, giving up, and samādāna, taking back (i.e. the two syllables ha+sa). And because of his śivahood (śivatvāt) he performs the five cosmic acts which are essentially a ‘giving out, and ‘taking back’ (hāna-samādāna).

iti śivaṁ

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

Please consider this HDF string prāṇa - In or Out? : http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?3911-Pr%C4%81%E1%B9%87a-In-or-Out
Post 5 to 22 may be of use as it is in-depth.

iti śivaṁ

[bhaswathy]

Dear friend ,
Actually it is the other way . When you forget about everything including the breath , the breath becomes deep with out any effort on your part .When attention is paid to any detail , the concentrated contemplation gets disturbed and shallow . As far as my experience goes , Nadishuddha pranayama is the best one, from spiritual point of view.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

Dear friend ,
Actually it is the other way . When you forget about everything including the breath , the breath becomes deep with out any effort on your part .When attention is paid to any detail , the concentrated contemplation gets disturbed and shallow . As far as my experience goes , Nadishuddha pranayama is the best one, from spiritual point of view.

While what you say makes sense ( and agreeable to me), there are various aspirants that require different practices ... hence one can 'tailor' an approach pending the person, need, & experience level.
This is something that I keep in mind when looking at the posts and questions that are asked ( that is, one size does not fit all). So says the vijñānabhairava kārikā-s as it offers 112 different approaches.

you mention,

When you forget about everything including the breath

Yes, I see your point ; 'perfectly forgetting' is entry to samādhi. Yet if I ask anyone to forget everything , this would be ( in general) a tall task, as one would have to remember what to forget.
Along the way ( code for practice with breath) one becomes praśāntātmā = ‘ tranquil-souled ‘ , composed in mind , peaceful , calmness , ~ even-ness~. Then naturally forgetting becomes easier, with no effort
and this entry to samādhi becomes effortless.

iti śivaṁ

[satay]

Namaste,
Thank you for your continued posts and suggestions on this topic.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté


From a previous post ( some years back)....

I am reminded again and again on the importance of breath. If we look to patañjali’s yogadarśana ( his sūtra-s)
and go to chapter 2 ( sādhana pada ), 50th sūtra , it is all about breath management. I cannot stress how
important this is , as breath is connected to the mind. We manage the breath we manage the mind.
What is the components of breath? space, time and number. These 3 things :

• space - the depth of breath
• time - the amount of time between breaths
• number - repetitions ( as in a practice of prāṇāyām)

In yoga we manage the breath in a natural way...In kaśmir śaivism the movement of the breath is looked at ( identifed) in 3 different ways.

• prāṇa śakti
• ātma śakti
• prabhu śakti

With prāṇa śakti, the movement of breath takes place automatically - part of the autonomic nervous system. We are breathing
but do not pay much attention to it. An example would be our breath in sleep - all going on automatically. Or during a conversation
no one notices the breath, or when being entertained, this prāṇa śakti is on auto pilot.

With ātma śakti we are managing the breath coming in and going out. We decide how deep, how long to hold the breath, all that.
Some call this conscious breathing. This method is the basis for many upāyae-s or techniques , found in the āṇavopāya¹ approach.

With prabhu śakti the movement is by the grace of the Supreme. The prāṇa enters the madhyā-nādī some call the suṣumnā, the central
or principle nerve (nādī ).

More on prāṇa can be found on this HDF string:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3911

iti śivaṁ

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

A very reasonable question ( for this string) would be , why is prāṇāyāma effective at calming the mind?

We can also look at this term like this prā+ṇā+yāma or like this prā+ṇa+ayāma and will yield some interesting insights.

• prā – filling
• ṇā - or na is the sound of negation
• yāma – motion, going; road, a way or path ; yāma is from yama – restraint , my teacher at times called ‘management’
• note that ayāma is any time during daylight; yāma is night watch or during the night.

But before we get into parsing words and their meanings, why does this prāṇāyāma method work at calming the mind?

iti śivaṁ

[CedarTree]

Although breath meditation through the pali sutta in a Theravada context I would recommend Ajahn Geoffs guide.

Incredible monastic and I know many hindus enjoy his work too I believe

[Adityahridayam]

In fact, observing our breath leads to quicker spiritual realization than following other methods. This is explained in “Svara Yoga”, where svara refers to air breathed through nostrils. Breathing means both inhalation and exhalation. Swara Yoga is in the form of conversation between Shiva and His Consort Pārvatī. In that Shiva says, “स्वरः साक्षात्महेश्वरः॥svaraḥ sākṣātmaheśvaraḥ ||” This means breathing is nothing but Shiva. But, in order to realize Him through breathing, Shiva Himself revealed the procedure through Swara Yoga. This is also known as “इदं स्वरोदयं शास्त्रं idaṁ svarodayaṁ śāstraṁ”. This Scripture explains about our inhalation and exhalation. This happens through three main nāḍi-s (nāḍi is a tubular organ, like a hose pipe, through which prāṇa traverses). Prāṇa is different from air that we breathe; prāṇa is the vitality or vital force for the existence of the universe which exists in the air. It is the Cosmic Energy or energy of Prakṛti. Chāndogya Upaniṣhad highlights the importance of prāṇa in many verses. Nāḍi-s not only mean tubular vessels, but also subtle and yet powerful current passing from one place to another place; for example iḍa and piṅgala nāḍi-s. Prāṇa is the cause for the formation of foetus and the same prāṇa is the cause for the exit of the soul from the body. Thus, our whole existence depends upon on prāṇa only.