Breathing - The key to mastering the self

Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite.

– D. Antoinette Foy

We are breath. Till we breathe, we live. Till death do us part. Our breathing is our communion with the infinite.

Till we are alive, our breathing is unceasing. It is the very first thing we do upon birth. When we begin to inhale, the present is pulling in the future. When we exhale, the present is letting go of the past.

We don’t learn to breathe. It is programed into us by nature. We live to breathe. We breathe to live.

Yes it is a misbelief that breathing cannot be shaped, learned and enhanced. In fact, we must attempt to do this. It is the secret to mindfulness, steady mind state, sensory control, will power and enabling sound judgement.

Yet, mastering breath can be a lifelong endeavour. This is the highest pursuit man can make.

Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy or strength. In the Indic concept of life, we say “Prana has left the body”. Ayaam is dimension - length, extent, expansion.

Pranayama is hence the extension of breath.

The entire cycle of breathing has the following parts - inhalation or inspiration, which is termed Pooraka , exhalation or expiration, which is called Rechaka and retention or holding the breath, called Kumbhaka.

In the Yogic sense, life is not measured by the length of time one lives but by the number of breaths one takes.

Therefore, Pranayama is also about the extension, elongation, expansion of life.

I am going to deal with Pranayama from the perspective of consciousness and mindfulness. Pranayama is breath. Breath is life. Life is consciousness. Thus, Pranayama is consciousness.

Breath and consciousness can be synonymous. If one can focus on the breath, one can look inside. This awareness of what’s going inside is a revelation. It quietens the mind. When the mind is aware inwards, its excitability and distractions subside. Then, one can attain stillness and calm.

The realisation of the inner self is inhalation or Pooraka. The voiding the mind of distractions and illusions is the Rechaka or exhalation. The stillness of being without past or future is the true Kumbhaka.

By regulated breathing, the senses get controlled. Hence, desires are controlled and the senses are held in check and the mind is still. If the breathing is fitful, then the mind is disturbed and wandering.

Emotional exhilaration affects the rate of breathing. Conversely,the disciplined regulation of breathing checks emotional excitement.

By making the mind motionless and free from distractions, one reaches the state of dhyana and then samadhi.

The mind becomes pure when all wants and worries are conquered.

According to Hindu philosophy, human consciousness manifests in three different qualities. These gunas or qualities are the Sattvik- leading to clarity and mental serenity; the Rajasik –energetic ,active and willful and Tamasik - delusional, inertial and lustful.

A human being is affected by these three gunas. By his control of himself and his thoughts, breathing and tendencies, he learns to distinguish the tamasik from the rajasik.

Of course beyond this, through deep spiritual endeavour , one can aim to become gun-aateet meaning ‘beyond gunas’ or above the worldly plane altogether.

Today , the world is battling stress, trauma, loss and anxiety. People are gripped with a fear of the unknown. This is like fire. Our senses fan the fire and it rages uncontrollably.

I am working with people who are anxious, tense, depressed and frenzied. Even in this lockdown, I am able to help them remotely with sessions of mindfulness meditation, breathing and white light therapy. The key to stress management is in the mind.

The way to calm, confident, purposeful action lies within us. We must try our very best to be better in every way we can. Look at the magic of the Universe. It equips us to do this by the act of breathing, which is the first thing we do and also the last. Our most essential action becomes the route to our betterment and salvation.

Tanushree Choudhury Singh

Guest Author The author is an advertising and marketing professional who last served as Lead –Internal Communications at Tata Communications. She has made meditative healing her calling in life. She is a trained expert on cognitive therapy, white light meditation and access bars