Become aware of the air as it comes in and goes out through
your nostrils. Do not concentrate on the air as it enters in lungs, but limit awareness to
nostrils breath. Do not control your breathing. Don’t attempt to deepen it. It is not
breathing exercise, but breathing awareness. Whenever you are distracted, return with
vigour to your task to enable you to make you aware of each breath. Continue this exercise
for ten to fifteen minutes. This exercise may be difficult for some of you in comparison
to previous exercises; but it is most rewarding in sharpening awareness, bringing calmness
and relaxation. HOWEVER, in attempting breathing awareness DO NOT tense your muscles.
Determination must not be confounded with nervous tension. You may be distracted at the
beginning but you must keep returning again and again to the awareness of your breathing
the mere effort involved in doing this will bring beneficial effects that you will
gradually notice.
After developing some proficiency in this exercise move on to somewhat difficult and more
effective variant:
a) Become aware of the sensation of the air passing through your nostrils. Feel its touch
in which part of the nostrils you feel the touch of the air while inhaling .... and in
what part of the nostrils you feel the touch of the air while exhaling .......
b) Become aware of the warmth or coldness of the air .... its coldness when it comes in,
and its warmth when it goes out.
c) Also be aware of quantity of air that passes through one nostril is greater than the
amount that passes through other .....
d) Be sensitive and alert to the slightest, lightest touch while inhaling and exhaling
.... STAY with this awareness for ten to fifteen minutes. In case you put in more time,
you will get better results. But DO NOT stay on breathing awareness alone for many hours
over a period of more than two or three days. Although this exercise brings you great
peace and a sense of depth and fullness that delights you but prolonged concentration on
breathing is likely to produce hallucinations or to draw out material from the
unconscious that you may not be able to control.
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