The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath (1903)

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The Occidental teachings show that the physical health depends very materially upon correct breathing. The Oriental teachers not only admit that their Occidental brothers are right, but say that in addition to the physical benefit derived from correct habits of breathing, Man’s mental power, happiness, self-control, clear-sightedness, morals, and even his spiritual growth may be increased by an understanding of the “Science of Breath.” Whole schools of Oriental Philosophy have been founded upon this science, and this knowledge when grasped by the Western races, and by them put to the practical use which is their strong point, will work wonders among them. The theory of the East, wedded to the practice of the West, will produce worthy offspring. Singleton, Mark (2010). Yoga Body: the origins of modern posture practice. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-539534-1. These seven people were insistent that they must learn what this man had in him, but Shiva ignored them. They pleaded and begged him, “Please, we want to know what you know.” Shiva dismissed them and said, “You fools. The way you are, you are not going to know in a million years. There is a tremendous amount of preparation needed for this. This is not entertainment.” The Hindu Yogis have always paid great attention to the Science of Breath, for reasons which will be apparent to the student who reads this book. Many Western writers have touched upon this phase of the Yogi teachings, but we believe that it has been reserved for the writer of this work to give the Western student, in concise form and simple language, the underlying principles of the Yogi Science of Breath, together with many of the favorite Yogi breathing exercises and methods. We have given the Western idea as well as the Oriental, showing how one dovetails into the other. We have used the ordinary English terms, almost entirely, avoiding the Sanscrit terms, so confusing to the average Western reader. They go on to explain each further step of Yoga as a way of modulating the brain structures, finally leading to a completely tranquil mind which has many spiritual connotations, in addition to physical health enhancement and stress reduction

Zen is one form of spiritual path which has no scriptures, books, rules, or particular practices – nothing. It is an uncharted path. It is not very different from what Yoga is. What we call Yoga, they call Zen. In Yoga, we present the same thing as a science while in Zen it is handled as an art form.” Is Yoga suitable for beginners? Of all the yogic sciences, this is the one that is best-known, and yet still misunderstood. Asanas are the yoga poses that you can find in studios, workshops, and social media posts around the planet. You may even be familiar with some of them: downward dog, cobra pose, triangle, shoulder stand, and so on. While these postures are a great way to get in shape, build stamina, and increase flexibility, their true purpose is to prepare the physical body and its energetic systems to sit comfortably in meditation. In fact, many of the early yoga postures taught in the ancient texts and schools of yoga were all seated meditation poses. It wasn’t until yoga made its way west in the early 19th century that asana became the primary focus of yoga practice. According to the yogic sage Patanjali, asana is just the third step within an eight-step system. It is a preparatory practice within yoga, and not yoga itself. Does that mean one should not practice asana? Of course not! It’s a wonderful practice, and even more so when done in conjunction with the other yogic sciences. Pranayama The Cerebro-Spinal System attends to all the seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling etc. It sets things in motion; it is used by the Ego to think-to manifest consciousness. It is the instrument with which the Ego communicates with the outside world. The system may be likened to a telephone system, with the brain as the central office, and the spinal column and nerves as cable and wires respectively. The power of force transmitted from the brain to all parts of the body by means of nerves is called by the Yogi, “Prana.” In character and rapidity, it resembles the electric current. It will be seen that without this “nerve force” the heart cannot beat; the blood cannot circulate, the lungs cannot breathe.

Acott, Ted S.; Cramer, Holger; Krucoff, Carol; Dobos, Gustav (2013). "Adverse Events Associated with Yoga: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series". PLOS ONE. 8 (10): e75515. Bibcode: 2013PLoSO...875515C. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075515. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3797727. PMID 24146758. Yoga can be used as exercise to help maintain physical fitness. A complete yoga session with asanas and pranayama provides on average a moderate workout. [b] Surya Namaskar (the 12-asana Salute to the Sun sequence) ranged from light to vigorous exercise, depending on how it was performed. [c] The average for a session of yoga practice without Surya Namaskar was light or moderate exercise. [d] [P 6] [P 7] Cardiovascular health [ edit ] Yogis know that by certain forms of breathing they establish certain relations with the supply of prana and may draw on the same for what they require. We greet our students, with our most profound saalam, and bid them be seated for their first lesson in the Yogi Science of Breath.

In a vivid narration from Sadhguru, we take a look at the being who introduced yoga to humankind, the Adiyogi, the first yogi. Baars, Bernard J. (2002). "The conscious access hypothesis: origins and recent evidence". Trends in Cognitive Science. 9.Getting the idea out of people’s heads that Yoga is an ancient form of exercise is a big task by itself. But if we don’t do this, true Yoga will not happen. When you do Surya Namaskar for example, do not focus on your muscles but on becoming in sync with the source of all energy in this solar system. How long will it take to get there? How long does it take to become a yogi? It can be a moment, it can be a millennium, or it can be never. You might as well ask how long it takes to fall in love with someone, or how long it takes to become a devotee. You can set a time only for physical aspects, not the subtler aspects of life. Sadhguru says, “The word ‘Zen’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Dhyan.’ Gautama the Buddha taught Dhyan. Bodhidharma carried Dhyan to China, where it became Chan. This Chan went further down into Far East Asian countries, where it became Zen. The Yogi practices exercises by which he attains control of his body, and is enabled to send to any organ or part an increased flow of vital force or “prana,” thereby strengthening and invigorating the part or organ. He knows all that his Western scientific brother knows about the physiological effect of correct breathing, but he also knows that the air contains more than oxygen and hydrogen and nitrogen, and that something more is accomplished than the mere oxygenating of the blood. He knows something about “prana,” of which his Western brother is ignorant, and he is fully aware of the nature and manner of handling that great principle of energy, and is fully informed as to its effect upon the human body and mind. He knows that by rhythmical breathing one may bring himself into harmonious vibration with nature, and aid in the unfoldment of his latent powers. He knows that by controlled breathing he may not only cure disease in himself and others, but also practically do away with fear and worry and the baser emotions.

Unlike the conventional approaches to view Yoga as a predominantly body oriented discipline, Dr. King and Swamy Satyapriya [38], treat Yoga as a neuroscientifically rooted complete system of practices aimed at not only enhancing physical but also mental health, as well as spiritual upliftment.The infant draws in a long, deep breath, retains it for a moment to extract from it its life-giving properties, and then exhales it in a long wail, and lo! its life upon earth has begun. The old man gives a faint gasp, ceases to breathe, and life is over. From the first faint breath of the infant to the last gasp of the dying man, it is one long story of continued breathing. Life is but a series of breaths. Essentially, the yamas and niyamas are a yogic code of conduct that teach us how to interact with the world around us as well as the world within. The classical teachings of yoga suggest that before you attempt any yoga poses or meditative practices, you need to work on being a good person. The first step in this process are the yamas, and they can be thought of as a moral code: the way in which a yogi should interact with those around them. In 1937, the Yale physiologist K. T. Behanan published his book Yoga: A Scientific Evaluation, reporting that a form of pranayama, Ujjayi ("Victorious breath"), performed at the slow rate of 28 breaths in 22 minutes, could create a deeply relaxed state that he called "an extremely pleasant feeling of quietude", [10] accompanied by a marked slowing of mental performance on tests such as mental sums, recognising colours and solving simple puzzles. The science journalist William Broad notes that this finding contradicted the image of yoga as conferring special powers. [11] [10] High breathing is probably the worst form of breathing known to man and requires the greatest expenditure of energy with the smallest amount of benefit. Mid Breathing For example, the authors view the first two steps of Yoga namely , Yama and Niyama as a way of minimizing negative thoughts and reinforcing positive thoughts. Similarly, they view the next two steps, namely Asana and Pranayama, as training the attention system in the brain. They argue that proper practice of these 4 initial steps of Yoga results in a calmer and focussed mind. They assert that this calm state of the mind is the one that is actually responsible for the observed [43] reduction in stress, and consequent health benefits of Yoga.