The Breathing Air is Brahman

One may ask a question –
“You say, oxygen and breathing are very vital and at the same time you say that the breathlessness state is the deathlessness state”

Breathing air – Oxygen is life.

Prepare the field and channel your vital force. Transform your energy requirements and form your body into a different body. People will see the same person, but there is a different inner person altogether. I will give an example of how we are misusing our latent power in breathing. The efficiency of the machine indicates that. It should do less work and give more production and less wear and tear.

Vital Capacity

Each human Inspire Breath contains 300 ml of air and out of this, 20% is oxygen. The body retains only 4% of the oxygen. So, in 18 respirations per minute, the lungs retain about 210 ml. of oxygen. Vital Capacity is that amount of air the body retains after a full inhalation following the deepest possible exhalation.

Please remember, there is another terminology or explanation, i.e., Vital Capacity. I exhale fully (maximum capacity), then I inhale deeply. I take about 4,500 to 5,000ml of air in. Of air; 4% of it is about 200 ml. of oxygen. See how we are misusing our capacity. Instead of a single inhalation which meets our need (of 1 minute) we are taking 18 inhalations. Our body is working 18 times more than required. This is an inefficient use of our body machine. Kriya Yoga teaches smooth, rhythmic respiration and maximum utilization of oxygen. There is no discomfort, no hardship, and no unnecessary strain on the lungs. At the same time, there is a transformation of the biological force into spiritual force.

Where does control of mind come in with respiration?

As you know, under excitement our respiration becomes hurried and faster. Respiration becomes more and more rapid if you are angry or under sexual stimulation. But when a person is very calm, respiration is slower. When a person is solving a mathematical problem (minutely and attentively), then his respiration becomes very small and short – almost imperceptible. They conserve energy that way. The yogic experts in ancient times observed that emotion give rise to a change in the rhythmic pattern of respiration. Hence causing excitement.

Can we do the reverse and control the emotion?

Can we change our respiration pattern or rhythm and control our emotions? That is “Pranayam” (rest of Prana, life force), the regulated control of the breath which controls the senses and emotions. Thereby it controls the mind. If the breathing is very rapid, the mind becomes restless. If the breathing is calm and rhythmic, the mind becomes calm.

The Samadhi State – In brief

This is where the great yogis have taken help of the breathing to control the mind. Only after controlling the mind, one can have a thoughtless state. A 100% thoughtless state is the state of “Samadhi”. It is the state of perfect concentration of the mind, where there is no thought in the mind at all – only pure consciousness (“Chitta”).

May the Almighty, working through Lord Krishna and Arjuna, Bless, Guide, Protect and Inspire you and remove your troubles.

With Love and Blessings to you. Humbly,
Paramahansa Atmananda Ji