The central role of breathing
Chapter 14
The central role of breathing
The
ancient Chinese, and probably even more old wise people, have said that the
number of times you breathe in and out during a lifetime is already
predetermined before you are born. When they felt the end of this life coming
close, they switched to a very slow pace of breathing – in order to have as
much time as possible to prepare for this great transition. In principle, those
who live a peaceful, quiet life and exhale fully, live longer.
If a
few breaths more or less will make a difference, we do not know. However, it is
obvious that the way we breathe is of big influence to our lives, just as the
way in which our lives unfold is a reflection of how we deal with our energy. If
the circulation of energy from the pelvic source is not harmonious, it tells
you something about the way you behave, including your way of breathing. It is
of crucial importance to realize this, for breathing plays such a central role
that you cannot restore the flow in your energy system sufficiently, without
involving the way you breathe.
Whatever you will do to harmonize and align your energy system, without
breathing in the right way you will work against yourself at the same time.
This way the effect of any treatment or working on yourself will remain
limited. On the other hand, the right way of breathing can be a great help to prevent
or to streamline a disturbed Kundalini-process. Bearing this in mind, in this
chapter we will cover the central role of breathing, before we go on to explore
the themes of centering and grounding, and the various therapeutic
possibilities.
Absorbing life energy through breath
In
western, materialistic views, breathing is looked upon as a matter of air and
oxygen. Through the lungs the blood absorbs oxygen, and this way it is
distributed throughout the body. Consumed, low-oxygen and carbon dioxide rich
air exit the body through the airways, to make place for new air that enters
through inhalation.
From an energetic perspective, breathing is not about the air and also
not about the oxygen but about the energy that we obtain from breathing. The
inhaled air contains chi (qi or prana), the universal
energy of life that is not only present in the air, but in all sorts of
substances, also in food and liquids. The blood absorbs the energy from the
inhaled air and transports her throughout the body via the blood vessels.
However, there are also other ways in which we obtain energy from the
surroundings. Actually the skin should also be breathing, through the skin we
can exchange energy with the surroundings from the body. Caused by various
circumstances the skin can be rather ‘closed
off’ which makes her feel like a boundary. In fact the skin is a sort of
membrane, more or less absorbent with innumerable pores. Microscopic pictures
show that the skin is not a boundary at all, and on a more subtle level it
seems that the skin also consists of space and energy, and as such the skin does
not really form a physical barrier between the outside world and the internal
space of the body.
In western visions it is emphasized that we release energy as (excessive) heat through our skin via
transpiration. If we cannot do this, it will become difficult to regulate the
temperature of the body. It is well known that we can absorb external
substances through the skin; however, physiologists will find it hard to
believe that the skin is also a way through which universal life energy can be
absorbed into our bodies. It is however subjectively experienced, just like you
can experience that the skin is transparent in an energy-like way, and is definitely
not a boundary around yourself.
Still very young children ‘are’ in that way, without a boundary around
them, but also without having any idea that this would be something
extraordinary. Their skin is still breathing - absorbs and radiates energy – and
functions as an organ of contact instead of a boundary. Cosmic energy can enter
through their skin and find its way to the source in the pelvis, so that the
child can live in the radiance of the Unity. You could say that this is
perfectly self-evident for them – which makes it remarkable for us to loose
this state of being and sooner or later experience ourselves as a
‘skin-enclosed ego’. You can recognize this kind of ego by the experience that
you are ‘here within’ whereas the world around your body would be ‘there
outside’.
Fortunately our body and energy system still have a third provision that
offers comfort especially for as long as we live in this state of separation. This
is about some energy connections that are important to us throughout our lives
but even more so when the skin does not breathe or does not feel transparent
enough. In the cavity of the nose, at the sides of the nostrils, the start of two
energy channels (nadi’s) is located, that also absorb energy from the inhaled
air. These energy channels can be found in all sorts of symbols relating to
spirituality, also included in the visions of the ancient Indians, Egyptians
and Greek.
The Greek and the Romans presented these channels as both snakes in the Caduceus, the three-fold Hermes’ staff
(named Mercury by the Romans). These two channels do not start or end at the ‘third eye’, as incorrectly stated in some
books. Also the function of these channels has not always been described or understood
in the correct manner. It is not intended that Kundalini-energy moves up
through these channels; these channels are to receive energy from outside of
the body.
The snakes on the staff of Hermes or
Mercury have their mouths close to the nostrils because there they ‘eat’ energy
from inhaled air. The left channel is named
Ida in Indian yoga. In this channel, moon-energy (yin, female, benefits
night consciousness, cooling and calming) is transported via the outside layers
of the chakras, to the tailbone. The right channel, the Pingala, absorbs solar-energy (yang, male, benefits activity during
awakened-consciousness, creativity and healing), from the inhaled air; again this
will be transported via the outside layers of the chakras to the area of the
tailbone.
In this way both energy flows keep the
chakras rotating. These energy centres, which consist of spirals of concentric
circles, have to rotate (respectively slower or faster, and to the right or to
the left) to perform their task. Energy that flows through Ida naturally
influences the performance of the chakras in a different way than energy that
flows through Pingala. Together Ida and Pingala fulfil a regulatory function in
the ‘holistic’, balance seeking, energy system. In every day life we experience
some of this when one of our nostrils or both together are more open or closed.
In principle, the body or energy system independently determines when we
inhale more through one or the other nostril. There is a certain regularity in
this but it also depends on our behaviour, which of both channels is
predominantly used to absorb energy. Usually Pingala is more open during the
day, whilst Ida tends to be more open in the night. As mentioned before, in
order to be able to sleep the left nostril must be open. The right nostril
provides the intake of energy to be able to be awake, and active. During the
day sometimes both nostrils are open, and at times one is more open than the
other, or vice versa.
The threefold unification process
The tail of both snakes is situated
where the tailbone and sacrum are adjacent to each other, just above the base-
or root chakra. At times when there is balance between the energies of Ida and
Pingala, they both give impulses to the Kundalini-energy present around the
tailbone. They do not penetrate into the highly concentrated supply present in the tailbone; both tails arouse the
already released energy that is ‘waiting’ at the junction of tailbone and
sacrum until she needs to be used. At the intended times of homeostasis
(balance), through the joint stimulus of Ida and Pingala, the Kundalini-energy
gains access to the cavity in the sacrum, where the third channel of the
three-fold staff begins: the central channel that runs through the spine and
through the inner circle of the chakras – through places where they are
connected to the spine. In Indian yoga, this channel is referred to as Sushumna (Sanskrit) or Susumma (Pali).
Within the Sushumna-nadi there is a variety
of even more subtle channels or nadi’s. In some texts about yoga these
connections are referred to as Citrini-
and Brahma-nadi, and others name them
Vajra- or Vajrini-nadi, which contain the
Citrini-nadi (also spelled as Chitrini-nadi)
and Brahma-nadi. The names and the
correct number of nadi’s are of little importance in this chapter – what is of
concern to us now is that the ordering is concentric: one flow takes place within the other, etc.
The most inner flow, the Brahma-nadi, is the silver thread (part of the ‘healing
guidance thread’), our connection to our heavenly origin. In this sense this is
not a channel (nadi) through which energy flows but the energy itself, as a
very fine flow or thread. Those who learn to observe these channels and energy
flows within themselves will find that it is not possible to further penetrate
this thread – it is the most inner flow.
‘Brahman’ is the supreme Soul with which our individual soul is one,
although we do not often experience this consciously. We are with our silver
thread, energy system and body at our individual place and time a
specification, a differentiation of the One, the supreme Soul. And we can start to feel this in a conscious
way if there is a certain flow of energy in the Sushumna, through which our silver
thread runs. The Sushumna coincides with part of the governor meridian (from
acupuncture) between the crown (and crown chakra) and tailbone. The silver
thread is not totally dependent on the spine, it has a certain freedom to take
a slightly different route and to expand with branches, and so the connection
is not just via the crown but can for example also be via the crown chakra. In
order to balance our entire energy system, it is important to let the healing
thread, via its branches, stream through our legs and feet into the earth
beneath (see next chapter).
The sacrum, seen from aside, with the sacral hiatus (s.h.), also known as the ‘cave of Shiva’, and the qi point (or chi point), q. Under the right circumstances (like breathing the right way) Kundalini-energy from the tailbone enters the cavity in the sacrum to merge with the descending cosmic energy (heavenly light) through the Brahma-nadi or the ‘healing guidance thread’ that runs through the Sushumna. Both forces radiate as one energy through the front of the sacrum, as a fountain of light from the qi point, forming a bowl of energy (light) in the abdominal area.
Directly above the tailbone is the entrance to the cavity in the sacrum, (the ‘holy bone’) also referred to as the ‘cave of Shiva’ in India (Hiatus in Latin). If, as a result of balanced stimulus from Ida and Pingala, Kundalini-energy enters the sacrum, in principle it can immediately merge there with the silver thread that consists of cosmic energy descending from the dimension that we call ‘heaven’. In other words: Shakti and Shiva, Kundalini and spiritual energy, can in principle already merge together in the sacrum. You can also put it this way: unification of Atman and Brahman, soul and supreme Soul, can already take place in the sacrum: our individual self with the cosmic universe, Kundalini and Mahakundalini, micro cosmos and macro cosmos.
The name
‘cave of Shiva’ indicates that Indian traditions too must have known that the
great unification can take place here: which makes it even more remarkable that so many yoga practices focus on ascension of
Kundalini-energy.
This can only
mean that one is trying to speed up the development process and thus is forcing
something that would happen naturally, given that one is already in balance or
is working towards it. Pranayama exercises are meant to regain the balance
within, yet are often used (or rather misused) to intensify the stimulant of
Ida and Pingala – which is not without risk.
Meanwhile the process described above indicates that ‘rattling’ the
Kundalini-energy on its way up through the spine is a superfluous undertaking.
It is not necessary to practise specific yoga- or other exercises to awaken the
Kundalini from its state of hibernation and to purposely provoke ascension.
Actually it would be rather foolish, since chances are that by doing so the wholeness
within you breaks, or if it were lost already, it would make the recovery thereof
more difficult! It is only necessary for a tiny bit of the Kundalini-energy to
be released into the sacrum on a regular basis, where a direct fusion of this
energy from our personal pelvic source with the descending energy from the
Great Cosmic Source is possible (which, in contrast to the source from the
tailbone, is inexhaustible). It is of greater importance for the descending energy
to make its way down to the spine, at least all the way down to the sacrum,
unrestrained. This way the gradual, in principle calmer and more natural
process is started – not a ‘Kundalini-process’, but indeed a transformation
process. It even is the transformation- and unification process that it has
always been about anyway.
Straight from the cavity in the sacrum, at the height of the second and
third joined coccygeal vertebra, the energies that fused can come together as
one energy, the white glowing energy of Oneness, radiating in all directions,
both through the spine as well as through the legs and feet. You could say that
the energy that first was ‘Kundalini’ (‘the coiled female’), in the meantime
has ‘unrolled’ itself from the tailbone, and no longer is ‘kundala’. This is
caused by fusion in the sacrum and also results in the loss of the ‘ini’
character (female ‘yin’) – as well as any
tendency to ascend in a powerful, flaming and unpredictable manner. The
nature of both these energies has already changed itself through merging in the
sacrum with the descending force: yin and yang become one energy, chi, the energy of Tao. All chakras will then vibrate in this
white light. It is the unification of ‘below’ and ‘above’ and ‘above’ and
‘below’.
Of course, the silver thread, or healing guidance thread, must be able
to radiate generously, preferably reaching the earth under our feet. To this
end, it is beneficial for the spine, as well as the pelvic source, legs and
feet, to be free from any obstructions, all the way from top to bottom. This is
the case for most people at the start of our lives, until alternating periods
of good and bad fortune take their toll on the balance in our energy system,
and the healing guidance thread eventually turns into a worn out shivering thin
piece of thread. Nevertheless the
healing guidance thread is with us through our entire lives, however unstable –
if it is broken, we permanently leave our body. This means we can always
restore the contact with, the feeling of, or the alignment to this silver cord
or thread. As long as we do what is necessary for this alignment – especially
in the sense of letting go.
Actually we have already discussed that these obstructions usually
involve withheld emotions, a head overfilled with thinking, a prejudiced mind
and an unnatural way of breathing (in the next chapter we further discuss this
topic). Because of all this we are no longer attuned to the healing guidance
thread. This basically means the same as not ‘listening to your inner voice’,
since it is through the silver cord (healing guidance thread) that we receive
our intuitive guidance from above: inspiration enters as energy (light) from
above.
If
there are no restrictions, the white light of Oneness also shines from the
sacrum all around, through the entire human body as well as through the layers
of consciousness and energy that surround the body. The skin becomes
transparent again, permeable; from this place in the sacrum the energy unites
itself with the omnipresent cosmic energy that is present in the space wide
around the body, i.e. with the one infinite field of Oneness. Therefore
‘within’ and ‘without’ are increasingly experienced as one.
The harmonious collaboration of Ida and Pingala into the pelvic source
precedes this unification. You could say that, Ida and Pingala bring the Kundalini-energy
to the right temperature; in this context it also applies that heat moves
upwards by itself. If the intended merger and fusion of yin and yang takes
place in the sacrum, our process of opening up, letting go, becoming aware and
transformation can proceed from this connection onwards. This is the way it is
meant to be, as it is symbolized like this by the Caduceus, and our energy
system is constructed in this way. We
could say that the three-fold staff of Hermes is symbol for a three-folded
unification process: the unification of (1) above
and below, (2) within and without, (3) male and female within us (sun and moon, right
and left from the middle, guided by Pingala and Ida). These three aspects of
the unification process can also be found in the Thomas gospel, in which they
are considered as part of the process called ‘entering the Kingdom’.
Connecting with the higher-Self
Besides possible obstructions in the flow from top to bottom, there
can be all sorts of blockages in the energy connections and in places where the
energy should flow towards or radiate. The best way to think about barriers is as
a sort of narrowing road that causes a delay, or a blockage in the flow, which
is at some moment reduced, compared to what it was before. If the obstructions
in the spine (mainly in the central line through the spine, the Sushumna) can be let go of, the silver
cord can shine more generously, enabling the fusion with the energy from the
pelvic source to become stronger, brighter.
Energy from the point
of fusion in the sacrum is also beamed upwards, and can also encounter
obstructions along the way. Nevertheless, if the connection between
Kundalini-energy and the silver cord
is almost not or barely happening, whereas a lot of energy from the tailbone is
released, the yin-like, perhaps somewhat fiery, energy has to find another way
of release. The flows of Kundalini-energy become capricious, disorderly, and
can flow upwards in all sorts of directions, potentially through very different
channels other than the Sushumna. And
also these other channels can be obstructed along the way. Conversely, the
energy can, as we already noticed, also be unconsciously and unwillingly drawn
to places in the body, through what we think, through emotions and by our behaviour.
And if we are not aligned to the silver
cord, this can all become quite erratic.
It is not easy to accurately
feel in which channel the obstruction is located – this would require an already
increased level of body consciousness. However, a pre-existing condition
necessary for balance between descending and ascending flows of energy is for
the spine to feel comfortably warm (not burning) and with no perception of movement
going from bottom to top, neither from top to bottom: the spine resonates on
the spot, feels like a fixed beam running through the middle of the back, similar
to the stable vibrating string of a musical instrument.
This makes it
possible for the ‘higher-Self’, symbolised by the round sphere on top of the
middle part of the Caduceus, to take leadership of the further process of
consciousness and healing, not hindered by blockages and hard headed
ego-thinking, emotions, wants and do’s, if at the level of daily waking consciousness,
attention is given to the instructions from above. A smooth process of
expansion of consciousness will bring itself into action, during the cause of
which the spirit will ‘spread its wings’; from the areas in and behind the ears
the aura layers start to expand themselves, so that other dimensions can be
integrated within the perception of self.
If this process runs
gradually and reasonably harmonious depends on two important factors. The first
(which unfortunately is often disregarded) is the connection with the earth
under your feet. Without a clear orientation point under the feet the various
layers of consciousness and energy will not be able to shine all around the
physical body. This is what makes it more difficult for the higher Self, to
utilise the whole body with the complete energy system therein and around it,
as an instrument. In this life the higher-Self stands for the following task: to
penetrate the body as deeply as possible, so that it can express itself through
the body with all its capacities in this earthly reality. We are not here now without reason.
From your ‘I’
consciousness, you can be of service to your ‘higher Self’ by giving this task and process your full commitment.
In principle this is already being done by way of letting go of everything that
does not belong in you, towards the earth - all resistances that could lead to
obstructions. This clears the way for a generous flow from top to bottom
through you, so that you can start to listen even better to the inspiration
that enters through the healing guidance thread from the higher-Self (or from
‘heaven’).
The way you breathe
The second factor, equally important as the first, is the way
in which you breathe. As we already discussed, respiration has a very direct
relation to building up and maintaining the harmony within our energy system.
Conversely a wrong manner of breathing undermines this same harmony; also
breathing that way might even weaken the chance for harmony to establish. Just
by breathing in a wrong manner we break the original unity within ourselves,
also the being one with the world around the body. As soon as we inhale from a
place too high tension starts to build up in the solar plexus and chest,
possibly also in the throat and head. Furthermore, when we do not exhale
completely, we hold on to the built up tension, leading to blockages that
prevent a harmonious energy circulation.
Through breathing in
from the chest area, we also draw Kundalini-energy upwards from the area around
the tailbone – further upwards than is needed. We have already spoken about the
disadvantages of a forceful upward push through the Sushumna. And the question
remains if, with this incorrect breathing, the energy actually flows through
the central channel - just remember the therefore required balance between Ida
and Pingala. Upward rising energy originating from the pelvic source can find different
routes, under the influence of blockages and behaviour, and then starts to push
into areas (tissues, organs) from which they are not going to be released.
As a result of this we
have to endure all sorts of impulses, which are in fact a reflection of
emotions, ego thinking and tendencies to keep control. The ‘higher’ you breathe
in, the more tension you build up. In fact, many people do not even use the
muscle meant for breath taking, the diaphragm, but instead use the chest
muscles. In this way an incorrect manner of breathing takes us away from our
natural state. Some people inhale the breath no further than their throat,
usually out of fear, which is not helpful.
The area from where
you inhale performs a balancing task for the energy system, in the sense that
we draw energy to that spot and we do or do not let go from that same area,
depending on whether or not we fully exhale our breath or just a part of it.
Nearly nothing is as important as the area where we have our centre of
respiration, for the harmony or disharmony of our complete energy system
depends on the place from which the impulse for breathing originates.
We are where we breathe, and we are the breath. Breath is
energy – life energy. Without breath our body is not alive. The word ‘breath’
(in German ‘Atem’) is related to the name ‘Adam’, derived from Sanskrit Atman. The meaning of Atman is ‘breath of life’, ‘the universal
Spirit in nature and in humans’, also referred to as the ‘divine monad’. Atman is the one Self in each of us, and
when we realize this Self we also recognise the truth of the ancient saying
‘Atman is Brahman’. The name ‘Atman’
stands for our total individuality, our individual unity of body, soul and
Spirit, a unity that is one with the supreme Soul, Brahman, the great living
whole of all energy processes in the Cosmos.
By breathing along
with the great cosmic Breath, by receiving cosmic energy and letting it pass
through us in a lifelong alternation of granting and letting go, we become one
with the cosmic sea, the universal field of life energy. We then are like the
wave that knows he is also the full ocean, since he recognizes his true nature
as water; or like the droplet that itself knows it has the ocean within it – not just theoretically or intellectually,
but from first-hand experience.
In the next chapter
we will discuss how this self-experience becomes possible by breathing from the
right place in the body, thus centering ourselves connecting from there with
the earth. Even before this self-awareness will be experienced, centering and grounding
through breathing the right way will regulate the energy flows in and around
the body and temper the capricious activity of Kundalini-energy.
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