Breath Rates and consciousness

[thelerner]

I've taken this from one of Infolad1's posts.  It was in the middle of a longer piece of writing and thought it was important enough to have its own thread.

 

"From Metu Neter Volume1:

 

If we average 1 breath/min. (breathing according to the 

techniques of meditation, pranayama and kumbhaka), we will make

contact with our divine nature. At such a slow rate we would succumb

to the grand slumber that Vishnu is said to enjoy in Maha Yoga. 

 

At 3 breaths per minute all thought processes stop, and we 

attain to Satya. That is, the ability to intuit all knowledge. Constant

meditation at this pace will heal the body, and prolong life. In 

addition, we will also activate the Kriya power that will enable us to 

attain whatever we desire in the world. 

 

4.5 breaths per minute will  place us in the Treta Yuga state.

Although intuition does not function 

perfectly at this pace, as thoughts can still intrude, 

understanding of spiritual truths is very high when we are in waking 

trance at this rate of breathing. This is the characteristic of the men

of the silver age. 

 

6 breaths/min. will place us in the Dwapara yuga 

stage, which is excellent for learning material facts. 

 

7.5 breaths per minute is the rate for performing japa (protracted repetition of 

mantras). In this practice a rosary of 108 beads is used to keep track

of the count, which is invariably placed at 108, 1080, 10800, etc. This practice is caused by the unfortunate failure to understand the 

connection of the number 10800 (108, 1080, etc.) with japa. It is the 

key to the rate of breathing at which japa is effective. Once you are 

in trance, it matters not if you repeated the mantra once, or 10,000 times. Once trance is achieved, the power of the mantra is 

awakened. 

 

9 breaths/min. corresponds to the rate at which we must 

breathe when performing Hatha Yoga asanas. It is excellent for 

strengthening the body, and correcting certain infirmities. Bala 

Rama, to which this rate corresponds, is the Hindu Hercules. 

 

18breaths/min. is the rate at which we are very externalized, and fully

subject to the domination of thoughts and emotions. It is therefore 

the number (rate) at which the Beast (animal soul) within us lives, 

and does its thing. 18 = 666 (6+6+6). To control it, and transcend 

it, all that we have to do is to deny it of its breath. It is as simple as 

that. 

 

The above harmonics occur once you get to Tai Hsi, known In yoga as

kevale khumbaka aka spontaneous breath suspension. This process is what

begins the movement of the real Yang Qi

 

We access the deeper, true reality at the theta brainwave state. This is the location of the

Bardo, of the Duat of Ancient Egypt, and of the "Heavens", and "Hells" of Buddhism, Taoism, and Judeo-Christianity."

 

 

 

me> Is the caveat here is that the breaths are done 24/7?  Don't most of us achieve a 3 or 4 breaths a minute cycle naturally during meditation? 

 

It took a year or two to get down correctly but in Ki-Aikido we'd practice a one minute breath cycle.  It certainly brought deep peace but I wouldn't say an enlightened state.  Course we students didn't stay in it very long, 15..30 minutes.  Some of the upper level guys would reputedly do 2 or 3 hours a day.

[Chang]

This beggars the question as to whether the rate of breath brings about the mental state or whether the mental state causes the rate of breath?

[Cheshire Cat]

[...]

me> Is the caveat here is that the breaths are done 24/7?  Don't most of us achieve a 3 or 4 breaths a minute cycle naturally during meditation? 

 

It took a year or two to get down correctly but in Ki-Aikido we'd practice a one minute breath cycle.  It certainly brought deep peace but I wouldn't say an enlightened state.  Course we students didn't stay in it very long, 15..30 minutes.  Some of the upper level guys would reputedly do 2 or 3 hours a day.

 

Can you tell something more about the source of the extract? (example: brief review)

 

This is not exactly the yoga sutra of patanjali: we should verify if the author has some experience or it's just mental speculation.

[Nikolai1]

Just as thunder and lightning are the same event viewed through different modalities, breath and thought are the same thing.

 

We can not set up causal relations between breath and thought just as we cannot say the light of lightning causes the sound of thunder.

[thelerner]

Can you tell something more about the source of the extract? (example: brief review)

 

This is not exactly the yoga sutra of patanjali: we should verify if the author has some experience or it's just mental speculation.

I'm not sure where Infolad1's quote comes from. 

 

The stuff I wrote on the bottom is personal commentary from my experience with the Ki Society (Ki-aikido- 13 years).  On weekends there'd be a 'Ki' class.  It was considered more breathing exercise then meditation but you'd sit seiza and the person heading the class would clap.  You'd breath out and slightly bend forward, then they'd clap you'd slowly straighten breathing in.  Eventually they'd get to about 50 seconds to a minute breath cycle.  <Looking for youtube video, can't find one.  It might be too boring to be recorded.

 

I think this was practiced in most Ki-Aikido (Shin Shin Toitsu Ki Aikido) dojo's, least in the old days.   William Reed writes about it in some of his books, including 'Ki-A Road anyone Can Walk & Ki A Practical Guide..'.  The founder of the style Koichi Tohei was famed for his long breath cycle.   

 

Can I do it now?  No, I left Aikido a decade ago.  The practice still influences my breathing, I naturally end up at about a 30 to 45 second breath cycle after awhile.   I used to work with Silent Ground's Deep Breath CD and used apps (Insight Timer is very good) to time breaths consistently.  These days I keep it simple and natural.  No timing other then what happens naturally.  I've always assume most people's breath cycle get much longer as they meditate.

 

Except for the somewhat unusual Wim Hof Method 10 Week course I'm slowly going through now.   That has crazy breath patterns and holds.  This week requiring singular one minute holds under cold showers, but that is a totally different animal then what the OP is about.  While I don't think I'll show you videos of me in the shower, I can do it. 

Edited December 3, 2015 by thelerner