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The technique consists in deeply breathing in and out through both the nostrils,
producing a sound in the throat. During the exhalation the noise is not as loud as
during the inhalation. After a few days practice, the respiratory action is
lengthened without effort. This exercise is normally practiced twelve times.
[A mental count makes sure that the inhalation and the exhalation have the same
duration. It does good to focus not only on the process itself, but on the comfort
and the induced calmness as well; in this way, our concentration becomes deeper.]
cBandha
The neck and the throat are slightly contracted, while the chin tilts down toward
the breast (Jalandhara Bandha). The abdominal muscles are slightly
contracted to intensify the perception of energy inside the spinal column
(Uddiyana Bandha). The perinea muscles - between the anus and the genital
organs - are contracted in an attempt to lift the abdominal muscles in vertical way,
while pressing back the inferior part of the abdomen (Mula Bandha).
The three Bandhas are applied simultaneously and held out for about four
seconds to produce a vibration of the body; this is repeated 3 times. In time, a
sensation of energetic current sliding up along the spinal column - an almost
ecstatic internal shiver - will be perceived.
[These "contractions" bring the energy into the spinal column; in Kriya Yoga
they are to be found in Maha Mudra].
dFinal state
With a deep relaxation attitude, the attention is intensely focused on the
Kutastha - the point between the eyebrows - for at least five minutes.
I practiced this routine in the morning and in the evening with an empty
stomach. It was usually preceded by some stretching exercises; also by some
simple Asana when I had more time. I practiced the Pranayama session from
the half-lotus position, sitting on the edge of a pillow and keeping my back
straight.
Sometimes, in the first sunny days after the winter, when the skies were
crystalline and as blue as they had never been, I sat in the open air.
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I rather chose to remain here and try to improve my Pranayama, using all the
books I could find about Yoga, no matter what language they would be written
in.
The question was, how could I transform my practice so that it could have
the power to move and rotate the inner energy around the Chakras?
If this had to be - as stated by P.Y. - a universal process, there was no
doubt that I would find traces of it through other sources and perhaps I
would be able to discern the whole system of Kriya in its subtle four
phases.
There was something locked in a corner of my memory which became alive
again. When I was a child, I used to read everything I came on to, especially
books censored by the Church or considered strongly unsuited for my age
anyway; I was proud to practice a total freedom of choice and I was not open to
any advice. I wasted a lot of time on poor readings. In that great heap of books it
was impossible to distinguish in advance between the valuable ones and the many
other ones which, through tantalizing titles, contained but tall stories, impossible
chimeras aimed at stunning people. In the end I felt I had travelled through an
indistinct chaos. I had the bitter feeling that the most precious secrets were still
hidden in some other esoteric books, which I was not lucky enough to find.
Now, I vaguely remembered seeing some drawings, somewhere, sketching out the
profile of a person and the different circuits of energetic movement through his
body. The idea came to seek the needed information in the esoteric books rather
than in the classic books on Yoga.
I started going to a resale of used books; it was very well furnished, probably
because it had once been the Theosophical Societys reference bookstore. I turned
down the texts dealing only with philosophical topics, while, in ecstasy and not
concerned by the time, I kept on skimming through the books which clearly
illustrated practical exercises.
Before purchasing a book I made sure it hinted at the possibility of driving the
energy along certain internal channels, of creating a distinct action on the
Kundalini energy and of arousing it.
Since my first visit, I had been very lucky; while reading the index of a text in
three volumes, introducing the esoteric thought of a famous
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