I sometimes go around asking students and friends, ‘What is something you cannot live without?’ Somebody actually answered ‘selfie stick’, but the more sensible answers ranged from ‘I live to eat’ and ‘my family’ to ‘service to the underprivileged.’ While all these are wonderful reasons to live for, the answer I am looking for is both practical and wondrous in its nature. The act of drawing a breath and inhaling vital oxygen is what keeps us alive.
And it is also what we take most for granted about ourselves, and therefore, lost connection with the magnificence of our origin and purpose. Let me digress a little and point out that our planet is positioned just right, for life as we know it to flourish and thrive. A few metres front or back, and our planet would have been too hot or too cold for plants to pump out oxygen.
The act of inhaling every breath is a tribute and a testament to the intelligence that has crafted the universe and crafted the evolution of single-celled organisms into you and me. On that note, how about investing time in some practical magic with this incredible pranayama practice?
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Sit with your back straight or comfortably supported against a wall.
Let your shoulders and jaw relax. Close your eyes.
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Place the back of your hands near your knees.
Bring your attention to how you are breathing. Notice the rise and fall of your chest and the expansion and collapse of your abdominal region.
Also, notice the difference in the temperature of the air that you inhale and the air that you exhale.
On your right hand, fold the index and the middle finger into your palm.
Use the thumb and cover the right nostril.
Inhale through your left nostril to a count of 4. Now cover your left nostril using the ring finger.
Hold your breath in for a count of 7 and exhale through your right nostril for a count of 8.
Repeat the process in reverse by inhaling through the right nostril, holding your breath and exhaling through the left nostril.
Do this for at least 5 minutes with a tiny break in between.