"Box Breathing"

Samavritti Praanaayaam

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.

Over the past several weeks, we have been discussing the shatkarmas - the six preliminary practices which help the Yogi to mitigate Praanic distractions, so that they are no longer a distraction to the practice of the fourth limb, Praanaayaam.

The Eight-Limbed (Ashtaanga) Yoga: In this article, we are discussing Samavritti Praanaayaam. This is one of several techniques within the fourth limb, Praanaayaam.

Praanaayaam is the practice of elongating the Praana. The Praana and the mind are intimately connected. The more agitated the Praana is, the more agitated the mind will be. Conversely, the calmer and more subtle the Praana, the calmer and more subtle the movements of the mind.

चले वाते चले चित्तं निश्चले निश्चलं भवेत् ।

योगी स्थाणुत्वमाप्नोति ततो वायुं निरोधयेत् ॥

Chale vaate chalam chittam nishchale nichalam bhavet

Yogi sthaanutvamAapnoti Tato Vaayum Nirodhayet

When the Praana moves, the chitta moves. When the Praana is still, the chitta is still.

By the steadiness of Praana, the Yogi attains steadiness. Therefore, master the Praana.

- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2.2

As a result of this intimate connection between Praana and mind, Praanaayaam techniques are an extremely powerful way to take control of the mind. With these techniques, the Yogi can calm or energize the mind just by controlling the breath in specific ways, rather than be at the whim of its movements.

While the purpose of these techniques is to prepare the mind for meditation, they also have immense practical application.

Imagine for a moment that you are about to give a big presentation or performance. You notice that your heart is beating fast, and that the mind is feeling scattered. You are nervous, scared, and perhaps anxious or worried.

Normally, this kind of “stage fright” can be debilitating, leading to a poor performance or a scattered presentation. However, the Yogi can take control of the mind by controlling the Praana. By using the appropriate technique, the mind can be made calm within a matter of minutes.

Another scenario - imagine that you are feeling sad or stressed. You find yourself thinking about a situation where things didn’t go as planned, the mind on repeat like a broken record. Normally, this may lead to further rumination, and one can easily get sucked into the pits of despair. However, just like in the previous example, the Yogi can take control of the mind by controlling the Praana within a matter of minutes.

When it comes to meditation, many people say “I find it difficult to meditate.” When pressed further, it is usually a matter of the mind being too distracted, or finding it difficult to sit still. Praanayaam is a tremendous help in this situation. By practising the appropriate technique, the mind and body can be immediately calmed down, and sitting in meditation becomes easy.

P: Ok, I’m sold. This sounds too good to be true. How do I practice?

We have previously discussed the fundamentals of Praanayaam - what Praana is, and the variables that the Yogi can play around with. However, rather than creating your own kriya right off the bat, it helps to start with established techniques. Over the next few weeks, we will go over some of these.

Through practising these, you may find that some work better for you than others. Take what works and leave the rest. Do not completely discard it - you may find it helpful later on. There is no need to practice all the techniques, but for those that you choose, practice them regularly to see results.

Recap of the fundamentals

Generally speaking, the fundamental technique underlying all other techniques is called Deergha Shvaasam (literally “Big Breath”), and is described in the image below.

Make sure to practise this first, before attempting anything further.

The Variables

बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः॥

BaahyaAntaraStambhaVrittih DeshaKaalaSamkhyaabhih Paridrishtoh DeerghaSookshmah

[Praanaayaam] Manifests as external, internal, and restrained movements; in accordance with place, time, and count, [so as to make the breath] long and subtle.

- Yoga Sutras, 2.50

These are the variables of Praanaayaam. The goal is to make the Praana long and subtle by measuring your inhales, exhales, and holds by space, time, and count.

Finally, here is a diagrammatic representation of the first three variables - inhale, exhale, and pause. These variables result in four vrittis¹, or movements, of breath:

1. Puraka: The inhale (aka antara)

2. Antara-kumbhaka: The pause after inhaling

3. Rechaka: The exhale (aka baahya)

4. Baahya-kumbhaka: The pause after exhaling

Each edge of this rectangle is known as a vritti. There are four possible vrittis in a single breath.

In terms of kaal (the time variable), there are two types of Praanaayaam:

1. Samavritti: Where the four vrittis are of equal duration (aka kaal)

2. Vishamavritti: When there is variation in the duration (aka kaal) of the vrittis

Today, we will discuss the first type - Samavritti Praanaayaam. This technique, practised properly, is sufficient to achieve the goal of the fourth limb.

Samavritti Praanaayaam

The word “samavritti” (pronounced sum-uh-vrit-tee) literally means “equal movement”, and refers to when the duration of the inhalation, exhalation, and two pauses are of equal length. This technique is the first technique of Praanaayaam because without being able to keep the vrittis of equal length, it is difficult to control the duration of individual vrittis.

This technique has become somewhat popular in recent times under the name of “box breathing.” The only difference here is the stress on the precision of the timing.

The more precise you can get, the easier later techniques will be.

Finally, make sure to breathe diaphragmatically, as in the Deergha Shvaasam diagram above. Otherwise, the full effect will not be felt.

Technique 1: Straight line

Make sure to start with this technique. Do not try to jump ahead until this has been mastered to some degree.

Note: The maatraas provided below are only for the sake of illustration. What matters most is the ratio between the length of each vritti, not the exact lengths themselves.

1. Sit in your Aasana with your head, neck, and torso in alignment.

2. Breathe in to the count of four maatraas.

3. Breathe out for four maatraas, trying to eliminate the pause completely.

4. Breathe in for four maatraas immediately, eliminating the pause.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 for at least 20 counts, or until keeping the ratio equal becomes effortless, and the pause between breaths has completely disappeared.

Technique 2: Triangle

Once you have mastered the first technique, only then move on to the second technique. As above, the number of maatraas provided is only for the sake of example. What is important is not the exact count, but the ratio.

1. Sit in your Aasana with your head, neck, and torso in alignment.

2. Breathe in to the count of four maatraas.

3. Hold the breath for one maatraa.

4. Breathe out for four maatraas.

5. Breathe in for four maatraas immediately, eliminating the pause.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 for at least 20 counts, or until keeping the ratio of 4:1:4 becomes effortless.

Once this has been mastered to some degree, increase the length of the hold to two maatraas so that the ratio is 2:1:2.

Once that has been mastered, increase the length to four maatraas so that the ratio is 1:1:1.

Technique 3:

Once you are able to make the triangle equilateral (ie. the inhale, hold, and exhale are of equal length), proceed to this step.

1. Sit in your Aasana with your head, neck, and torso in alignment.

2. Breathe in to the count of four maatraas.

3. Hold the breath for four maatraas.

4. Breathe out for four maatraas.

5. Hold the breath (baahya-kumbhaka) for one maatraa.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 for at least 20 counts, or until keeping the ratio of 4:4:4:1 becomes effortless.

Once this has been mastered to some degree, increase the length of the external hold (baahya-kumbhaka) to two maatraas so that the ratio is 2:2:2:1.

Once that has been mastered, increase the length of the external hold to four maatraas so that the ratio is 1:1:1:1.

As you practice these techniques, see if you can get a feel for whether or not the vrittis are of equal length without using your maatraa. With practice, it will become instinctive, and later techniques will start to feel effortless.

Additionally, once you feel that you are able to keep the length of each vritti equal without much concentration, you can practice this technique any time, and in any position, making it a handy tool to take control of your mind during your daily life.

Remember, the goal of Praanaayaam is to make the breath as long and subtle as possible. For many, this technique by itself is sufficient to achieve that goal. Simply increase the number of maatraas over time (starting with four, increasing gradually until twenty or more), and notice how the mind becomes steadily calmer.

Until next time:

1. Practice these techniques for a few days, in sequence, and try to get an instinctive feel for the length of each vritti. This will come in handy for later practices.

2. Write down how you feel before and after the practice. Does the mind feel more calm? Has the volume or intensity of your thoughts changed? How was your day in comparison to days where you didn’t practice? Withi practice, do you feel more aware of your breath throughout the day?

Next time: Vishamavritti Praanaayaam: Odd-length breathing

1. The word “vritti” in this context has a different meaning from “vritti” in the context of mental modifications