Namaste and welcome back. You are in the third article of the series, Vigyan Bhairav Tantra Overview.
In this part, I will be mentioning the meditation techniques that deal with the breath as mentioned in Vigyan Bhairav Tantra. I suggest contacting the person who is known to meditation before trying to practice on your own. Yes, you can contact me.
The technique that deals with the breath is just turning you to the present moment. Lord Shiva gave this technique so that your mind stops wandering in the future or in the past. So, he gave the methods to focus on the truth, the truth of the present moment which is breathing. He doesn’t want you to focus on any person or idol, which might be true or might not be. He wants you to focus on the very truth that if you are alive you are breathing. These philosophies are added by me, note that Shive doesn’t give you any philosophy, he just gives you the method. There are 9 techniques that are concerned with the breath.
Don’t get confused with Yoga and Tantra here. Yoga systemizes the breath, it tries to alter the breathing pattern. But Tantra lets everything be natural and just makes it a mean to turn inward. You are not supposed to control anything, neither judge. Just witness and realize the truth, the breathing. What to point to realize depends on the method.
So, let’s write the methods that lord Shiva gave related to breathing.
Focus on the momentary pause or void between two breaths. Feel it.
You can feel that there is a gap between two breathe, where the breath is neither coming in nor going out. There is a pause there is a void, focus on that. Have complete awareness of that state of breath.
During inhalation and exhalation, there is a turn after a void or pause between the breath to start a new breath. Witness that.
You are supposed to notice the turn between the breaths. The very moment of the turn. To understand this, think of breath coming and breathe going out as one the half and the other half of the circle. So a breath starts from a point when you inhale, it reaches half of the circle and there is a void or gap where there is neither inhalation or exhalation and now you breathe out which is the other half of the circle. And finally, you meet the beginning point where there is another void. So you are supposed to be aware of that turn after the void.
Focus on the naval where the incoming and outgoing breath meets each other. Witness that
There is an endpoint at the abdomen where the breath touches and returns. In this method, you are supposed to witness that. If you are not breathing from the abdomen, face your both palms downward and try to breathe you will notice how your breath will reach the abdomen and not just return from the chest.
In the null point between the breath, the thought of me disappears and you get connected to the infinite source or Sakti.
Shiva is saying try to witness the null point as much as you can. In the null point, you have the possibility to get connected to the infinite source of energy or Sakti.
Focus between your eyebrows, try to witness your thoughts, feel the essence of breath.
It is very easy to have a focus on the middle of eyebrows, the place of the third eye. If you are trying to be attentive to any other part of the body it is difficult but the third eye catches attention. That place is magnetic for attention. So, once you start to focus there your witnessing capacity will increase and you have to witness the thoughts in your brain. Just witness, nothing more. Meanwhile, you have to feel the essence of breath as life energy.
Focus on the gap or void between your two breaths while you are doing the materialistic duties or worldly activities.
It is the same as mentioned above but the difference is being aware while you are doing worldly activities means while eating, while walking, while playing, etc. Focus on your walk as well as on your gap, focus on your food, feel the taste as well as focus on the gap of your breath simultaneously.
Be attentive between the two eyebrows and feel the pranic energy of the breath.
This technique is best to practice before sleeping. Focus between the eyebrows on the area of the third eye and also feel the life force, the pranic energy within the breath going in.
With devotion observe the breathing process as it comes inwards and outwards.
This technique is the same as above where there was no term such as devotion. But this method is for one who believes in devotion, who is deep-rooted into faith, love and trust, for such people Shiva says, have devotion on your breath and witness that.
Lie down as dead. Completely dead. Ignore everything, just dead. Lie down as dead.
This technique is the technique that gave enlightenment to Raman Maharshi, but it is not recommended to practice this meditation without proper guidance so I will not be explaining this further.
This is the end of the third article of the series. In the next article, we will discuss some other techniques mentioned in the book Vigyan Bhairav Tantra
