SAY Rhythmic Breathing Practice (SAY RB)
Before starting this exercise, it is essential to fully understand the scientific and spiritual basis of this practice as has been explained in earlier notes.
Stage One :
Sit in a quiet place. In the morning, this practice has to be done in the bed itself. One can attend to his nature calls, wash his feet and wipe it with clean cloth. Then touch the ground with your hands and say with full devotion ‘Pruthvi Mate Namastubhyam’ पृथ्वी माते नमः स्तुभ्यम् This means ‘I respectfully bow and salute to Mother Earth’. This is the first thing one should do at the start of his day.
Stage Two :
Close your eyes. Relax and take a few deep and slow breaths as per your own breathing pattern. One can sit in any posture which is comfortable. It is essential that his back is straight. His straight spine should be able to facilitate the upward movement of the energy current from solar plexus towards the head.
Now start the main part of the practice.
Stage Three :
Put the palm of one of your hands (it can be either left or right hand) at the centre of your chest. Feel the warmth there. Feel the pulsation of the heart. It is OK if you don’t get these sensations in the beginning. Feel the upward and downward movement of your chest as you take in and exhale your breath. Focus on the inside of your chest. All along this exercise, the palm of your hand will remain in this position while keeping full awareness of the sensations inside of your chest.
Stage Four :
Take a few easy slow breaths. Around 2 to 5 breaths are ok. This is to settle down the physical body and mind in a relaxed, calm and aware position.
Stage Five :
We are going to take 17 SAY Rhythmic Breaths.
The counting will be done as follows :
Put your other hand on your thigh, palm facing upward. Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your small finger. Then take a deep breath in your own breathing pattern. It is essential that you don’t break your breathing pattern. It is your rhythm. We are only moderately slowing down the process of taking in the breath and exhaling. You may wish to retain the breath for some time. But it is not critically needed. The breath will be deeper than what is your usual pattern. It is absolutely essential that during this exercise you do not strain your muscles involved in breathing. If this happens, there will be moments when you will have to unusually exhale the breath in a speedy manner. This will break the rhythm and therefore has to be avoided at all costs. As we have said earlier, BREATHING RHYTHM is very important and it has to be maintained throughout this exercise. After having completed one breathing cycle (i.e. Breathe In and Breathe Out), move the tip of your thumb to the second joint of your little finger as shown in the diagram. Repeat the process explained above. In this way you will take 16 deep rhythmic breaths. The last seventeenth breath will be with joining of the tips all the fingers together.
The joining of the tip of thumb with the tip and joints of each finger serves the purpose of counting 17 breaths in an autonomous way so that we can fully focus on the essential aspects of our breathing practice. At the same time there is a deeper and secret significance of these hand gestures. The tip of each finger as well as each joint has direct connection with different energy centres in our body as well as in our brain. They also connect to five elements of Fire, Air, Space, Earth and Water. There is also a connection with the planets. Each finger carries specific energy and vibrational signature. Within this, the tip and each joint of the finger carry something like an octave of that finger's energy and vibrational pattern. Thumb has a special place in this scheme. Thumb acts as a base charging point of different life currents. Touching the tip of thumb to the various locations of joints of fingers serves a tuning and charging of different vibrational energy currents of our life field. When this is done during the rhythmic breathing process, these currents get activated from Prana in the cosmos.
All that exists in the three worlds rests in the control of prana. As a mother protects her children, O prana, protect us and give us splendor and wisdom.
—Prashna Upanishad 2.13
At the same time we are putting our other hand on our chest and activating and mobilising our heart energy. The combination of all the above processes result in a deeper level charging and balancing of our Life Field. This apparently simple exercise has an extremely powerful positive,nourishing and balancing impact on our overall well being.
There are very deeper level physio-spiritual scientific truths behind this process.SAY is a very simple and easy to practice system. There is no need to study the theory of complex astronomical, astrological and specialised yogic practices. Therefore we will leave out the theoretical part here. The benefits are accrued even if we do not fully know the physio-spiritual science behind this process.
It should be noted that this exercise is basic to all other exercises in SAY. This exercise needs to be done four times during a day as follows :
First thing on waking up, in the bed
After having morning bath
After having evening bath
Last thing of the day, at night, in the bed
As our practice develops, our breath becomes more slow and deeper. Our life longevity is measured not in terms of years but in terms of the allotted quota of the number of breaths we will take during the life. As our breath cycle gets slower, naturally it adds years to our life. As we take deeper breath, it adds vitality to those years. As we take rhythmic breath, our life field gets in sync with the life field of the Cosmos and is able to draw energy from it. As we connect with our heart field (by placing our hand on the chest and deeply feeling the pulse and the warmth) our whole life field pulsates in a rhythmic and well balanced equilibrium of many polarities of life currents.
While doing affirmations, the practice of SAY Rhythmic Breathing gives each affirmation a great energy packed boost. Without this practice, the affirmation becomes superfluous and makes impact only on the surface of our psyche. With this practice of SAY RB, the affirmations reach deep at the centre of our psyche and cause a visible positive change in our outlook towards life.
As an overall effect, SAY Rhythmic Breathing Exercise adds years to our life and also adds life to our years.
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