But for breath, you will lose touch with reality and enter the realm of illusion.

Illusion is when we are led to believe a lie – when we see from and not through the eye; when we breathe from and not through the nose; when we hear from and not through the ear. Our very existence is an illusion – we are born from the light, we grow up, grow old, and die, returning to the light.

TECHNIQUE 3 – INHALING COOL BREATH/ SHEETALI PRANAYAMA

Sit in a comfortable posture, keeping your head and spine upright. Relax your whole body and close your eyes. Extend the tongue outside your mouth, as far as it can go without straining. Roll the sides of the tongue up, so that it resembles a tube.

First exhale all the air out through this tube. Now inhale, and draw the breath in through this tube. At the end of inhalation, draw your tongue in, close your mouth and exhale through your nose. While breathing in, the breath should produce a noise similar to rushing of wind. A feeling of coolness will be experienced on the tongue and the roof of the mouth. This is one round. Practice 5 such rounds.1—2—3—4—5.

Benefits: This technique induces muscular relaxation, mental tranquility, and may be used to induce sleep. It gives more control over hunger, and thirst. This technique helps to reduce acidity, blood pressure, heart rate, and stress.

TECHNIQUE 4—INHALING WITH A HISSING SOUND/SEETKARI PRANAYAMA

Sit in a comfortable posture, keeping your head and spine upright. Relax your whole body and close your eyes. Hold your teeth together lightly and separate your lips a little, till the teeth are exposed. Throughout the exercise, the tongue should be kept flat, or folded against the upper soft palate. First breathe-out through the nose, and then breathe in slowly and deeply through the teeth. At the end of the inhalation, close the mouth. Now breathe-out slowly, through the nose in a controlled manner. This is one round. Practice 5 such rounds.1—2—3—4—5.

Benefits: They are the same as of the previous technique.