Breathing Practices
Long before breathing became the subject of scientific study, it was recognized across cultures and traditions as something far more than a simple biological function.
Breath is life.
It accompanies us from our first moment until our last, quietly supporting every thought, emotion, and experience in between.
Its rhythm mirrors the rhythm of life itself—a continuous cycle of receiving and releasing, activity and rest, movement and stillness.
For many traditions, the breath has also been regarded as a bridge between body and mind, the physical and the spiritual, offering a simple yet profound way to return to the present moment.
What makes the breath so remarkable is that it is always with us.
It asks nothing of us except our attention.
When we become aware of our breathing, we naturally begin to slow down, creating space for greater clarity, calm, and presence.
At Sacred Fire Within, we do not present these practices as something to believe in.
We invite you to explore them through your own direct experience.
Set aside expectations.
Let go of preconceived ideas.
Approach each exercise with curiosity, patience, and an open mind.
Allow your own experience to become your teacher.
Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably without interruption.
There is nothing you need to achieve.
There is no perfect technique.
Begin where you are.
One breath at a time.
Exercise #1 Pranayama.
Choose a comfortable seated position.
- Lift your right hand toward your nose, and point your index and middle fingers toward the middle of your eyebrows.
- After an exhale, use your right thumb to press and gently close your right nostril.
- Inhale through your left nostril and then close your left nostril with your ring finger and pinky.
- Release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril.
- Inhale through your right nostril and then close this nostril.
- Release your fingers to open your left nostril and exhale through this side.
This is one cycle.
Continue this breathing pattern for a while until you feel satisfied; some days you'll want more, some less.
7. Then finish your session with an exhale on the left side.
Exercise #2 inward connection, level 1
This is a very simple yet effective exercise. Sit or lie down with your eyes closed.
Bring your focus to your nostrils, that exact point where the air touches your nostrils
as it enters your nose on inhalation, and as it leaves on exhalation.
Pinpoint that point without following your breath any further.
Let the air touch your nose and nothing else. Do not control your breath; let the breath happen
All on its own. Over and over.
Exercise #2 inward connection, level 2
Once you become comfortable following the breath in and out of your nostrils.
Add a counting element to the exercise to further sharpen the focus
away from thoughts and other distractions and preoccupations to inward connection.
So, as you exhale your breath, at the tail end of the breath during the short pause
that naturally happens before you take the next inhalation, during that tiny gap, you mark the exhalation with number 1
then at the end of the second exhalation and before the next inhalation, you mark it as 2
and keep going until you reach 10. Then you go back to 1. It is perfectly natural to lose your count,
at which time you start the cycle with 1 all over again.
Exercise #2 inward connection, level 3
After a while of this practice of counting one to ten, and when that becomes comfortable,
and only then you change the counting to a bit more challenging routine to further deepen your connection
to the breath and internal world.
So for this level, just as before, follow and mark the exhalations; this time you go up to 5, then start a new sequence till 6
Then from 1 to 7, then 1 to 8, then 9, then 10. And once you reach 10, you drop and start from 1 to 5 all over again.