Keval Kumbhak ~ Dawn of Yoga

Many Yoga practitioners have asked me a question about Keval Kumbhak...

Nowadays many people are getting interested in Yoga Philosophy and in fact, they have started doing Yoga techniques either on their own or through their Yoga teachers. But most of the Yoga practitioners are having knowledge about Asanas, some of the breathing techniques which they referred to as Pranayam like Purak (Inhalation), Rechak (Exhalation) and Kumbhak (Retention of breath). But all these breathing exercises have been practiced by them in conscious level or in other words, we can say that they are doing all these breathing exercises in robotic form. Though Breath is not to be controlled forcefully.

Keval Kumbhak means an absence of Purak (Inhalation) and Rechak (Exhalation). Which means complete cessation of breath, neither inhalation nor exhalation. But this condition is not to be obtained by forceful restraint of breath either outside or inside the body like in Hathyoga. Then the next question arises, how this could be possible.

Before explaining the phenomenon, I want to tell you that mainly Prana (Vital force) in our body is divided in five main Pranas and five sub pranas.

PRANAS:

1. PRANA: For respiration like breath in.
2. APANA:Respiration i.e. breath out.
3. UDANA: It discharges body impurities. Swallowing of the food. Sleep. 
4. VYANA: Air that moves throughout the body maintaining body pressure to perform body organ functions. Circulation of Blood.
5. SAMANA:  Samana is the air that maintains equal pressure all over the body . Digestion.

Sub Pranas:

1. NAGA: Burping, Hiccup.
2. KURMA: Blinking, Opening of the eyes.
3. KRUKARA: Sneezing, Hunger and Thirst.
4. DHANANJAYA: Opening and closing of heart valves. Decomposition of the body after death.
5. DEVADUTTA.: Yawning.

So through all pranas, the human body works and whenever the flow of any prana is disturbed, the diseases occur in the human body.

Apart from other physical functioning of Prana Shakti (Vital force), our mind is also get associated with the Prana. Mind and Prana are just two sides of the same coin. If you can control one, the other will get controlled automatically.

If you can control your thoughts then your prana will also get controlled and poised.

Saints generally don't work directly on Prana Shakti directly but they work on their mind i.e. Chitta, which is to be controlled primarily, by doing meditation on the holy word (Shabd) given by the Sadguru to his disciple.

But the yogis do work on their Prana day by day by using Yogic Kriyas and make their Prana totally poised, which gives them full control over their Prana as well as Chitta. And the controlled Chitta ultimately lead the soul to Moksha or Salvation or Atmasakshatkar.

Now, the basic question remains the same that how any person can cease inhalation and exhalation without stopping it forcefully.

The profound yogis have developed various Yogic Kriyas like Khechari Mudra by which, your breath cycle starts reducing in caparison to the normal human body.

On an average, human take 23040 breath per day which means 960 breath per hour. But the yogic kriyas reduce this breath rate from 23040 to less than 1440 without any stress on the body, which ultimately makes the pulsating Prana Shakti calm down and become poised. And this Yogic process ultimately leads to Cessation of Prana (Inhalation) and Apana (Exhalation) and they Unite together.

In Geeta it is written -

apane juhvati pranam
prane 'panam tathapare
pranapana-gati ruddhva
pranayama-parayanah
apare niyataharah
pranan pranesu juhvati 

Meaning thereby that -

If anyone can offer Prana (downward air) in Apana (Outward air) or vice versa, the Pranayam is done.

Hence, the Keval Kumbhak is not only the final outcome but it is the only pranayama, which yogi do. 

But the basic principle is that Keval Kumbhak happens on its own and not by any force.

I have experienced this Keval Kumbhak by another Yogic Kriya known as Chakra Anusandhan or Chakra Bhedan Kriya. It is one of yogic kriya of Kriya Yoga. 

I want to say many more on this topic... so I will keep updating the same. The interesting one may contact me on my email - judis.legal@gmail.com