BreathCenteringVerse 24beginner
The Turning of the Breath
Watch where the rising breath becomes the falling breath; rest in the turn.
Source verse · Verse 24
ऊर्ध्वे प्राणो ह्यधो जीवो विसर्गात्मा परोच्चरेत् ।
ūrdhve prāṇo hy adho jīvo visargātmā paroccaret
Watch where the rising breath becomes the falling breath; rest in the turn.
Word by word
- ūrdhve
- — above, upward (loc. sg.)
- prāṇaḥ
- — the upward (out-going) breath
- hi
- — indeed (emphatic)
- adhaḥ
- — below, downward
- jīvaḥ
- — the downward (in-going) life-breath
- visarga-ātmā
- — having the nature of emission / release
- paroccaret
- — arises / is to be contemplated as supreme
Alternate reading
“Prāṇa rises above, jīva sinks below; meditating on the two points of their arising, the state of fullness is reached.”
▶ Practice this technique5 / 10 / 20 min · eyes closed
How to practice
- 1Sit with the spine easy and upright. Do not control the breath — only watch it.
- 2Follow the in-breath rising; follow the out-breath falling.
- 3Find the exact instant the rising turns into the falling.
- 4Rest attention in that turning point — not a place in the body, a moment in time.
- 5When attention wanders, return to the turn without effort.
Practice note. Beginners hunt for the midpoint as a location. It is not a place; it is the pivot of the breath. Let it be noticed, not searched for.
Terms in this technique
- prāṇa
- The vital breath/energy; here, the upward-moving breath.
- jīva
- The downward-moving breath; the embodied life-current.
- madhya
- The middle, the centre, the gap between two states — a key VBT doorway.
- dhāraṇā
- A holding or fixing of attention; one of the 112 techniques.
Sources consulted
- Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
- Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)
- Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)