Pranayama, Breath Regulation, and the Path to Thoughtlessness
In the previous chapter, a form of slow-paced pranayama was introduced in which inhalation was extended to a count of fifteen or twenty, followed by a relatively long kumbhaka, or breath retention, lasting eight to ten counts. The exhalation that followed was slow and controlled. This method was designed to deepen awareness of the breath and gradually influence the mind by regulating the flow of prana, or vital energy. While this approach is effective, it also places a certain degree of strain on the head and brain due to prolonged breath-holding. For some practitioners, especially those sensitive to internal pressure changes, this strain can delay relaxation rather than accelerate it.
In the present variation of pranayama, the core structure remains the same, but the duration of kumbhaka is deliberately reduced. This seemingly small adjustment has significant physiological and psychological implications. By shortening the breath-holding phase and allowing exhalation to occur sooner, the practice becomes gentler on the brain and nervous system. The blood vessels in the head are allowed to relax more quickly, and the circulatory system is not forced into an extended state of pressure regulation. As a result, the practitioner experiences a smoother transition into mental calmness.
From a physiological standpoint, prolonged kumbhaka temporarily alters the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. While this can sharpen awareness, it also stimulates certain stress responses if maintained too long. Reducing kumbhaka minimizes this effect. The blood and oxygen supply are altered only slightly, rather than dramatically, which allows the brain to settle into a relaxed rhythm more naturally. This moderation prevents overstimulation of the cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for analysis, judgment, and continuous thinking.
As the cerebral cortex becomes less dominant, analytical thought begins to slow down. Thoughts lose their intensity and urgency, appearing more like distant ripples than active mental movements. This gradual reduction in mental activity leads the practitioner toward a state of thoughtlessness. Importantly, this state is not one of dullness or unconsciousness. Rather, it is a condition of heightened awareness without mental chatter. Awareness remains, but thought dissolves.
This process is closely connected to the functioning of the spinal cord and the autonomic nervous system. The spinal cord serves as the main communication highway between the brain and the body. Through it, sensory information ascends to the brain, and motor and regulatory commands descend to the organs, muscles, and glands. During pranayama, especially when the breath is slow and rhythmic, signals traveling through the spinal cord begin to reflect a state of calm rather than alertness or urgency.
More specifically, pranayama strongly influences the autonomic nervous system, which operates beyond conscious control. The autonomic system has two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for activity, alertness, and the “fight or flight” response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs rest, recovery, and relaxation. Long or forceful breath retention can stimulate the sympathetic system, particularly if the body perceives it as stress. By reducing kumbhaka and allowing a smoother exhalation, this pranayama variation shifts dominance toward the parasympathetic nervous system.
The parasympathetic response is associated with slower heart rate, relaxed blood vessels, improved digestion, and a general sense of ease. Signals from the brainstem travel down the spinal cord to calm the organs, while sensory feedback from the body reinforces this relaxed state in the brain. This two-way communication creates a feedback loop of relaxation. As the body becomes still, the mind follows.
The spinal cord also plays a subtle role in maintaining posture and inner stability during meditation. When breathing is gentle and unstrained, the muscles along the spine release unnecessary tension. This allows the spine to remain upright without effort, facilitating uninterrupted flow of neural signals. A relaxed but alert spinal column supports a stable meditative posture, which further reduces physical distractions that could stimulate thought.
As the autonomic nervous system settles into parasympathetic dominance, the brain’s limbic system—associated with emotions and memory—also quiets down. Emotional reactions soften, and habitual mental patterns lose their grip. This is why the practitioner may feel emotionally neutral, calm, and inwardly silent during this practice. Thoughts may still arise, but they lack momentum. They appear and disappear without pulling attention away from awareness itself.
This emerging state of thoughtlessness is essential for meditation. Meditation is not merely concentration on an object or idea; it is a state of mental stability in which awareness rests in itself. As long as thoughts dominate the mind, awareness is constantly pulled outward. True meditation begins only when thought subsides sufficiently for awareness to remain unbroken and steady.
The reduced kumbhaka in this pranayama allows this state to be reached more quickly because it avoids excessive physiological disturbance. The brain is not forced into adaptation through stress; instead, it is gently guided into stillness. The nervous system learns, through repetition, that silence and relaxation are safe states. Over time, the mind enters thoughtlessness with less effort and greater consistency.
In this way, pranayama becomes a bridge between the body and meditation. By regulating the breath, we regulate the nervous system. By calming the nervous system, we calm the mind. When the spinal cord, brain, and autonomic system work in harmony, the mind naturally settles into silence. This silence is not an absence, but a foundation—one upon which deeper meditation, clarity, and inner stability can arise.
Ultimately, this variation of pranayama demonstrates an important principle: progress in meditation does not always come from intensity or prolonged effort. Sometimes, refinement and moderation produce deeper results. By reducing strain, respecting the nervous system, and allowing the breath to guide awareness gently inward, the practitioner moves more directly toward the essential state of thoughtlessness that meditation requires.
In the previous chapter we have described the same pranayama with a slight difference. In the initial version, we experienced slow motion pranayama. This involves taking 15 or 20 breaths and then holding the breath (Kumbhaka) for 8 to 10. Then slowly exhale.
Now, in this new practice, we need to reduce the duration of holding our breath (kumbhaka). That is, instead of counting 8 to 10, we should count only to 5 and then immediately exhale / may sharply exhale.
This rapid exhalation puts strain on the head and brain, causing a momentary disruption in the lower part of the brain and initiating unconscious activity in the upper part, i.e., the consciousness center. After a short while, or a few seconds, we feel a heaviness in the head and brain. This causes the blood vessels to relax more quickly and alters blood circulation.
The thinking process slows down, or the memory sense activity in the language lobe slows down. Here, the circulation of blood and oxygen slows down somewhat, causing the brain to enter a heavy state. Unconscious activity occurs above the brain stem, which slows down the thinking process.
The brain and nervous system relax, and the thought process slows down. Due to the reduced capacity for thinking, the mind begins to enter a thoughtless state. In this type of practice, the altered blood circulation due to shorter breath-holding and rapid exhalation leads to experiencing a state of detachment more quickly.
In conclusion, a slight change in blood and oxygen supply brings about a noticeable slowing of the analytical thinking process. This reduction in mental activity helps the mind move toward a state of thoughtlessness, which is essential for deep meditation. Only when this non-thinking state is reached can the mind become calm, steady, and truly still, allowing meditation to be effective and meaningful.
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