The Yoga of Patanjali

Lesson - 6 109We are breathing long before we know that we breathe. Haveconfidence, follow the process and then comes what is calledthe cessation of pulsation. The double pulsation will betotally submitted to the eternal consciousness working asthe back­ground of your consciousness. You will have aninstantaneous touch of that Eternal One. It is what we callthe soul-light, the ninth nature. Respiration comes to a stopsince pulsations are tranquilized. It takes place for a lengthof time, when the consciousness goes into the soulconsciousness.It sleeps to the other aspects of existencewhile it awakens to the Eternal One.A question : The Heart-beat also stops?Answer : Yes! When it is suspended for some time, itis suspended. Whether it is necessary or not, nature shoulddecide and not yourself. Those who decide for themselvesare the Hatha Yogis, who stop the heartbeat and make ademonstration of it for no purpose except curiosity. We shouldremember that the Lord-consciousness is always greaterthan our curiosity. It is enough to remember that there willbe some movements when the breath is suspended. It is amatter of common experience that sometimes when you arein an ecstasy your respiration is stopped for a few moments.When there is a sudden distraction of mind by somethingunexpected, there are moments when the respiration is heldsince the mind has been carried away somewhere else. Whenit is possible how is it that it is not possible when you arewith the background-consciousness? This is a consciousprocess, a process that happens in your awareness.This step should not be independently practised. Itshould be practised along with the other steps of the YogaPath, systematically followed. There is a need to regulate theactivity of the external affairs before you propose to reach this