The Alchemy of Breath: Pranayama and the Cultivation of the Inner Fire
Nadi Shodhana: The alchemical purification of the subtle channels through alternate nostril breathing. The Mercury of the Body In the vast laboratory of the human form, there exists a substance that is simultaneously material and spiritual, visible and invisible, personal and universal. This is the Breath , the volatile fluid that the alchemists referred to as the Mercury of the body. To the mundane eye, breathing is a mechanical necessity for biological survival. But to the initiate of Pranayama and Conscious Breathing , the breath is the primary tool for the transmutation of consciousness. It is the bridge between the physical and the spiritual realms, the "Handle of the Soul" that allows for the regulation of the entire human operating system. The alchemy of breath is rooted in the realization that our state of mind is a direct reflection of our state of breathing. A shallow, erratic breath produces a fragmented, reactive mind. A deep, rhythmic breath produces a s...