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Swara, Part One

*note* this article will be updated soon - ed.

The Bicameral Breath

It is most likely that in ancient times the idea of the two hempspheres of the brain was unknown, while it is very well known today. Most literate people have read somewhere that the right side of the brain is more artistic and idea oriented, while the left side is more mathematical and verbally oriented. There have been so many studies on everything from artistic taste to educational success and job performance that I do not need to repeat them. In essence, one of the most widely known ideas of neuroscience is that many characteristic human behaviors can be recognized in terms of which hemisphere of the brain is most active while they are being performed.

What the ancient mystical scientists did figure out was that the nostrils shift dominance about every two hours, and with this shift, there are changes in the pattern of behavior. When the left nostril has the dominant flow of air, right hemisphere activity is prevalent, and when the right nostril is working, the left hemisphere takes charge.

Their discoveries went a bit further, and they found that this "division of labor" paralleled the lunar cycle, which is the basis of their calendar, and the cycle of the five tattwas, which are basically the four tempraments of western natural science and the quality of space, emptiness or aether.

From these discoveries they constructed the science of Swara Yoga, a method of self-mastery that included the development of divinatory skill, the cultivation of health and the powers of deep meditation, leading to enlightenment.

The Science of Swara Yoga

Swara Yoga is a distinct branch of Yogic science, separate from the more familiar methods like Hatha and Raja Yoga. It studies the flow of the breath through the nostrils, and that breath's relationship to the Lunar Cycle and the five tattwas. It was formmulated precisely to enable human beings to remove much of the stress from their lives by synchronizing their subtle or psychic nervous systems with the greater cycles of energy in nature. This alignment brings not only ease of action and increased mental and physical health, but the actions produce results that are, on the whole, more fruitful. It is basically an ancient system of future-creation that can be learned and practiced by anyone who really wants to find out what it is like to work with, rather than against nature.

The Breath of Life

According to yogic manuals, the average human being completes anywhere between 21,000 and 21,600 complete cycles if inhalation and exhalation (breaths) per day. When the body is under stress or angry, the breathing rate increases, and when relaxed or asleep it decreases.

The increase in breath rate increases the flow of vital fluids in the body, which, in turn increase neuromotor activity. The energy requirements then increase, and the body responds by converting glucose and oxygen into cellular energy. Modern medicine calls the byproduct of this process "free radicals", while in Ayurveda and Sidda medicine they are called "ama". A side effect of handling the energy requirements in this fashion (breathing harder and eating more, therefore producing more "ash") is more rapid aging, due to wear and tear on the organism. The ash consequently clogs up and slows down other processes, forcing the body to work harder to maintain its processes, and this requires more energy. All the time the body is becoming more acidic, and the reactions of the acidic vital fulids with the ash and other metallic toxins form deposits that slow us down even more: a viscious cycle, but not an inescapable one.