Our breath is magical. It is with us from the beginning of our lives until literally our last breath, yet very few bother to explore what is behind this simple action. Since the breath is the main channel of prana flow, with breath one can heal himself, change level of consciousness, and achieve balance with harmony. Breath is also a portal between conscious and unconscious mind, since both areas of the mind can control the breathing process, and for that, it is widely utilized in most spiritual disciplines. As the ancient Vedic text sais: "One who controls the breath, can create a universe, can destroy a universe." Meditation practices with the breath Ana Pana Meditation This meditation is quite simple and yet one of the most difficult to perform. The object of concentration here is natural breath. A continuous observation of natural breath will open the doors to the subconscious and release tensions, complexes and impurities accumulated there, which is the basis of all healing practices. Sit in a meditative posture, back straight. Focus your entire attention on the natural breath. Observe the breath in any way you like, for example as air moving through the nose, or as an expansion and contraction of chest and stomach. Do not alter or control the breath in any way, let it be slow, fast, shallow or deep. Simply observe it from the outside. If the thoughts come, let them come, but do not loose the awareness of the breath. Do not suppress the thoughts or run with them, but let them come and go. If you lost the awareness of the breath and began thinking, calmly and patiently return your mind to breathing and begin again observing the breath. If the mind runs again, again come back, with no preoccupation. The important part is not weather you lose the awareness of breath or not, more important is how quickly you remember and bring your attention back to breathing. Think of it like exercising the muscle of your mind, it runs habitually, and you bring it back to breathing, nothing else. Start observing the area of your face enclosed in a triangle with its base being your upper lip and top corner over the third eye. Try to feel the breath passing over any place in that area. Try to feel it touch your upper lip, as it is entering the nose. Try to feel it in your nostrils or inside the nose. Follow the breath with all your attention, every part of the breath. Feel it touch the skin as it goes in and as it goes out. Maintain prolonged awareness and you will notice that more and more time you are able to stay single pointed. Try to focus solely on the tiny spot under your nose and feel the breath touch that spot. Feel your awareness growing subtler. Try to sit one hour at a time. Continuity of practice is the secret of success in this meditation. Chaotic Breathing or Chakra Breathing Stand feet firmly on the ground, separated with the knees a little bent. Place your attention on the 1st chakra. Place your palms on the lowest part of the back, and breathe forcefully and rhythmically with the mouth, making a sound A, as in pAlm. Move your body to the rhythm, as if breathing with that chakra, up and down. The rhythm in the beginning should be 1 full breath every 2 seconds. This is the tribal chakra, where everyone is the same. Release all laziness and stupor. Practice 3 minutes. Move your attention to the 2nd chakra. Place the hands on the front of the body below the navel and make movements with the lower body, front to back, making the sound E, as in sEx, also breathing with the mouth. Increase the speed a little bit. This is sexual chakra, feel yourself breath in it, feeling and releasing any anxiety, tension, fear or other watery emotions that may manifest. Also practice 3 minutes. Continue on to 3rd chakra, center of personal achievement. Place hands above the navel or hold them on each side. Increase the rhythm, making the sound Ya, as in YEAH. Move entire body in strong willful motions, purifying personal desires, cravings, and fiery emotions, like anger.. Continue for 3 minutes. Move on to the 4th chakra in the chest, start breathing with it, making the sound U, as in bOOm. Increase speed to about 2 breaths a second, release all aversion, emotional pain and resistance. Here you can breath either with the mouth, or the nose, or both. By this point start letting go fully into the exercise, letting the trans state absorb you. Practice 3 minutes. Move on to the 5th Chakra. Cover the throat, make sound O, as in mOre. Increase speed. Release all doubts and confusion, and all characters that may manifest. Again, 3 minutes. Move on to the 6th Chakra, the eyebrow center. Start breathing with the nose pretty fast, moving the head and slowly accelerating. As you accelerate, feel the energy approach top of the head. As you reach maximum possible breathing speed, let go into a full trans with moving the body in shaking motions and total attention on the top of the head. Release all that is. Continue indefinitely. Slowly decelerate and come down to the eyebrow center. Repeat everything in reverse motion, down to the 1st chakra. Breath normal a few minutes and do 2 more rounds. Afterwards lie down and relax with the natural breathing and attention on the body. Tibetan Breathing This exercise is extremely potent in releasing suppressed emotions and past inaction. The experience could be frightening the first time, so a presence of an outside watcher is quite useful. Tibetan monks practice this for one hour every morning, but 30 minutes is sufficient to start with. Lie flat on your back, place the hands on the sides and relax. Begin breathing in a controlled manner, making the breath fast and deep. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Keep body relaxed. After ten minutes body will naturally continue this new breathing pattern, stay with it and concentrate. Be equanimous to any sensation that will arise, no mater how frightening or uncomfortable. Make whichever sounds you feel like, for example, sounds of pain or anger. You may cry or laugh or scream, but stay continuously with the breathing. When finished, relax 30 minutes without moving, just feeling the body and your natural breath.