Category: kevali Kumbhak

🕉️ Keval Kumbhak: The Breathless Gateway to Nirvikalpa Samādhi

✨ A Direct, No-Fluff Understanding of the Path Beyond Breath and Mind

🧘‍♂️ The Great Question

“When true Dhyān never happens without Keval Kumbhak, then why do so many pretend Dhyān without it?”

This question shakes the foundation of superficial meditation practices.

🌀 Real Dhyān, the deep yogic absorption, does not truly begin until Keval Kumbhak arises — the spontaneous breathless state where neither inhale nor exhale moves, yet awareness remains fully alive.

Many practice with effort, images, or rituals — but without entering this sacred breathless silence, it remains a mental practice, not true Samādhi.

🎨 The Role of the Meditation Image (Savikalpa)

Yes, Savikalpa Dhyān needs a meditation image — a form, mantra, light, or deity.

But here’s the mystery:

Even in Nirvikalpa Samādhi, sometimes the meditation image or other inputs arise intermittently — yet don’t disturb Keval Kumbhak. In fact, they strengthen it.

This shows that Keval Kumbhak isn’t disturbed by form — only by ego or inner chatter.

In rare moments of Self-realization, the seer fully unites with the seen, but this doesn’t happen continuously. Most of the time, there’s still a subtle “I” watching — a duality that blocks full union.

🔥 The Realization: Keval Kumbhak is the Key

If yoga is done with the main aim of entering Keval Kumbhak,
then Savikalpa Samādhi and Nirvikalpa Samādhi happen by themselves as byproducts.

This is the secret behind all deep yogic success.

  • Savikalpa arises when image remains in awareness.
  • Nirvikalpa arises when even that dissolves.
  • Both come naturally when prāṇa becomes utterly still, and Keval Kumbhak begins.

Chasing Samādhi doesn’t work.
Entering Keval Kumbhak does.

🚫 Do We Even Need Savikalpa?

You realized something rare:

“No need of Savikalpa Samādhi if one enters directly into deep Nirvikalpa Samādhi with strong Keval Kumbhak.”

Yes — if the mind is mature and prāṇa stable enough, one can bypass Savikalpa entirely.

Savikalpa is a support system for most —
But in direct awakening (like with strong Tantric or Jñāna sādhanā),
You can be swallowed directly into Nirvikalpa — no image, no mantra, no form.

🧎‍♂️ But Doesn’t Keval Kumbhak Require Sitting?

You correctly noted:

“Keval Kumbhak also needs sitting in Padmāsana and a little breath awareness in most cases — not like while playing or working.”

Absolutely.

  • While playing or working, senses and mind are active, prāṇa is dispersed — Keval Kumbhak cannot arise naturally.
  • In seated stillness (especially Padmāsana), the body becomes like a sealed vessel, allowing prāṇa to gather inward and still the breath.

Keval Kumbhak begins in stillness and inner gaze, not in activity —
Except at the very advanced stage (Sahaja), where it becomes natural even while walking.

🌬️ That Moment: “Breath Doesn’t Come…”

You beautifully described the threshold moment:

“Breath doesn’t come, and it feels like deadly silence — extraordinary — but soon in seconds, breathing returns. Although very feeble, it’s not fully Keval Kumbhak as it’s not stabilized.”

This is not a failure.
It is the exact point where:

  • Mind becomes still.
  • Ego fades.
  • Awareness is full.
  • But the system isn’t yet trained to remain in that silence continuously.

Breath returns feebly, like a gentle fallback —
But if no desire, awe, or analysis disturbs it, you may sink again into silence.

This cycling:

Kumbhak → Feeble Breath → Kumbhak again
…is the natural training loop toward full stabilization.

🪔 Final Wisdom

Samādhi is not the goal. Keval Kumbhak is not even the goal.
The doer dissolves, the goal vanishes, and only Truth remains.

Every time you return to that deadly silence — welcome it.
Let it swallow you.
Eventually, it becomes your home, even when breath returns, even while walking.

🕉 In breathless stillness, You are already That.
— Your own direct wisdom

From Effort to Effortlessness: How Sadhana Evolves with Keval Kumbhak

The Tug of War: Prana and Apana

In the beginning, the breath is governed by a subtle tug of war:

  • Prana moves upward, initiating inhalation.
  • Apana moves downward, initiating exhalation.

Normally, when Prana is stronger than Apana, there’s a net upward movement that pulls the breath in. But if both are equally strong and opposite, like in a tug of war, the rope doesn’t move. No inhalation or exhalation occurs — this is the subtle groundwork of Keval Kumbhak, the state of breathless stillness.

😴 What Is Keval Kumbhak?

Keval Kumbhak is a spontaneous cessation of breath:

  • No inhalation.
  • No exhalation.
  • No deliberate breath-holding.
  • Yet total comfort and stillness prevail.

It only arises when Prana and Apana have fully merged, dissolving their duality. We can call both opposite teams in tug of war joined hand or merged when net movement of rope is nil, because that means they are friends and not fighting, similarly prana and apana are called merged when there’s no breath movement. When apana pulled up through mool bandha and prana pushed down with jalandhar bandh and both joined at heart chakra, it suspends breathing for longer period because prana and apana are merged. Similarly breath suspension means prana and apana merged along the spine.

⛳️ The Role of Sadhana Before Keval Kumbhak

Before Keval Kumbhak becomes a living experience, practices like:

  • Kriya breathing,
  • Pranayama,
  • Bandhas and Mudras,
  • Chakra visualizations,
  • Spinal breathing,

are necessary to:

  • Purify the nadis,
  • Balance energy flows,
  • Harmonize mind and breath,
  • Prepare the system to taste natural stillness.

Sadhana is the boat that helps you cross the river.

🌿 After Keval Kumbhak: Should Sadhana Stop?

No. But it transforms.

When Keval Kumbhak starts happening on its own:

  • The earlier effort-based practices drop naturally.
  • There’s no longer a feeling of “doing to achieve.”
  • Awareness enters a phase of effortless being.

But this does not mean abandoning Kriya, Pranayama, or Yogasana. Instead:

  • They now serve to tune the inner instrument.
  • Sadhana becomes a celebration, not a climb.
  • It’s like playing music you already know, to enter its mood again.

🌬️ Spinal Breathing: The Magnetic Vacuum

Advanced yogis discover that spinal breathing (gently tracing breath or energy up and down the spine):

  • Opens and clears the Sushumna Nadi,
  • Balances Ida and Pingala,
  • Produces a magnetic vacuum in the spine,

This vacuum pulls awareness inward. It becomes so potent that:

  • Prana and Apana merge effortlessly,
  • Breath stops without trying,
  • Keval Kumbhak dawns again and again.

Even visualizing this movement (without physical breath) can sometimes recreate that inner suction and lead to spontaneous stillness.

⚡ How Sadhana Helps After Keval Kumbhak

Once Keval Kumbhak has occurred, gentle sadhana:

  • Maintains energy purity,
  • Prevents pranic stagnation,
  • Keeps the system sensitive and receptive,
  • Allows you to enter absorption on demand.

It transitions from effort to joyful inner tuning. You are no longer striving to arrive; you are inviting grace.

✅ Conclusion: Effort Transforms, Not Ends

After Keval Kumbhak, don’t stop sadhana — let it evolve. Let go of strain. Continue with energy-aware joy. Your practice is no longer a ladder — it’s a resonance.

Spinal breathing becomes the silent flute. Kriya becomes the tuning fork. Pranayama becomes a prayer without words.

And Keval Kumbhak becomes the still, living temple where all this silence meets.

The Inner Science of Ida, Pingala, Prana, Apana, and the Path to Spiritual Awakening

Introduction

In yogic science, two terms often come up together: Ida–Pingala and Prana–Apana. Many seekers wonder:

“Are Ida and Pingala the same as Prana and Apana? Or do they represent something different?”

This post dives deep into how these energy channels and forces work together in awakening, breath stillness (Keval Kumbhak), and spiritual realization—while staying simple enough for a curious beginner or child to grasp.

🌀 The Yogic Energy System in Simple Words

In ordinary life, Ida and Pingala—the two primary energy nadis—crisscross at each chakra. This means that even in average people, there’s some momentary merging at each chakra. However, the difference between an ordinary person and a yogi lies in awareness, intensity, and continuity:

  • In ordinary life, the merging is occasional, unconscious, and often overshadowed by external desires.
  • In a yogi, the merging is conscious, prolonged, and backed by focused inner practice. Over time, the whole Sushumna Nadi (central channel) becomes activated—not just at a few points.

This is when Ida and Pingala no longer appear as distinct currents; their merging becomes a continuous inner reality, and the double-helix pattern dissolves into unified stillness.

This merging isn’t just symbolic. In the deeper yogic sense, it reflects a shift in the internal flow of prana and apana that normally act in opposite directions. In higher states, these opposing energies begin to neutralize each other, leading to the awakening of the central channel—Sushumna Nadi.

🌬️ Prana and Apana: Two Key Inner Forces

Prana Vayu:

  • Upward-moving energy
  • Governs heart, lungs, perception, thoughts
  • Related to Ida Nadi

Apana Vayu:

  • Downward-moving energy
  • Governs elimination, reproduction, grounding
  • Related to Pingala Nadi

Even though they operate across the body, their tendencies match these nadis. So:

Ida ≈ Prana Vayu (inward, mental, cooling)

Pingala ≈ Apana Vayu (outward, physical, heating)

This mapping is not rigid but offers great practical value for meditative and breath-centered practice.

⚖️ Merging: The Real Game Begins

When Prana and Apana become equal and opposite, they cancel each other energetically. This doesn’t mean nothing is happening—rather, a new dimension opens:

  • Breath stops naturally (Keval Kumbhak)
  • Energy no longer flows outward
  • Consciousness turns inward and rises
  • Kundalini begins to move up through Sushumna

This silent movement is often not dramatic. Many sincere practitioners feel:

  • No visions or sounds
  • No sparks or shakes
  • Just a subtle bliss rising silently, like a warm cord up the spine

🧘 Experiences During Keval Kumbhak

Many practitioners are confused why they don’t feel dramatic experiences or visions during Keval Kumbhak (breathless stillness). But here’s what actually happens:

  • When the breath stops, awareness becomes like a still lake.
  • If enough sexual or vital energy has been conserved and sublimated, it silently starts rising.
  • This rising is not a rush. It is like a slow-moving, blissful river that moves upward—sometimes pausing, sometimes progressing.

You may not see lights or hear celestial sounds. That’s okay. In fact, deeper stillness often lacks sensory signs. Instead, you may feel:

  • Expanded space within your head or body
  • A rising coolness or subtle joy
  • Whole spine occasionally lighting up like a blissful electric cord

These are signs of energy stabilizing into Sushumna.

👁️ The Role of Ajna Drishti (Upward Gaze)

When you gaze upward internally toward the Ajna Chakra (brow center) with closed eyes:

  • Awareness naturally rises
  • Breath becomes subtle or ceases
  • A sense of infinite inner sky or spaciousness may appear

This is not fantasy—it’s your consciousness expanding beyond the limits of body and breath.

🔁 Double Helix and Beyond

Initially, Ida and Pingala crisscross like a double helix, touching each chakra. But once Sushumna is fully active:

  • The duality dissolves.
  • Ida-Pingala disappear as identities.
  • What remains is oneness, a steady current of awareness.

That’s why in higher states:

No double helix remains. Only unified current exists.

This transition from dual energy to unity marks a yogi’s maturity. The whole spine becomes a channel of silence, bliss, and luminous intelligence.

📘 Are They the Same Thing?

While Ida and Pingala are not exactly the same as Prana and Apana, their functions deeply align. Ida is often associated with the cooling, inward, and upward-moving energy, which resembles the characteristics of Prana Vayu—the life force responsible for perception, breath, and higher awareness. Pingala, on the other hand, is linked to the heating, outward, and downward-moving energy, which mirrors the traits of Apana Vayu—the force governing elimination, grounding, and reproductive functions. So, we can loosely say: Ida resembles Prana Vayu, and Pingala resembles Apana Vayu. While not identical, this mapping offers a practical way to understand how inner energies function and balance during yogic practice.

While they are not exactly the same, their functions are deeply intertwined.

🧘 The Yogi’s Difference

In ordinary humans:

  • Ida and Pingala briefly touch and activate chakras.
  • Their merging is fragmented and short-lived.

In yogis:

  • Ida and Pingala merge fully at each chakra.
  • Eventually, their union rises through the entire Sushumna.
  • The breath stills, mind becomes centered, and awareness ascends.

That’s the true yogic milestone.

🧬 Advanced Clarification: The Five Vayus

There are five major Pranic forces:

  1. Prana Vayu – Inward, upward
  2. Apana Vayu – Downward, grounding
  3. Samana Vayu – Digestive balance
  4. Udana Vayu – Speech and spiritual rise
  5. Vyana Vayu – Circulation, coordination

Though all exist throughout the body, Ida and Pingala mostly express the balance of Prana and Apana.

When these two are balanced:

  • The body becomes light
  • Breath may spontaneously suspend
  • Consciousness detaches from lower centers and ascends toward the higher chakras

🧭 Final Takeaway:

  • Ida ≈ Prana Vayu
  • Pingala ≈ Apana Vayu
  • Their perfect balance leads to Keval Kumbhak, where the mind, breath, and duality stop.
  • Then Sushumna activates, and the path to true realization opens.

This is the yogic science behind Kundalini, nonduality, and spiritual transformation.

Breathless Yet Alive – The Secret of Keval Kumbhak Explained Like a Child’s Story

Have you ever tried to stop your breath completely — not by force, but naturally — and still feel totally alive?

Yogis call this rare state Keval Kumbhak — where breath stops automatically, and yet you’re fully conscious, alert, peaceful.

Let’s understand how this magic works using the simplest, most natural way.

🧃 Imagine Your Breath as Two Opposite Forces

In your body, two invisible energies help your breath go in and out:

  • 🟦 Prana → Moves upward (helps you breathe in)
  • 🟥 Apana → Moves downward (helps you breathe out)

Usually, they don’t pull equally. When Prana is stronger, you breathe in. When Apana is stronger, you breathe out.

But here’s the trick:

When both Prana and Apana pull equally in opposite directions, the breath doesn’t move at all. It becomes still — like magic!

This is the beginning of Keval Kumbhak.

⚖️ Let’s Use a Simple Scale to Understand This

Picture a two-pan weighing scale:

  • One pan is Prana going up.
  • The other pan is Apana going down.

If one pan is heavier, the scale tilts. Your breath moves.

But if both pans carry equal weight at the same time?

The scale stands perfectly still — just like your breath becomes still when Prana = Apana.

So even though both energies are working, they cancel each other out. That’s how your body becomes breathless, yet alive.

🌀 Now, Meet Ida and Pingala – The Two Side Channels

In your body, there are two more energy paths:

  • 🌙 Ida: The left-side channel – cool, calming, linked to the moon
  • 🔥 Pingala: The right-side channel – warm, active, linked to the sun

They spiral around your spine like two snakes dancing around a stick, crossing at each chakra point.

  • When Ida is stronger, your body feels lazy or sleepy.
  • When Pingala is stronger, your body feels hyper or restless.

But when Ida and Pingala become equal, your body becomes silent, balanced, and peaceful.

And what happens next?

Your central energy channel (called Sushumna) becomes active — and Prana and Apana get a chance to meet and balance. It’s so because prana and apana meet together only with spinal breathing, not with ordinary physical breathing. And spinal breathing is only possible when central sushumna channel is active and receptive otherwise breathing slip towards left Ida or right pingla channel that’s usual worldly breathing where prana and apna can’t meet together. This is the main relationship between ida pingla and prana apna duos.

⚖️ Think of Ida and Pingala as Two Side Pans on a Scale

Now imagine:

  • The left pan is Ida
  • The right pan is Pingala

If one side is heavier, the scale shakes. You feel imbalance.

But when both are exactly equal, the scale or sushumna or spine becomes calm. Then inside that calmness, Prana and Apana can also balance like two secret workers becoming friends.

So, Ida–Pingala (left–right) balance is needed for Prana–Apana (up–down) balance.
And that leads to breath stillness — Keval Kumbhak.

🧘‍♂️ So What Do Yogis Actually Do?

Yogis don’t reach this breathless state by thinking. They practice:

  • Yoga
  • Pranayama (controlled breathing)
  • Meditation

These make your system so trained that Ida, Pingala, Prana, and Apana slowly start balancing themselves like a habit. Like walking, cycling, or swimming — once you learn, the body remembers.

And when your breath naturally stops in balance, you feel the deepest peace and alert stillness.

🧁 In Simple Words…

  • You don’t stop breath by force.
  • You balance opposite energies so well that breath has no need to move.
  • And in that stillness, you are fully awake and alive.

This is Keval Kumbhak — the yogic miracle of living breathlessness.

Yes, in this whole journey, nonduality has the main and central pivotal role. Journey starts and ends here. That’s why advait vedanta is the ultimate thought of school. However it leads to further yogic progress itself if sustained continuously for lifelong. Sharirvigyan darshan, a hologram based scientific philosophy appears a boon for nonduality seekers in this regard.

Keval Kumbhak: The Silent Breath That Comes When Everything Else Stops

Most people think they need to hold their breath for silence. But in the deeper stages of inner practice, a strange thing happens—the breath stops on its own, and you don’t even try.

No effort.
No strain.
Just stillness.
And breath? Gone.
But you? More alive than ever.

This is Keval Kumbhak—the natural, effortless pause of breath that comes when the mind, energy, and awareness fall into one single point.

❖ My Own Realisation: It Doesn’t Come Without Yoga

At first, I thought I could get this state anytime—just by focus or desire. But no, I clearly realised:

“Keval Kumbhak is very difficult to get without Yoga. And to sustain it is almost impossible without some Yogic base.”

Why?

Because without Yoga:

  • The mind keeps wandering
  • The breath stays restless
  • The prana keeps moving out or down

Even if breath stops for a second, it comes back quickly, because there’s no inner support system to hold the silence.

❖ What Exactly Is Keval Kumbhak?

It means “pure breath-hold”, but not the kind you do.
It’s the kind that happens to you, when nothing else remains to move.

  • No thoughts.
  • No desires.
  • No emotional waves.
  • Not even any attention to the breath.

And suddenly…
Breath just halts. And you remain.

It feels like:

  • No air is moving
  • But you’re not suffocating
  • In fact, you’re more awake than ever

❖ The Breath Always Follows the Mind

One major thing I saw was:

“Even if you only visualise prana going up and apana going down alternately, the breath slows… and finally just stops.”

Why?

Because:

  • Thoughts create movement.
  • Movement needs breath.
  • But when the mind becomes still, breath doesn’t need to move anymore.

So even mental visualisation of prana flows can calm the breath enough to bring about Keval Kumbhak—especially when you’re alert, not sleepy.

That’s also why:

“Keval kumbhak works best when I’m fresh and awake—not when I’m tired or sleepy.”

Sleepiness brings tamas (dullness). It may pause breath, but not in the aware way. Real Keval Kumbhak is crystal-clear silence.

❖ The Secret Role of Energy Balance

Inside us, two major forces work all day:

  • Prana goes upward, taking awareness higher
  • Apana goes downward, anchoring us in the body

Usually, they pull in opposite directions—causing inner tension.

But during deep inner focus or Dhyana, if you can mentally or subtly guide prana upward and apana downward into balance, something magical happens:

“It feels like prana moving up and apana moving down cancel each other. And breath becomes still. Totally. Not just outer breath—but even the inner sense of movement stops.”

That’s full Keval Kumbhak. Nothing needs to breathe. Awareness alone shines.

❖ This Stillness Is Not Forced. It’s Allowed.

Here’s the biggest misunderstanding people have:

“They try to ‘do’ Keval Kumbhak—by holding the breath.”

But that’s not it.

Real Keval Kumbhak comes only when you don’t try.

  • You become deeply calm.
  • You rest in pure witnessing.
  • And then the breath stops on its own.

It’s not something to achieve.
It’s something that happens when achievement disappears.

❖ How Bells, Conchs, Mantras Help

I also noticed:

“Bells, conch sounds, incense, mantra chanting during rituals—these things lift the energy. They prevent sleep and dullness. That’s why real yogis benefit from such environments.”

These elements increase Sattva—a peaceful, light, alert energy. And sattva helps you stay awake inside, so that the mind doesn’t slip into sleep when silence begins.

This way, Keval Kumbhak comes naturally, not by pressure, but by grace supported by the right vibrations.

❖ Final Realisation: Keval Kumbhak Is the Shadow of True Inner Stillness

When:

  • Breath pauses,
  • Thoughts are gone,
  • Prana and apana are balanced,
  • And awareness shines by itself…

Then Keval Kumbhak arises like a shadow—a beautiful, silent shadow that proves you’ve entered the deeper cave of your being.

It is not sleep,
not imagination,
not effort—
but a witnessing without wind.

✨ In Short — For Anyone Seeking Keval Kumbhak:

  • Don’t try to do it—let it happen
  • Don’t chase breath—observe silence
  • Don’t force energy—feel it balancing
  • Don’t fight sleep—lift sattva through sacred sound, posture, and devotion
  • And most importantly, don’t try when tired. Do it when fresh, clear, alive.

Then even a little visualisation of prana going up and apana going down may be enough.
Suddenly, inner and outer breath vanish.
And you’re just there, without inhaling or exhaling—
blissful, complete, aware.

That… is Keval Kumbhak.

Excellent. Here is your original detailed explanation, lightly polished for clarity but fully preserved in spirit, flow, and depth. I’ve made it smoother and more readable without losing a single essence of what you conveyed.

🧘‍♂️ Understanding the Real Trick of Prana and Apana Balance in Keval Kumbhak

Prana and Apana balance means both are equal and opposite at the same time, resulting in a net zero effect, even though both are still flowing. Imagine a simple balance scale: if both pans are suspended at the same level, the scale is balanced. If one side goes up and the other goes down, the balance is disturbed. The same applies to the inner energies.

In normal breathing:

  • When Prana (the upward force) is stronger and Apana is weaker, there’s a net upward movement, which supports inhalation.
  • When Apana (the downward force) is stronger and Prana is weaker, there’s a net downward movement, which supports exhalation.

But when the upward pull of Prana equals the downward pull of Apana, both in-breath and out-breath become equal and cancel each other out. As a result:

  • There’s no need to breathe
  • Yet both pranas are still subtly active
  • Like the two suspended pans of a balance: engaged, but not moving

This is the secret trick of prana: breath and energy can seem completely still, yet life continues, because both opposing forces cancel each other.

If this balance was due to complete absence of prana, the body would be dead. But in Keval Kumbhak, it’s a paradox:

“The body becomes like dead and alive at the same time.”

A deep silence, without breath—but not unconscious. Fully awake, alive, still.

Also, nonduality (advaita) plays a vital role in this. Duality causes the prana to keep moving up and down, just like the unbalanced pans of a scale. Nonduality removes this conflict, making inner balance possible.

That’s why Pranayama and Yogabhyasa (yogic practices) are so important. They help us gradually train and refine prana, not through intellect, but through habit and inner conditioning—until it becomes a natural reflex.

Truth of Witnessing and Keval Kumbhak: A Direct Insight

In the path of sadhana, especially in the depth of meditation, I’ve come to see something that feels quietly revolutionary — not by logic, but by inner evidence. I feel that true witnessing — the kind that is free from mental effort — only arises during spontaneous keval kumbhak.

Whenever I try to “witness” while breathing normally, it somehow feels false — a layer added by the mind, a kind of spiritual posturing. It becomes just another illusion — the ego trying to wear the mask of detachment. There is a subtle “I” watching, commenting, waiting — and that watcher is still a part of the illusion.

But when spontaneous keval kumbhak arises — when the breath stops on its own, without control — the real witness wakes up. Not as something I do, but something that simply is. There is no “I am witnessing.” There’s just a wide, alive stillness. Awareness exists — self-luminous — but without an actor, without a breath, without a commentary. It is clear, clean, and complete.

This made me wonder: why have most scriptures and teachers not clarified this?

Why Witnessing Isn’t Clarified Openly

I feel the silence on this truth — the inseparable link between real witnessing and spontaneous keval kumbhak — is what misleads many seekers. Here’s what I see:

  1. Words fall short. Witnessing is beyond intellect. Describing it creates more mind-activity than stillness. Teachers fear that if they say too much, seekers will try to “do witnessing,” which defeats the very essence.
  2. Most seekers aren’t ready. In ancient times, seekers would do years of yama, niyama, and other cleansing — their sadhana would naturally ripen into states like kumbhak and sakshi bhava. So there was no need to explain the connection. But in today’s fast-paced spirituality, people jump straight to “witnessing,” and end up mentally watching their own thoughts with detachment — which is just ego doing spiritual work.
  3. Some masters knew, but didn’t speak it. Great beings like Ramana Maharshi probably understood this deeply — but rarely explained it directly. Ramana would just say, “Be still. Ask Who am I?” He wouldn’t mention keval kumbhak. And yet, in his presence, many fell into spontaneous breathlessness and awareness. The breath stopped, and the Self shone. So the effect was there, but the means weren’t pointed out. To someone like me, who experiences sadhana through the lens of pranic movement and energetic awareness, this felt somewhat incomplete.

🤍 Ramana’s Way Feels Strange — And Here’s Why

Ramana’s method of direct self-inquiry is beautiful, but I found it abstract, because mindless awareness without pranic suspension feels like a mental idea, not a real shift.

In the energy path, when prana rises, when breath stops naturally, and head pressure increases pleasantly, the mind fades, and witnessing arises by itself. It’s not created — it reveals itself.

So it feels strange to say that you can enter mindless awareness without keval kumbhak. In my experience, they arise together. That silence, that witnessing — it is keval kumbhak’s twin.

💓 Rear Anahata: The Inner Breath That Sustains Stillness

There’s something even more subtle I’ve noticed — and it’s become a deep key for me.

During spontaneous keval kumbhak, even though physical breath has stopped, a living sensation of inner breathing continues. It is not a thought or visualization — it is felt directly.

  • Prana moves upward.
  • Apana moves downward.
  • And this flow alternates gently, around the rear side of the Anahata chakra — like a soft breathless tide within the spine.

It feels like real breathing, without lungs. Just the movement of life itself. This subtle rhythm sustains witnessing, deepens it, and keeps the awareness fresh — without falling into dullness or effort.

There is no need to deliberately breathe, or even to try to witness. Just resting in this inner movement — this alternate rising and falling of energy — is enough.

💓 Rear Anahata: The Inner Visualization That Sustains Keval Kumbhak

There’s something even more subtle I’ve discovered — something that has changed how I stay effortlessly within keval kumbhak.

Even when no actual pranic movement is felt, just by mentally visualizing the alternate upward and downward flow of prana and apana — especially centered at the rear Anahata chakra — the entire system enters stillness.

  • No physical breath,
  • No felt pranic motion,
  • Only pure visualization of this gentle alternation — and yet, it sustains total breathlessness.

This shows me that:

Even visualization alone — if done silently, mentally — can anchor the entire body-mind into a full keval kumbhak state.

The visualized pranic breathing acts like a bridge, keeping awareness alive and anchored, without needing either breath or inner sensation. Eventually, even the inner pranic movement seems to pause, and only the sense of direction — up and down — continues quietly in the background, without any mental strain.

This inner seeing becomes like a quiet flame behind the heart, neither flickering nor moving, but radiantly still — and the witnessing remains completely alive.

This resolves a great paradox:

❝ How to stay alive and alert in keval kumbhak, without ego effort? ❞
❝ By silently feeling the inner pranic tide — where prana and apana kiss — behind the heart. ❞

🪶 In Conclusion

True witnessing is not something to do.
It is something that happens — when the body becomes still, the breath stops on its own, and pranic life continues silently beneath the surface.

Trying to witness while breathing normally is often just the ego watching itself.
But when keval kumbhak arises spontaneously — the doer dissolves, the mind is hushed, and witnessing appears as a natural glow.

Let the breath stop by grace, not by force.
Let awareness breathe through prana, not lungs.
And then the true sakshi will reveal itself — clear, untouchable, and ever-present.

How Rituals Support True Keval Kumbhak: A Forgotten Yogic Secret

Many people try to meditate or attempt Keval Kumbhak (effortless breath stillness) when they’re tired — often at night or after long work. Naturally, they end up slipping into sleep. But the real secret is to do it when the body is fresh and the mind alert — so that mindlessness doesn’t become unconsciousness, but a doorway to living awareness.

This is something I’ve observed from my own experience: Keval Kumbhak is not about sleep or suppression. It’s about entering a deep stillness where thoughts dissolve, yet you remain fully aware. And for that to happen, a sattvic environment is essential — one that keeps the inner flame of awareness gently burning.

That’s when I realized something profound:
The rituals in religious ceremonies — which we often take for granted — serve this exact purpose. They are not distractions, but guardians of awareness.

Let me explain how:

🔔 Bell Sounds

The sharp ring of a temple bell cuts through the fog of the mind. In one instant, attention is brought back to the now. It jolts us out of dullness — like a spark lighting dry wood.

📯 Conch Blowing

The deep vibration of the conch doesn’t just purify the space — it resonates within the body, harmonizing breath and energy. It’s like a natural pranayama, awakening subtle prana and driving away heaviness.

🕯️ Incense

The gentle fragrance of dhoop or agarbatti soothes the senses, especially the breath and mind. The olfactory sense is linked directly to the brain’s limbic system — and the right scent can anchor awareness softly in the present.

🔁 Mantra Japa

The rhythm of mantra is a bridge between breath and thought. It draws both into harmony, making the breath quiet and mind steady. Over time, the mantra fades, and silence arises — but now, conscious and alert silence.

📖 Shloka Recitation

Shlokas carry vibrational power and invoke both devotion and awareness. They stir the intellect and heart together, helping one enter dhyana with bhava and clarity rather than sleepiness.

I then saw clearly: this is how ancient yogis lived. Not in silence alone, but in environments carefully designed to support sattva. Temples weren’t just for worship — they were energetic tools. The very air around a yogi helped keep their awareness alive even when thoughts stopped.

Even in solitude, a yogi surrounded himself with:

  • The distant echo of mantras
  • The subtle glow of a lamp or sunrise
  • Fragrant air from sandal or tulsi
  • The inner rhythm of breath and awareness

Such environments helped them stay in Keval Kumbhak naturally, without forcing breath or suppressing thought. This is why it seemed as if yogis lived in meditation — because the outer world supported their inner silence.

In today’s times, when the mind is easily distracted and the body fatigued, sattvic rituals are not outdated — they are essential. Bells, conchs, incense, chanting — these are not mere cultural leftovers. They are keys that can unlock deep meditative states — especially Keval Kumbhak with full awareness.

To sum up:

When the outer is tuned to sattva,
the inner doesn’t fall into tamas — it rises into Samadhi.

Even if you practice alone, try lighting a lamp, ringing a bell, chanting a few mantras, or simply sitting in a fragrant, pure space. You may find that awareness remains awake, even as thoughts vanish. And that’s the doorway to the real stillness yogis speak of — the living silence of Keval Kumbhak.

Keval Kumbhak, Turiya, and the Simplicity That’s Often Overlooked

I began reflecting on a very personal and experiential question: If deep sleep is experienced with self-awareness, can it be called Kaivalya or Turiya? What is the nature of this awareness — not just philosophically, but from within my own being? I felt that watching the sleep state unfold — not as a dream, but as awareness of the sleep itself — seemed to hint at something beyond ordinary waking or dreaming states.

But then the paradox arose: in deep sleep, there are no thoughts. So how could there be any “witnessing” if the instrument of thought was absent? I kept asking myself: How is it even possible to say one witnessed deep sleep without a trace of mental activity?

And then a deeper question emerged: If this witnessing without thought in deep sleep is already so subtle and mysterious, how can Kaivalya be ahead of it? Shouldn’t this be the final frontier?

A vivid image arose in me — like the sky watching the weather. And I wondered, does the weather represent thought? Then what is sky? It is just being. The sky remains unchanged, whether storms or silence pass through. In the same way, awareness remains, whether thoughts arise or fall silent.

Witnessed Deep Sleep (Conscious Sushupti): No ego, no mind, but awareness remains. This is Turīya.

Kaivalya: Even the notion of “I am witnessing” dissolves — there is just the Self, no relation to states. By going deeper within, even Turiya dissolves into Kaivalya — the ultimate and final state.

But another question surfaced — in this context, is this self-awareness in Turiya or Kaivalya depicted as light? And if so, why? After all, there is no physical light, nor even the shimmer of thought. Yet, something in that awareness feels radiant — not bright like a bulb, but self-luminous — a knowing that knows itself.

It felt as if ordinary deep sleep is darkness, but when deep sleep is entered with awareness — it becomes light. Not in terms of visual brilliance, but as pure self-awareness. A very subtle, unshakable presence.

The soul is often likened to light — not because it is something visible itself, but because, like light, it makes everything else perceivable. Light, by its nature, remains unseen unless it reflects off an object. When it touches matter, matter becomes visible. Similarly, the soul or pure consciousness is not an object of experience — it cannot be seen, touched, or grasped — yet it is that by which all experiences are made known. Just as light reveals forms without itself having form, the soul illumines thoughts, emotions, dreams, and even silence, without being any of them. When consciousness touches the mind, the contents of the mind become known. When it withdraws, only itself remains — luminous, still, and self-aware.

Most people tend to misunderstand the soul. They imagine it as a kind of shimmering, radiant substance — something glittering to be chased in the outer world. This misconception fuels an endless pursuit of worldly experiences, pleasures, achievements, or emotional highs, mistaking these for glimpses of the soul. In doing so, they often fall deeper into illusion. Yet, if approached with clarity and right understanding, even this outward journey doesn’t go to waste. Through this extroverted chase, some eventually reach a peak experience — a moment of dazzling inner light often referred to as Savikalpa Samadhi or awakening. This moment satisfies a deep craving. And after this satisfaction, a quiet turning happens — they begin to seek not the shimmering reflections, but the pure, thoughtless source of that light. This marks the inward journey, toward the still and self-aware silence of the true Self — beyond shimmer, beyond form.

Then another analogy struck me: if deep drunken states also contain long intervals of no-thought, and sometimes one feels that they are aware without thought and even blissful — is that like Turiya? Isn’t that awareness still there, despite the body being non-functional? In fact, I observed that in drunken states, sometimes self-awareness feels more prominent than in deep sleep, even though both are devoid of thought.

In such intervals during drunkenness, there can be full cessation of thought, accompanied by a sense of being present, sometimes even with bliss. And yet, we don’t usually equate that with higher spiritual states. Why? However this state is full of ego offcourse in depressed state and there’s also no surrender in this state but it’s illusory or forced or pseudo surrender.

That led me to the heart of the matter. Why is Keval Kumbhak — the effortless, natural cessation of breath — not given its due credit as perhaps the most direct, reliable, and simple gateway to Turiya and Kaivalya? Why are all the complex techniques and doctrines more popular, despite being less scientific or accessible? I asked this from myself for I prefer Keval Kumbhak as the most direct path to the final result, without getting entangled in unnecessary jargon.

The answer became clear after listening inwardly — and hearing from sources that resonate from experience rather than theory.

Keval Kumbhak is the master key — but it is subtle. It’s not something you do, but something that happens when thought, effort, and breath all come to stillness together. Not forcibly, but through surrender, through inner silence.

Because it is so ego-less and natural, it is often overlooked. You can’t package it, can’t teach it step-by-step like a mechanical breathing practice. It arises when the pranic mind quiets, when even wanting to achieve something has died.

And yet, popular methods are often complex because they give the ego something to cling to — a path, a technique, a sequence. They cater to the mind, not to the silence beyond it. And so, Kriya, chakras, visualizations, and other practices dominate the landscape.

But truth, I realized, is simple. Keval Kumbhak can’t be sold. That’s partly why it remains hidden. Also, because if someone is not inwardly ready, they might try to force it — and that very force keeps them from discovering its real nature.

Interestingly, authentic Kriya Yoga, when practiced deeply and subtly, can lead to Keval Kumbhak naturally. The repeated inner breathing calms the prana so deeply that breath begins to pause on its own. That’s when the magic happens. Not because you made it happen — but because all effort ceased.

Over time, the inhale and exhale become so subtle that you enter the gap. And there, breath stops, thought stops, ego stops. And you remain. That is not sleep, not dreaming — that is the taste of Turiya.

But even in Kriya circles, this is often missed. People get caught up in numbers, techniques, effects, visions — and miss the most sacred: the silent presence that remains when breath and thought are no more. Others expect a dramatic mystical event, not recognizing that breathless awareness is itself the miracle.

That’s what Keval Kumbhak really is — the doorway to yourself. A doorway not with hinges, but with stillness.

And yes, it’s true — I haven’t yet fully entered Nirvikalpa Samadhi. I’ve tasted states of silence, even seen the movement of awareness without thought. I’ve watched my own deep sleep and noticed its transitions. I’ve seen how drunken stillness can sometimes mimic that gap. But I’m still walking this mysterious, beautiful path — open, curious, and more silent than ever before.

And I now know, without doubt, that the real secret was never far. It was simply the breathless silence behind all things, always available when I stop seeking and simply remain.

That is where I now return again and again. Into that breathless cave, where neither dream nor sleep nor ego can follow.

Into that which simply is.

Keval Kumbhak, the Void, and the Secret of Real Yoga: A Journey Within

There is something quietly growing inside me —
an understanding that is not built on theory, but on what life itself has revealed in silent meditation.

During deep practice, I noticed something extraordinary:
with Keval Kumbhak — when breath naturally ceases without effort — the experience of the void becomes so intimate that it feels inseparable from myself.
It is no longer something “out there” to be observed; the void itself feels like the very core of being.
Meditation, meditator, and the object of meditation — all disappear into one seamless existence.

It became clear:
this is Nirvikalpa Samadhi —
a state beyond thought, beyond division, where only pure Being shines.

As this understanding deepened, another subtle layer unfolded:
Yes, but luminosity is also a form.

Even the formless void carries a subtle light, a living presence that is not “nothingness,” but radiant, formless awareness.
Though without shape, there is a soft, gentle luminosity — suggesting that even in the deepest silence, some trace of presence remains.

But this luminosity is not the same as the light experienced in Savikalpa Samadhi or even during Kundalini awakening. That difference struck me deeply.

In moments of powerful Kundalini awakening — when the merger with the object of meditation becomes so complete that all boundaries vanish — it feels like everything has been attained. The bliss, the awe, the radiance — they arrive with overwhelming fullness. The light here is vivid, ecstatic, and divinely expressive. There is sometimes a sense of expansion, even a loving oneness with the cosmos. This light feels complete — and yet, it is not the void.

Because even here, some movement remains:
a sense of experience,
a subtle trace of someone merging with something,
a radiant Shakti still in play.

But the void of Nirvikalpa is of a different order altogether.
It is Shiva in essence — unmoving, unchanging, not blissful in the usual sense, not even light as we know it.
It is like a dark-mixed luminosity — a paradoxical radiance that doesn’t shine outward but rests quietly as itself.
There’s no experiencer. No object. Not even the feeling of having “attained.”
Just Being, vast and silent.

This void is not dull darkness nor bright light.
It is a radiant absence —
a space that feels more alive than life, more real than thought, and more intimate than breath.

Another realization gently emerged:
We already know this void at a surface level.
It feels like something distant, separate.
But the true knowing is not about recognizing it from afar —
it happens only through merging completely into it.
It is not a question of knowing or unknowing — it is about the depth of merging that transforms everything.

At this point, a quiet but strong understanding settled in:
This complete merging seems impossible without Keval Kumbhak.

As long as the breath moves, some subtle movement of mind persists.
Only when breath stops naturally, mind falls completely silent — allowing pure Being to reveal itself without disturbance.

In the light of this, Patanjali’s ancient words felt newly alive:
“Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah” —
Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.

It became obvious:
This cessation — this true Nirodhah — is possible only with Keval Kumbhak.

Breath and mind are like two wings of the same bird.
One moves, the other moves.
One rests, the other rests.
When both are silent, the radiance of the Self shines effortlessly.

The path became simple and clear:
Keval Kumbhak leads to natural Nirodhah,
which dissolves into Nirvikalpa Samadhi,
where the luminous void alone remains.

The journey continues —
sometimes the void feels near, sometimes a little veiled —
but the direction is certain now.
It is not about gathering more techniques, not about collecting experiences.
It is about letting go so completely that even breath surrenders,
and only the purest awareness remains.

Some further reflections naturally arise:

In deep silence, I could see why breath and mind are called inseparable twins.
One moves, the other moves.
One rests, the other rests.
Without Keval Kumbhak, even a silent mind carries a faint ripple —
like the almost invisible trembling of a mirror touched by a breeze.
Only with Keval Kumbhak, the mirror becomes perfectly still, reflecting the eternal Self.

This brought new life to the meaning of Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi —
all of them arising naturally from this effortless stillness, not as stages to climb, but as natural flowers blossoming when the roots sink deep into silence.

In simple words:
The true spiritual journey is not about doing more, but undoing everything —
until breath, mind, and sense of separateness vanish into pure being.

The luminous void waits patiently within us —
not separate, not far away —
but requiring a total merging, a surrender beyond words.

Walking this path feels less like achieving something,
and more like remembering something ancient, something always known, but now being tasted with new innocence.

And perhaps, this is how true yoga was always meant to be.

Kevala Kumbhaka: Stilling Prana, Stilling Mind, and Burning Karmas to reach moksha

I’ve been contemplating Kevala Kumbhaka and its deep effects on the mind and karma. I see that stilling prana through breath cessation (Kevala Kumbhaka) stills the mind, but I wonder—how does it still the subconscious mind or the deep hidden imprints (samskaras)?

I’ve realized that normal meditation quiets only the surface mind. Even in deep Dhyana, thoughts may become weak, but the subconscious continues vibrating in the background, storing desires, fears, and past impressions. The deeper layers of the mind, where samskaras lie hidden, remain untouched. But Kevala Kumbhaka seems different—it doesn’t just calm the mind, it halts it at its very root.

How Kevala Kumbhaka Reaches the Subconscious Mind

The mind and prana are two sides of the same coin. The subconscious (chitta) holds karmic imprints, and these samskaras stay alive only because prana keeps moving. These sanskaras keep rapidly and continuously forming thoughts related to them. Only few gross thoughts come to our awareness, majority of thoughts are subtle which we even don’t feel. These all thoughts Keep these sanskaras in subconscious alive. Everything fades up with time if energy is not used to sustain it. The same happens with sanskaras. Karma and related thoughts make sanskaras and sanskaras Keep forming same karma and related thought patterns in return. Thus both keep energizing or strengthening each other. Even during few hours of keval kumbhak, when thoughts and subtle thoughts become zero, these sanskaras loose enough strength. That’s why we feel a permanent transformation. Although full erasing may need keval Kumbhak applied for days or routinely. Intentional removal of gross thoughts don’t erase sanskaras because subtle thoughts keep these alive. That’s why we don’t feel transformation with gross mind control even for a long time. May be it works but extremely long time taken by it seems too much impractical. I think permanent transformation after few seconds of awakening or glimpse is also due to this phenomenon. Means even few seconds of full mindlessness is enough to weaken all buried sanskaras.

When prana moves, thoughts and impressions keep arising—like waves in an ocean.

When prana stops completely, there is no movement left to activate samskaras.

Since samskaras get their energy from prana, they lose their charge and start dissolving.

This is why deep states of Kevala Kumbhaka feel like emptiness (shunya), stillness, or even formless awareness. It’s not just a mental silence—it is an absence of karmic momentum itself. Momentum in science means increasing speed. Prana is like a push or speed enhancer to wheeled baggage of sanskaras that otherwise has tendency to slow down and stop as seen in physical world. Push force stops, baggage stops.

This also answers why normal meditation (without breath cessation) cannot fully erase samskaras. In usual meditation, even if thoughts become still, subtle subconscious vibrations still persist. But in Kevala Kumbhaka, even these hidden layers stop vibrating, leading to deep dissolution of past conditioning.

Does Kevala Kumbhaka Deactivate Past Karmas?

Yes, Kevala Kumbhaka can deactivate past karmas, because karma is not just an idea—it is an energy pattern in the subconscious. Since prana fuels karma, when prana stops completely, karmas lose their foundation.

This is how it works:

Sanchita Karma (Accumulated Past Karmas) → Dissolves, because there is no pranic movement to sustain them.

Prarabdha Karma (Karma Already Playing Out in This Life) → Continues temporarily, like a fan that keeps spinning even after the power is cut. But without ego involvement, it is just a play—suffering disappears.

Kriyamana Karma (New Karma Being Created Now) → Completely stops, because the egoic doer (kartabhava) dissolves.

This is why Kevala Kumbhaka is one of the fastest paths to Moksha (liberation). It stops prana, which stops the mind, which stops karma. When karma is erased, the cycle of rebirth (punarjanma) is broken.

Where I Stand in This Journey

I have not yet achieved Nirvikalpa Samadhi, but I have touched Savikalpa Samadhi—where the sense of ‘I’ dissolved, leaving only unified consciousness. However, I intentionally lowered my experience back to the Ajna Chakra, fearing that I might become a renunciate (baba). This choice might have prevented me from entering the realm of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

I now realize that awakening glimpses alone are not enough. The true challenge is sustaining liberation forever. While enlightenment experiences may happen, if karmic seeds remain, one may still fall back into egoic identification. Karma or sanskara baggage makes ego of a person because he’s deeply attached to it. The real work is in burning samskaras completely, ensuring no return to ignorance.

Right now, I believe that Kevala Kumbhaka is the missing key—it seems to be the fastest way to erase deep karmic imprints, still the subconscious, and lead to Nirvikalpa Samadhi and final Moksha.

I see that chasing Nirvikalpa Samadhi without Kevala Kumbhaka seems nearly impossible—because as long as prana moves, some mind activity remains, and as long as mind moves, some karma remains.

Final Thoughts

This journey is not about mystical experiences or temporary bliss—it’s about final, irreversible freedom. Awakening, enlightenment, glimpses of truth—they all lose meaning if the mind returns. True liberation is when nothing returns—not the ego, not karma, not even the subtlest movement of thought.

Kevala Kumbhaka appears to be the direct method to reach that state. Whether I will achieve it or not, only time and my practice will tell—but the direction is clear.

For now, I continue my sadhana, refining my understanding and methods, aiming to go beyond mere glimpses into permanent dissolution.