# The War against _Lung_ Answer Key, Class Two: The War against _Lung_ **1) The first pranayama described by Master Svatmarama begins with inhaling in through the channel of the moon, holding the breath, and then exhaling out through the channel of the sun.  Discuss these two channels briefly, giving their Sanskrit and Tibetan names; Sanskrit roots; reasons for these names; and the elements, thoughts, and winds that pass through them.  Mention finally their primary function.** The Channel of the Sun: The first of the three major channels is called _the channel of the sun._  The word for _channel_ here in Sanskrit is _nadi._  This means any stream or flow of water or energy, and literally means _making a sound._  The idea is that of sitting near the side of a stream, and listening to the pleasant tinkling of the water as it flows.  The English word _note,_ as in a note of music, may come from the same root. The word for sun here in Sanskrit is simply _ha,_ which is related to the ancient Indo-European root for sun, _sahwel.  _From this root too come the English words _sun, solar, _and _helium _(from the Greek _helios, _or _sun_); as well as _surya, _another Sanskrit word for the sun. The corresponding Tibetan for _channel of the sun_ is _nyimay tsa._  _Nyima _means _sun,_ and _tsa_ means a channel for the flow of prana. The sun channel has many other names.  Perhaps the most well-known in Sanskrit is _pingala,_ which means _the reddish channel,_ and is related to the English word _pink._  The name derives from the fact that this channel is generally seen as an opaque red in color, due to the passage within it of a high proportion of “red element,” which is related to blood (especially menstrual blood). The channel is also called _roma _:}-1k_ _in Tibetan, which is a translation of the original Sanskrit _rasana _rsna_, _with the English being _the channel of taste.  _This name is said to be related to the fact that the channel carries primarily the element of blood, and is related to heat. The sun channel is also sometimes called _the channel on the right _(which is _ye kyi tsa _in Tibetan), since it passes down the side of the spine on our own right side.  It is sometimes referred to as _the channel of what holds.  _The phrase _what holds_ here refers to our mind, as the subject which holds an object. The point of this name is important.  Within this right-hand channel flow our “hot” negative thoughts, such as anger, jealousy, and disliking things in an ignorant way.  The most serious of these negative thoughts is the tendency to see subjects—meaning people, and our own mind—as things that come from their own side. When we believe that something we don’t like is coming from its own side, we can easily get angry at it.  If we understand that it actually comes from us, because of how we ourselves have behaved in the past, then we stop getting angry. As long as prana or wind is concentrated in this right-hand channel, we have a tendency to misunderstand ourselves and our mind, and to get angry.  Again, the purpose of yoga is to move prana out of this channel, and help us to fix our emotions by using the tool of our physical body. We should note here that many authoritative ancient sources reverse the explanation of which misperceptions flow through the right and left-hand channels.  That is, some texts say that misunderstanding _objects,_ as opposed to _subjects,_ flows through the right-hand channel.  This is obviously an important subject for further research. Of the five winds, the one which flows predominantly through the right-hand channel is the _udana vayu: _the upward-running wind.  The _prana vayu, _or life wind, and the _apana vayu, _or downward-clearing wind, flow through both the side channels equally. The Channel of the Moon: The second of the three major inner channels or _nadis_ is the channel of the moon.  The word for _moon_ here in Sanskrit is _tha._  It refers to a flat disk (such as a full moon). All heavenly bodies—such as the sun, earth, or moon—were believed by the ancients to be flat disks of this type.  _Tha_ is thus related to English words such as _tolerate _(to _bear _or _withstand_) and _Atlas _(the deity who _holds up_ the world), which contain the old Indo-European root √_tel, _meaning _to bear up_ or _support,_ as the earth or another planet holds up the things which rest upon it. The moon in ancient times was considered to give off rays of light which had the effect of cooling whatever they struck.  Thus the moon channel is related to our “cooler” negative thoughts—wanting or liking things in a mistaken way.  The most serious thought of this type is a misunderstanding of the objects around us, as opposed to the subjects, and thus the channel is also known as _the channel of what is held._ The channel itself is seen as being an opaque, milky white color, like the moon, and a common name for it in Sanskrit is _ida,_ which means _milky, _or _milk_ as an offering or a refreshing beverage._  _The word is also seen as _ila, _which is related to the English word _liquid.  _The color of the channel is said to come from the fact that a large proportion of “white element,” related to semen, flows through it. The normal Tibetan term for this channel is _kyangma _V$-1k , which is a translation of the old Sanskrit _lalana _llna.  This word can mean _woman, queen, _or _wife, _which would be a natural reference to the left-hand channel;_ _the Tibetan translation though means _solitary _(we haven't found any explanation yet of why this word was chosen, and there is a chance that it may be misspelled). The Sanskrit word _ida _is also related to the word _eda _@f, which means "sheep," and this word is sometimes the one used in Tibetan for this channel (_luk _in Tibetan).  Presumably this is a reflection of the color of the channel. The moon channel runs down our left hand of the spine, and so is also called _the channel on the left.  _Again, we seek to affect our mental state through our body, by doing asanas which prevent the concentration of prana in this channel. Of the five winds, the one which flows predominantly through the left-hand channel is the _samana vayu: _the equal-running wind.  Again, the _prana vayu, _or life wind, and the _apana vayu, _or downward-clearing wind, flow through both the side channels equally. **2) What is a common Sanskrit term for the practice of alternate-nostril pranayama?  Give some roots and related English words.  What is this practice called in Tibetan?** Alternate-nostril pranayama is sometimes called, in Sanskrit, _nadi shodana _nafI zaedn, or _cleaning out the channels.  _In Tibetan this is called _tsajong _P-^}$-k.  As noted above, the word _nadi_ means any stream or flow of water or energy, and literally means _making a sound._  The idea is that of sitting near the side of a stream, and listening to the pleasant tinkling of the water as it flows.  The English word _note,_ as in a note of music, may come from the same root. _Shodana _means _something which makes something else pure, _or _which cleans something else out.  _This comes from the Sanskrit root √_shudh _zux_, _which means _to purify.  _The English words _sweet, persuade (convince of being good), _and _hedonism _(_pursuit of pleasure, or the good feeling) _are related. **3) Describe the Tibetan form of alternate-nostril breathing, and how can we perform it as a special form of the old Indian practice?** Alternate-nostril breathing as it was practiced in Tibet was found primarily in a practice passed down with the Six Yogas of Naropa called _lung-ro gu-truk _Tz$-:}-+]o-Js#=k_, _which literally means "the nine-flow practice of the inner winds."  Many variations of this practice, the descriptions of which sometimes conflict with each other, are found in the ancient Tibetan sources. The basic form is similar to that found in our text; an important variation is where we breathe first out through the left nostril, in again through the left; out through the right, in through the right; and then out through each, and in through each.  This is repeated three times, for a total of nine passages of the breath—thus the name. In the Tibetan tradition, this practice can be done in a very special way to "clean out the channels," especially of our negative thoughts.  Here is an actual description of this particular method, taken from a book called _A Stairway for those of Goodness to Climb to the Heaven of the Sky," _a text on practices of the Angel of Diamond (Vajra Yogini) and Master Naropa written by Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche (1878-1941), the root Lama of the root Lama of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin: First put your body in the proper meditation posture, with all the crucial points of this posture.  Start the breathing practice then by exhaling out of your left nostril.  The exhalation should be gentle at the beginning and end, and a little more forceful inbetween, to clear things out. At this same time, picture that all your negativities—your two major types of obstacles, along with all the seeds for them, but most especially represented by your habit of liking things ignorantly—travels up the left-hand channel, the solitary channel, together with the wind and breath. As you exhale, all these negativities also pass out of the body through this nostril.  Imagine first that they travel an armspan from you; and then that they go as far as outside of the building in which you are staying; and then that they pass out into the ends of the universe itself.  Finally then they simply disappear into nothingness, like a cloud fading out of the sky.   Then simply sit there, in this space, for a good time.  A sign that this passage of the breath is completely finished is that you'll get something like a little bit of a twinge around your heart. Then breathe in gently from the same nostril, and exhale from the right one.  Go through the same picture then, except that your habit of disliking things ignorantly is passing out of your right-hand channel, the channel of taste. Then go through the same process—exhalation and then inhalation—again with both nostrils.  In this case the visualization is that your habit of ignorance itself is passing out via the central channel, out from the point between your eyebrows, and it is being cleaned from you.  The point at which the exhalation is complete is the same in each case. We see here the cleansing then of the channels of their real impurities. **4) Master Svatmarama says that, by using alternate-nostril pranayama, we will be "able to clear out the entire system of inner channels within the space of three months."  Comment on how this is accomplished.** It's vital to note that the Master also states that this will happen for "those who are self-controlled."  In one sense, this means "those who are disciplined enough to keep up the practice on a very regular, modest, daily basis."  But in a more important sense, self-control in our text has always referred to those who act with kindness and wisdom and high intentions towards all those around them, and succeed in these practices because of the karma they thus collect. **5) The Master speaks about the benefit of performing retention of the breath at four special times of the day.  List these times, and then explain why they are helpful times for this practice.  Comment also on the Master's advice to repeat the retention 80 times at each session.** The four times listed by the Master are dawn, midday, evening, and midnight.  Dawn and evening are special times because the flow through the two channels and nostrils is generally equal at these times.  Midnight is a peak time for female energy, and noon for male energy. It would be disastrous for a beginning practitioner of pranayama to repeat a retention 80 times.  Such advices are found as well in many of the older Tibetan descriptions of pranayama; they were overstated wildly by their authors, knowing that a person who was attempting to practice only from a book, without any proper supervision by a qualified Teacher, would soon fail and discontinue their foolish attempt to travel this path on their own. **6) Master Svatmarama mentions three stages in the progression of the process of bringing the inner winds under control.  Describe three actual activities that we might be undertaking during each of these stages, and how these might relate to stages in the introduction of the inner winds into the central channel.** The Master describes three stages as (1) the body beginning to sweat; (2) starting to shake; and (3) attaining a kind of stillness.  We might experience the first during a good yoga session, when some amount of wind is entering the central channel. The second occurs on and off at odd moments as we begin getting the channels somewhat opened.  This is important to realize ahead of time, as the jolting sensations we experience can sometimes be alarming if we're not aware of why they're happening.  They may often be accompanied by sounds in the mind, something like an implosion or a huge door being slammed shut all of a sudden.  These sensations shouldn't be confused with the nervous shaking of the hands for example that may be present during a lung condition, or the trembling of a limb during asana practice that can mean that inner wind has broken through successfully to flow along a channel in the limb. We may also find ourselves experiencing moments of extreme calm and stillness mentally, accompanied by sensations of being very erect in our posture as we sit or walk: a sign that the central channel is straightening in response to the presence of some amount of wind.  We may even discover that our breath is almost stilled, or even completely stopped, for unexpected periods of time. These are all wonderful signs of progress.  We should be encouraged and keep working hard at our practice.  In advanced cases, these reflect a traditional progression of the entrance of the inner winds into the central channel; their taking up residence there; and finally dissolving within the channel. **7) The Master advises that, during our initial exploration of pranayama, it might be useful to include butter and milk into our diet.  Comment upon the pros and cons here.** In general, the inclusion of dairy products in our diet as yogis may have negative effects, such as excess phlegm and sinus congestion—due certainly to the violence involved in imprisoning, abusing, and murdering animals to produce these products.  A yogi would of course be assuring that any such products were produced without harm to the animals. That said, non-violent dairy products can have a very grounding effect on the body and mind, providing a major counterbalance to the extremely common problem of lung or disturbances of the inner wind which accompany even very responsible, guided practice of pranayama.  This is due to the grounding effects of both oil and fat, and protein during pranayama practice. **8) What metaphor does Master Svatmarama use to describe the potential hazards of the improper and unguided practice of pranayama?  List here the three keywords for the verse where the metaphor occurs; describe them, memorize them.** The Master says that we must proceed "very slowly, and very gradually," in our practice of pranayama.  The Sanskrit words for this phrase here are shanaih, shanaih. He then says that pranayama undertaken without this gradual and gentle approach can turn on us, like a wild animal that we are attempting to train without taking the time and care to do so properly, under expert guidance.  He compares pranayama thus to "lions, wild elephants, and tigers": creatures of great power and grace who can turn violent if treated improperly.  The Sanskrit here is yatha sinho gajo vyaghro ywa is<hae gjae Vyºae. The final important word here is sadhaka, meaning a practitioner, or someone who is engaged in sadhaka, daily spiritual practice to reach divinity. **9) How does Master Svatmarama describe the connection between pranayama and illness?** He says that pranayama "done correctly will eradicate every form of illness," whereas that done incorrectly "can bring on every form of illness." **10) List at least 5 physical signs of improper pranayama; give the Tibetan name for the disorders which can be caused by it, and explain the name a bit.** One or more of the following physical signs can indicate a condition caused by improper pranayama are: (1) A constricted or tight feeling in the chest. (2) Erratic breathing, trouble breathing, panting. (3) Dull headaches. (4) Erratic or speeded-up heartbeat. (5) Pain in the region of the heart. (6) Nervous trembling of the hands. (7) Change in bowel movements: constipation or diarrhea. (8) A tight feeling of the facial muscles, especially lip, forehead,                             and jaw, as if wearing a mask. (9) Frequent burping. (10) Mucus congestion. (11) Pain in the ears, or other sinus passages of the head. (12) Tightness in the eyes; a feeling that the eyeballs are hard          or overfilled with liquid. (13) Bloated feeling in the abdomen. (14) Flatulence. The Tibetan name for an imbalance brought on by improper pranayama is lung Tz$-k.  This is an abbreviation of the Tibetan term soklung N}#-Tz$-k, which is a translation of the Sanskrit prana vayu àa[ vyu, or wind of life, one of the five inner winds.  The name is given to the ailment since the ailment is brought on by an imbalance or disturbance of this particular inner wind. The Yoga Studies Institute Course VI: Hatha Yoga Pradipika II Pranayama: Breath and the End of Breath