# The End of Breath Answer Key, Class Seven: The End of Breath **1) Give the Sanskrit name for the practice of the capsule known as the Queen of Bees, and describe how it is performed.** The Sanskrit name for this practice is bhramari_ _æamrI_, _which is the name for a female bee.  We first take a strong inhalation, making the sound of a male bee, and then exhale gently, with the sound of a female bee. **2) What are two effects that the Master mentions accompany the successful practice of the Queen of Bees?  Name them in Sanskrit too.  What do these have to do with our practice of hatha yoga?** The first effect is that we experience "every imaginable joy," which in the Sanskrit here is ananda AanNd.  This word comes from a root √nand nNdœ , which means to rejoice; the English word neat meaning good is related. The second effect is "the dance of pleasure," which in Sanskrit is lila lIla.  This is related to the two Sanskrit roots √lash l;! , meaning to desire, and √las ls! , meaning to be lively.  The English words lascivious and lust are related. The point here is that, as once heard in a Shri Dharma Mittra class, "No pain, no gain; no fun, no yoga."  As the channels begin to open through the regular practice of pranayama, we find ourselves with more peace of mind and cleanness of conscience: a very typical sign of any great spiritual person or yogi is that they are having more fun; they are happy and playful.  All of these practices are a lot more authentic and helpful if we stop taking ourselves so seriously and have some fun with them, and with those around us. **3) Give the Sanskrit of the capsule practice known as "Fainting," roots and related English words, and then describe how it is performed.  What are a few points to keep in mind about this practice?** The Sanskrit of the Fainting practice is known as murcha mU½R.  This comes from a root √murch mUrc! , which means to thicken.  This is surely related to the root √mir m& , meaning to die (a reference to rigor mortis), which is itself related to the root √mir m& which means to crush.  Some related words are rigor mortis; Shri Krishnamurti ("Krishna in real life, in solid flesh"); mortar; murder. To perform this capsule, we are instructed to fill our lungs; perform the capsule of the Water Catcher very firmly; and then exhale very slowly, so that a feeling of fainting comes upon us. This capsule especially should only be done if your personal Teacher feels that it will benefit you, and with proper precautions.  For one thing, you could simply fall on something.  Secondly, this practice if done incorrectly can be a major cause of a lung disorder. **4) Give the Sanskrit for the Floating practice of the capsule, describe how we perform it, and finally give the Sanskrit root and some related English words.** The Sanskrit for the Floating practice is plavini PlaivnI, from a root √plu Plu , meaning to float.  Some related English words are float, flow, flood, and fleet (group of ships). We perform this practice by pumping air into the abdomen with repeated breaths, until we are able to lie back in water and float upon it. **5) What are the three broad divisions of pranayama, and the two broad divisions of capsule practice?  Give the names of the two types of capsule in Sanskrit, and some related English words.  How would the practice of the second type of capsule be characterized in the Indian lineages that entered Tibet?** The three broad divisions of pranayama are those concerned with exhalation; with inhalation; and with retention. The capsules are (1) the kind achieved with conscious effort; and (2) that which occurs spontaneously.  The former is called in Sanskrit sahita kumbhaka siht k…MÉk.  The sahita here is made of two parts, sa and hita.  The prefix sa means "with": in this case, "with effort." The hita comes from a root √dha xa, which means to put: here meaning to put out some effort.  Some related English words are do, deed (both as a noun and verb), and doom (put down in stone, preordained). The latter type of capsule is called kevala kumbhaka, where kevala is made up of ka k, that or something (found in the English word what), and iva #v: just (found in the English suffixes –ic or -ish, meaning like that, as in organic or reddish.  Combined then they mean just that, or all by itself. The point here is that there will come a time—if we are disciplined in our practice of pranayama and do it according to the guidance of an expert—when our capsules or retention of breath and prana switch over from something that we can do only with considerable effort, consciously, into a kind that just comes upon us naturally, at unexpected moments.  We simply forget to breathe, for many minutes at a time. In the traditions as they came into Tibet, this last type of capsule is related to three stages in the movement of prana from the two side channels into the central channel.  These three stages are called entering (shukpa); staying (nepa); and dissolving (timpa). A sign that inner wind is first entering the central channel is that our breath flows equally through both of the two nostrils, and at the same strength of flow through each nostril.  A sign that the winds are staying in the central channel is that the breath simply stops for extended periods of time. A sign that the wind is dissolving into the central channel is that we experience a specific series of visions, similar to those we experience at death, ending in the direct experience of the "clear light," or emptiness.  And so the spontaneous stoppage of our breath, even for brief moments of profound inner stillness, is a sign that we are getting quite close to this peak experience of perceiving emptiness directly. **6) For how many months does Master Svatmarama advise continuing the practice of the capsule which involves conscious effort?  What threshold do we reach when we reach the end of this practice?** The Master says that we should persevere in our practice of the capsule which requires conscious effort until we experience the spontaneous capsule happening steadily.  When this begins to happen, then we have "without a doubt reached the stage of royal yoga": meaning that now we can use our practices of the inner winds to help trigger the direct perception of emptiness, and the transformation of the body into one of light. **7) How does Master Svatmarama, at this juncture in the text, characterize the relationship between hatha yoga and raja yoga?** At this point in the text, the Master says that "no spiritual goals can be reached if we practice royal yoga without the yoga of sun and moon; or if we practice the yoga of sun and moon without royal yoga."  The point then is that they mutually support and engender each other: as the texts say, we need to "make efforts in both the outer and the inner means, equally." **8) What are eight different signs that the Master lists which indicate that we have achieved "the yoga of sun and moon"?** The eight signs that the Master lists are— (1) our body becomes lean (2) our face takes on a glow (3) divine sound is revealed to us (4) our physical eyes become strong (5) we're always healthy (6) we have power over the inner drops (7) our inner fire blazes (8) the inner channels become completely pure. **9) Summarize in ten steps now the flow of the entire second chapter of the _Light on the Yoga of Sun and Moon._** (1) In this chapter, we've first been introduced to the general idea of pranayama: breath lengthening or control. (2) We saw the four requirements that help us perform this practice: the asanas or yoga poses; following an ethical life; healthy eating; and the guidance of a master Teacher. (3) We were reminded of the connection between the different "layers" of our being: emptiness, karma, inner body, prana, breath, and outer body. (4) We were introduced to the need to bring the winds into the central channel, in order to see emptiness and to transform the body into light. (5) We got a quick introduction to alternate-breathing practice, in both the Indian and Tibetan traditions. (6) We began our study of the dangers of improper pranayama—the causes of a lung disorder.  We got reminders to deal properly with out capacity. (7) Then we went through the six kriyas or cleaning practices, meant to balance the humours, and especially deal with excess fat or mucous. (8) We went through eight different forms of the practice of the inner capsule. (9) We learned the two broad divisions of the inner capsule: moving from the type that we do with conscious effort, to the spontaneous kind—a sign that we are close to seeing emptiness directly. (10) We were given a list of signs that we have achieved hatha yoga. The Yoga Studies Institute Course VI: Hatha Yoga Pradipika II Pranayama: Breath and the End of Breath