bright.
As soon as the nadis are purified the yogi is able to retain the breath longer, the gastric fire is
Perfect health alone is reason enough to concern ourselves with nadi purification. About the gastric
fire and the nada sound we will learn more later. But it is the art of retention of breath that is so
essential in the development of pranayarna.
How is it that the power to hold the breath for a considerable length of time should depend on the
purity of the nadis rather than on the capacity of the lungs?
Breath gets short when the air held in the lungs has lost its prana. If the nadis areimpure (as is
common), then the flow of prana is impeded and is soon unable to reload the breath. The breath
becomes stale like a carbonated drink when it has lost its fizz. If the nadi path is pure, however, the
prana flow can keep breath "alive" for a longer time.
A yogi who can subsist on one breath for days−−as has been demonstrated−−causes the river of
prana to circulate in the body and does not allow the prana to escape. He absorbs oxygen through his
pores.
