All 12 of the students who came to meditate jolt their arms up in unison, taking a full breath in from the abdomen. Just as suddenly, their elbows fall back down to their sides, loose hands in line with shoulders, forcing their breath out through the nose. With eyes closed, the harmony of their powerful breathing mimic the sounds of the cars outside, whose tires whoosh across snow-sloshed streets.
The “bellows breath,” known traditionally as bhastrika, is a breathing exercise used in preparation for meditation to help raise rejuvenating energy while calming the mind. Named after the fireplace hand-bellows constructed to furnish strong blasts of air, the desired mental state following a few rounds of bellows breath is comparable to the heightened awareness induced by a good workout.
“Think of it like a free Starbucks shot,” says Supreet with a gentle smile. Supreet is one of the meditation guides at The Art of Living Center, a non-profit educational organization founded by the spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981. According to Shankar’s website, his vision of a “stress-free, violence-free society has united millions of people the world over.”
Bhastrika is one of over 50 prāṇāyāma techniques. Meaning “extension of the prāṇa or breath” in Sanskrit, prāṇāyāma is a yogic principle with roots in ancient India. It is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gītā, a sacred Hindu religious scripture, where it is described as a process for controlling the senses in order to advance spiritual realization. Trance is induced by restraint of the breath.
A framed portrait of the guru Ravi Shankar hangs above a small table decorated with pink and yellow flowers in the corner of the meditation room. The meditators range in age, occupation and ethnicity. Some have extensive practice with meditation, for others a sense of stress or curiosity brings them to center for the first time. All sit on green or purple yoga mats facing the center of the room.
The bhastrika breath is repeated 15 times, in three round intervals. An Indian man named Monaj, who leads the mediation course alongside Supreet, furrows his brow and purses his lips in concentration.
Each round of paced breathing is followed by several minutes of meditation, with open palms laid lightly on the knees. All have their eyes closed. The only noise during these moments of silence comes from the room’s heater, whose faint hiss mimics the sound of steam gathering in a pot.
One by one, the meditators blink open their eyes.
“How do you feel?” asks Supreet.
“Calm” and “relaxed” are words echoed by the meditators throughout the room.
“Different,” says a man sitting cross-legged in gray sweatpants, his dark hair pulled back into a bun. “Good different.”
All agree that their current state of mind is noticeably different from when they first entered the center.
“I feel sleepy,” says another young man with a nervous laugh, stealing a guilty glance at his friend who practices meditation regularly.
Supreet and Monaj nod. All feelings are acceptable and in line with the typical effects of meditation. The lesson is simple: we cannot control much within life, but one thing we can control is our breath. And through breath, we can control our emotions.
Monaj explains how that very afternoon, he was having a particularly stressful experience at his corporate day job. He took a few minutes to himself and went to a separate room to practice bhastrika breath. Afterwards, he felt refreshed and ready to face his workplace challenges with a peaceful and clear mind.
Within Western society, we are educated and taught a wide variety of skills aimed to help us lead successful lives, says Monaj. However, we are not taught how to manage emotions.
“As children we are told to ‘calm down,’” explains Monaj. “But what does that mean?”
Up to 80,000 thoughts run through our minds on any given day, according to Supreet. With meditation, the chaos in our minds is noticeably reduced, resulting in a sense of stillness and relief.
“Life begins to blossom instead of being a burden,” Supreet says. Monaj likens it to drinking water on a hot day.
The students listen intently. At the end of the hour’s breathing exercises and group discussions, there is time for one final meditation.
The cars outside The Art of Living Center continue to whoosh by, and the heater inside continues to hum.
“It’s the art of doing nothing,” Supreet says and dims the lights.
The Art of Living is located at 286 on 5th Avenue, New York. The Meditation Course is open weekdays 6:30pm-9:30pm and weekends 10:30am-1:30pm.