(d) Exhale suddenly “Ha,” bringing arms down to sides.
(e) Two short cleansing breaths. Pause ten seconds before repeating.
Ordinarily, do this exercise six to eight times, with pauses between.
The Short Controlled Breath
Explanation In Detail
Exhale first as shown in Photograph 1 (the cleansing breath). This precedes every exercise.
After the cleansing breath, inhale through the nose, while placing the hands lightly on hips, as in Photograph 2. Hold the breath a few seconds and open the mouth. Do not permit any breath to escape. The opening of the mouth proves to yourself that there is no contraction at the throat; instead, the diaphragm is holding the breath. Now, exhale, saying “ss” between the teeth, with relaxed throat. It is very important to observe that the chest is held high for the first half of expiration. Then let it quickly sink with the breath, and take two or three quick cleansing breaths.
Observe that the shoulders do not rise while inhaling—that you really inhale, not that you stretch the chest muscles and lift the shoulders, as I have seen even athletes do, when asked to take a deep breath. Besides opening the mouth during the period of held breath, it would be well to turn the neck several times to prove its freedom from tension.
The Short Controlled Breath
In Condensed Form