Eight-Stroke Breath for Energy and Stress Release

Excerpt From: Yogi Bhajan. “Praana, Praanee, Praanayam: Exploring the Breath Technology of
Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan ®.

“Sit in any comfortable meditative posture with a straight spine, chin in, chest lifted.

Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath.

Inhale through the nose in eight equal strokes.

Exhale through the nose in one deep and powerful stroke. 11 Minutes.

To Finish:

Inhale deeply, hold the breath 5-10 seconds, and exhale. Inhale deeply, hold the breath 15-20
seconds and roll your shoulders. Exhale powerfully. Inhale deeply, hold the breath 15-20
seconds, and this time roll your shoulders as fast as you can. Exhale and relax.

The eight strokes will make you watch and count the breath and that will force you to relate to
your breath. Best procedure is that you do this exercise every evening. Eleven minutes a day of
eight-stroke breathing can give you enough energy to balance your (daily) consumption of
(praanic) life and take you out of stress. Is it possible? Do you have eleven minutes?”

After your pranayam meditation, lie down and listen to Ramdesh Kaur's "Guided Meditation for
Stress Relief" featuring the music of Ashana. Allow yourself to consciously relax. This is an
optional practice, but consciously relaxing is extremely important for health and well-being, and
tremendous rejuvenation can come by doing a guided meditation, especially for those new to
meditation.

This practice can be done either morning or night, but would be especially beneficial right before
bedtime.