Tonite my initial rate was 4 to 6 BPM (breaths per minutes). After HS it went down to 2-3 BPM.
After Kryia I didn't check.
It amazes me how much the mind and its thoughts affect our meditation. We can say that we are not thinking but it is obvious u must think to count how many times u have breathed in a minute so the idea of breaths per minute is in your mind and this can be an obstacle to peaceful or blissful meditation. However we are just running an experiment here and it does help the endless wondering of thoughts that we must deal with during meditation.
Paramahansa Yogananda recommended affirming this before practicing the technique of breathlessness given in the hong-sau lesson:
"I know that breath is the cord that ties my soul to the body. In breathlessness I find my soul free to unite with thine omnipresent both within and beyond my body. The storm of breath causes ripples of sensation and thoughts on the lake of my mind and I behold a distorted image of thy presence. Oh Spirit! Stop the storm of breath. Conjure away ripples of restlessness. Teach me to behold thy moon presence in the unruffled lake of my consciousness." P.Y.
