Space between the breaths, the Dvadashanta

Focus on the space within the breaths. It can be after the inhalation or after the exhalation. Breathe in and out and try to focus on that space. You may see it or you may feel it. Take a few minutes. What is that space like? Is it still? When you focus on the stillness, the stillness will get unstill; thoughts will come in. When you breathe again, you will get back to it. Inside or outside it is the same point. This space is 12 finger widths down one’s nose until one reaches the region of the heart. This is the inner Dvadashanta, where the in breath ends. Similarly, if one measures outer breath coming out of the nostrils, it will be 12 finger width again. The space where it ends is called the outer Dvadashanta.

Sit still and be alert. Watch the inhalation and exhalation. Concentrate on the space between the breaths. The breathing is natural. Usually, one focuses on the outer breath. Breathing in means concentrating on the inner world and breathing out means concentrating on the outer world. By contemplating on the Dvadashanta, one is moving from awareness of thought to awareness of the space behind thought, the thought free state: Consciousness. One pathway is the space between two breaths, which is comparable to the space between two thoughts. The more one comes back to pure awareness, the stronger one’s mind gets and the deeper one’s meditation becomes.

The space between

Watching the space within the two breaths is real meditation, according to Swami Lakshmanjoo. He said that one had to be aware continuously of that space. If the focus is maintained, then a strong experience of inner energy results. The space between two thoughts is also addressed, the moment between sleep and waking, the junction between night and day.

Extracted from ‘The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism’ by Swami Shankarananda.

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