Regardless of how thoroughly this is explained, it isn’t easy to understand without receiving initiation from the guru. However, an explanation is necessary for those who are increasing their reliance on external air while closing their nostrils in the practice of pranayama. If not, there is a risk of mistakenly believing that this external nerve work (bahyanadi sodhana) is actually pranayama, which could result in a waste of time.
Therefore, by directing the breath upward, heat is generated through the internal movement up and down the spinal cord. Once it reaches the center of the eyebrows, one can distinctly perceive the divine light, along with divine energy, wisdom, and bliss.
As our breath rises internally, we become more inward (antarmukham) and oriented upward (urdhvamukham). Practitioners of proper pranayama focus on the center of the eyebrows (brumadhyam) by lifting their eyes, and uniting their gaze, life force, and mind.
In other words, to guide the life force into the brahmarandra, one should lift their eyes while keeping them open without revealing the sclera, and practice breathing (vayu sadhana) through the path of sushumna. Only then, the inward and upward journey is complete. At the same time body, neck and head have to be aligned. However, nowadays practitioners often find themselves immersed in a state of inertia, bending their necks and heads during meditation (dhyanam or yogam). By this practice, one can only become inward but not upwards. We need to recognize that their life force is not directed toward the center of the eyebrows.
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिर:
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्
samaṁ kāyaśirogrīvaṁ dhārayannacalaṁ sthira:
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaścānavalokayan (Bhagavad Gita .. 6-13)
Pranayama should be practiced with the body, neck, and head properly aligned, avoiding any movement of the eyes in different directions, and focusing on the beginning of the nose (nasikagram).
Those who practice with their eyes closed, practice different postures, and interpret the ‘beginning of the nose’ as the tip of the nose will never achieve fruitful results. ‘Agraja’ refers to the first or foremost, while ‘nasikagram’ signifies the beginning of the nose, which corresponds to the center of the eyebrows (brumadhyam). Even during sleep, we naturally move inward, but this downward orientation leads to a subconscious state.
Therefore, those seeking divine consciousness should engage in practices that are both inward and upward. All other practices may increase inertia but will not lead to salvation (moksha) or the superconscious state (jnanam).