tantra · A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya, Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Bihar School of Yoga)

Ajapa Japa: Stage 1 (Soham With the Navel-Throat Breath)

The opening stage of Ajapa Japa, a meditation that synchronizes the mantra Soham with the felt movement of breath rising from the navel to the throat on inhalation and descending on exhalation — an entry point into the chakra-linked practices that follow in later stages.

The theory, briefly

Ajapa Japa builds in careful layers rather than starting with the mantra directly. The text first has the practitioner simply become aware of the breathing process itself — knowing 'I am breathing in' while breathing in, 'I am breathing out' while breathing out — before introducing any visualization or sound at all.

Once breath awareness is steady, the practice adds an imagined pathway: on inhalation, the breath is felt to rise from the navel to the throat; on exhalation, it is felt to descend from the throat back to the navel. Only after this is established does the mantra Soham enter, synchronized precisely with that felt movement — 'So' sounding with the rising inhalation, 'Ham' with the descending exhalation — so that mantra, breath, and the navel-throat pathway are all held in awareness simultaneously.

The text is explicit that the aim is not to suppress or fight a wandering mind, but to keep returning attention to this triple awareness (breath, imagined pathway, mantra) whenever it drifts. Ajapa is described as excellent preparation for kriya yoga and as leading, through nothing more than sustained attentiveness, toward one-pointedness and meditation itself — later stages of the same practice go on to link this same rising-falling awareness to the chakras directly.

The practice

Ajapa Japa — Stage 1

18–28 minutes · The text notes ajapa can be practiced in any position, any place, any time; for a dedicated sitting like this, simply find a stable, comfortable seat wherever you already are — spine upright without excessive strain, eyes closed.

1Sit wherever you already are — the text itself says ajapa can be practiced in any position, any place, at any time. Just find a stable, comfortable seat, close your eyes, relax the body, and silently set aside all problems and worries for the duration of the practice.
2Become aware of the breath itself: know that you are breathing in as you breathe in, and that you are breathing out as you breathe out. Feel the rhythm of the flow, staying with this simple noticing for a few minutes before adding anything else.
3Begin to imagine the breath flowing along a pathway between the navel and the throat — rising from navel to throat on the inhale, descending from throat to navel on the exhale. If this feels hard to picture at first, don't worry — the important thing is staying aware of the breath, not getting the image exactly right.
4Let the breath grow slower and deeper on its own, without forcing it — the more relaxed you are, the more this happens by itself.
5Continue this navel-to-throat breath awareness for at least 5 minutes, gently returning attention to it whenever the mind wanders, without fighting the mind.
6Introduce the mantra Soham, synchronizing it precisely with the felt breath: 'So' with the rising inhalation from navel to throat, 'Ham' with the descending exhalation from throat to navel.
7If it helps, know that 'So' carries the sense of 'He' or 'That,' and 'Ham' carries the sense of 'I am' — together, 'I am That,' or 'I am consciousness.' The meaning isn't necessary for the practice to work, but some find it deepens the repetition.
8Maintain unbroken awareness of breath, pathway, and mantra together for as long as your time allows. At first this takes real effort — that's expected; the text calls this effortful stage japa, which gradually becomes ajapa, where the mantra repeats itself without strain. Let the mind roam if it must while continually returning to this threefold awareness.

None stated in the source for this stage.

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