Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God. — Krishnamacharya.
Holding the breath is a moment of infinity, a glimpse into non-duality. A moment of oneness with our creator.
Most yogis only know about kumbhaka (breath retention) in the same Pranayama techniques, however my guru, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti advised kumbhaka in certain yoga asanas too. And when I started researching this, I found that Krishnamacharya also experimented with kumbhaka in asana practice. Why is this not more widely known in the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga community or the yoga community at large, This is an aspect of asana practice that is yet to be reintroduced into the larger world of yoga. As of now it’s only a part of yoga practice with some lesser-known disciples of Krishnarnacharya and the Ananda Marga system of Rajadhiraja yoga.
I teach about the benefits of breath-holding in yoga poses on our yoga teacher training courses.
Gangadevii