Specific breathing techniques are adopted in the Nāṭya śāstra to emote the Navarasas or the nine primary emotions. These also indicate the association of breath and emotion and an experiential understanding of this map is invaluable to identify, liberate, transform and transcend limiting emotions.
1. Shr̥ṅgāra – Breath starts at the lower abdomen, rises up slowly and gradually till the center of the skull, knows as the crystal palace.
2. Adbhuta – Breath starts at the lower abdomen, rises up quickly and constantly, till it is expelled through the nostrils. This is accompanied by pauses where breath is held inside or outside in the state of kumbhaka.
3. Hāsya – Breath rises from the lower abdomen to the center of the chest, breaks into an outer flow while accompanied by shaking of the chest.
4. Karuṇā – Breath rises from Mūlādhāra to Anāhata, where it is compressed while restricting both movements (ūrdhva and adhaḥ).
5. Raudra – Breath rises from the lower abdomen to Viśuddhi, where it is strongly compressed and exhaled through the eyes forcibly.
6. Bhībhatsa – Breath rises from lower abdomen rapidly, to be expelled forcefully through both nostrils, while shrinking the entire face.
7. Vīra – Breath rises strongly but consistently from Maṇipūraka till the shoulders, where it is compressed and distributed all across the back.
8. Bhayānaka – Breath rises firmly and speedily from Mūlādhāra to Viśuddhi, at which point it is pushed down and compressed.
9. Shānta – Breath rises silently and in an unbroken fashion from Mūlādhāra all the way till Sahasrāra, and when the Crown is reached, eyes are stopped from seeing, ears from hearing, nose from smelling and mouth from talking. The eyes are brought closer to their inner periphery, gazing softly at the ājñā.