Exhale first as shown in Photograph 1 (the cleansing breath). This
precedes every exercise.
After the cleansing breath, inhale through the nose, while placing
the hands lightly on hips, as in Photograph 2. Hold the breath a few
seconds and open the mouth. Do not permit any breath to escape. The
opening of the mouth proves to yourself that there is no contraction
at the throat; instead, the diaphragm is holding the breath. Now,
exhale, saying “ss” between the teeth, with relaxed throat. It is very
important to observe that the chest is held high for the first half of
expiration. Then let it quickly sink with the breath, and take two or
three quick cleansing breaths.
Observe that the shoulders do not rise while inhaling--that you really
inhale, not that you stretch the chest muscles and lift the shoulders,
as I have seen even athletes do, when asked to take a deep breath.
Besides opening the mouth during the period of held breath, it would be
well to turn the neck several times to prove its freedom from tension.