Between your inhalation and exhalation is Kumbhak- the state where you hold breath for equal or more amount of time that you take for inhale or exhale.

Kumbhak that we perform in cleansing process is important to attain better meditative state. As an example imagine the act of putting thread in the tiny hole of needle. When we try this, have you experienced that we hold the breath and immediately put the thread in hole? Holding breath helps us focus.

In your visualization imagine you are putting pressure on your Kundalini at Mooladhar Chakra with this held up air in Antar Kumbhak.

1. Antar Kumbhak – Internal breath holding. The process is you inhale say upto 10 counts, then hold the breath inside upto 10 counts, and exhale upto 10 counts. Here you keep the air IN.
2. Bahirkumbhak – Outer Breath holding. The process is you inhale say upto 10 counts, then exhale upto 10 counts and then hold the breath inside upto 10 counts. So here you keep the air OUT.

These kumbhak techniques, i.e. holding of the breath can be practiced when you do simple pranayama, or Anulom Vilom Pranaya.

The trained yogis practice to achieve following Poorak Kumbhak and Rechak ratio of Pranayama.

Poorak (Inhale) – 1sec : Kumbhak (hold breath)- 4sec : Rechak (exhale) – 2sec.

This be achieved in steps, slowly increasing kumbhak counts week by week.