Question: Is the breathing process you described absolutely essential in the opening of the third eye?

Sri Chinmoy: It is a most effective path for opening the third eye, but it is not absolutely essential. If you can bring the inner being forward, or if the Supreme’s Grace descends, or if your concentration and will-power are most intense, then you can open your third eye without the breathing exercise. Breathing is one of the most effective methods, but you cannot say it is absolutely essential.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The body, humanity’s fortress, Agni Press, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/bhf