“Now lets see the messaging of the Suthiram. Inhale through the left nostril for 16 maathirai. He uses the phrase “ஈரெட்டு,” which translates to “two times eight.” Vamam means left nostril. For counting sixteen maathirai one could use the word “ஓம் நமசிவாய” (“Om Namasivaya”). The letters in ‘om’ is add up to two maathirai in total. So, Na = 1, ma = 1, si = 1, va = 2 (this is a long sounding ‘a’); ya=1 plus “om” together amounts to 8 maathirai in total. So, for inhalation chant this word in your mind (not opening the mouth) two times. The number of times we repeat the chant is counted with fingers.”