An adult can live several weeks without food, about 10 days without water… but try holding your breath and see how long you last. You would die within minutes. The single most important component to our health and vitality is oxygen. Human life would not be possible without it: oxygen produces ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and without ATP our bodies would immediately shut down. When a person breathes, there is an exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The oxygen, which is taken in by the body from the atmosphere around us, is picked up by the hemoglobin in the blood and distributed to all of the body’s trillion cells where it is then used to fuel the cells and release energy (ATP).
In addition…the makeup of the human body is largely composed of the element of the oxygen, especially factoring in that water is composed of 33% oxygen. It’s clear, then, that optimal oxygenation of your cells through proper nutrition, fluid intake, exercise, and stress management is absolutely necessary in order to maintain your health and vitality.
Benefits of Breathing?
It is your natural resource to health and:
- Increases your oxygen and blood circulation.
- Strengthens your internal organs.
- Improves your digestive system.
- Builds your immune system.
- Balances your hormones.
- Quiets your nervous system.
- Calms your mind.
- Increases your energy level.
How do we do Deep Breathing?
Breathing helps overcome almost every challenge. Most of us don’t realize that relaxed breathing helps control our emotions, reduce stress, quiet our body, and focus on our thoughts—all things that we want to cultivate and weave throughout every aspect of our lives.
“Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health. If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly. There is no single more powerful- or more simple-daily practice to further your health and well being than breathwork” – Andrew Weil, M.D.
Breathing is the single most important need that your body requires to function. Breathing is more important than sleeping, eating, or drinking. It is vital for the development of your internal energy. In the martial arts we call it your Ki energy. Remember, everything grows from the inside out, not the outside in.
- We inhale and exhale through our nose bringing the air all the way down to our lower energy center.
- That inhale breath has to go down low.
- Most people when they breathe fill up their lungs and their stomach retracts…that is in correct.
- When you inhale, the oxygen comes along with positive energy, thoughts, and clean air in and pushes out your lower stomach so it fills up with air. On the exhale…the stomach goes in and any negative thoughts, doubts, fears, and toxins release from your body.
1. Focus Breathing Meditation
When we conduct a focus breathing meditation, our main focus is obviously the breathing. We inhale and exhale through our nose bringing the air all the way down to our lower energy center. That inhale breath has to go down low. Most people breathe by filling up their lungs and their stomach retracts. (That is incorrect) When you inhale, the oxygen comes along with positive energy and thoughts. The clean air comes in and pushes out your lower stomach filling up with air; on the exhale, the stomach goes in and the negative thoughts, doubt, fear, toxins release from your body.
Have you ever watched a baby sleep? They are born breathing correctly. As we grow, our breathing changes to an improper form. People breathe from their upper chest instead of their lower center. We take approximately 21,600 breaths of air each day. The slower and deeper the breathing, the longer the life span. Rhythmic deep breathing is nature’s tranquilizer and used to reduce stress and release pain.
The first step is to put yourself in a quiet surrounding and eliminate all distractions. Then get in a relaxed sitting position; either on the floor with your legs crossed one a top the other or seated in a chair with your legs uncrossed firmly on the floor. Whatever you choose you must sit up with your back straight. Every breath has a count to it. If you inhale one breath and exhale one that is a count. Try counting from one to twenty and twenty to one for a six minute meditation. Increase as you get more comfortable. 1-50 and 50-1 is about a fifteen minute meditation. 1-100 and 100-1 is about a half hour.
When you are able to do this, ideas will roll in and roll out. Your job is not to resist them, but, to allow those thoughts to take their natural course. The thoughts that come in will start to formulate into solutions you have been searching for. Why? Because you have let yourself get to a place to allow that energy to flow to and through you without stress or restrictions. A good way to explain this is that the energy in our body is like a hose. When the hose is clear, the water flows through easily and effortlessly. When there is a kink in the hose, the water trickles. Stress is like a kink in our hose and the energy cannot flow. Energy stops where we tense up or tighten up.
If your tensed and stressed, breathing the right way can return your body to a normal level. If you are facing an important decision, stop and breathe. Whenever you have a question in your mind about what to do next or how to do it, just breathe. Breathing is the most crucial element of strong emotional and spiritual health. Focus breathing meditation is simply a way to disentangle ourselves from the clutter and chatter of our minds. Asian philosophers contend that meditation creates a balance and a flow of energy through the body.
Practice a five to ten minute mediation.
Focus on your posture, breathe properly, and count 1-25 and 25-1.
Remember your sitting positions with your back straight.
Each count has to coordinate with your breath.
2. Power Breathing
Just like a marathon runner will pace him or herself during a run…deep breathing is very similar. But Power breathing is like a sprint runner. Quick and short power breathes that energize and wake you up in the morning. Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose and mouth. Inhale four rapid power breaths through the nose…then exhale four rapid breaths out through your mouth. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.
This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm. If done properly, you may feel invigorated, comparable to the heightened awareness you feel after a good workout. You should feel the effort at the back of the neck, the diaphragm, the chest and the abdomen. Try this breathing exercise the next time you need an energy boost and feel yourself reaching for a cup of coffee.
3. Relaxing Breath Exercise
This breathing exercise is extremely simple … takes almost no time… and can be done anywhere. Sit with your back straight, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly. (This will seem awkward)
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
Comments
very good advise need to practice what i learned.