breath

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam,

dear Tessa,

 

Breath is the most basic survival mechanism. You can live without food for

40 days, without water for 4 days, without breath not even for 4 minutes.

Breathing keeps us alive and PRANA (life energy) from fresh, energetic air

is feeding our body and soul. Most people use only 1/10 of their lung

capacity, doing 16 – 18 breaths per minute. It is said, that the lifespan

of any being is measured in its total number of breath strokes – just think

of elephants or turtles…

 

Up to 70 % of the body toxins are released with exhaling. We try to use the

full lung capacity and do only 5 – 6 breaths per minute. Long deep

breathing directly affects the ‘higher’ glands like pituitary and pineal.

If you are able to breathe only 4 times per minute, you obtain control over

your thoughts and feelings – this is done while meditation. Therefore the

control (YAMA) of breath plays a very important role in mastering our body

and also our existence.

 

If you feel confident, secure and connected to your world, the breath

automatically goes down (to the belly and also in its rhythm). If you are

under stress, have fear or want to protect yourselves, the breath goes up

to the chest, becomes shallow and fast. Therefore the rhythm or pattern of

breathing is an indication of your ‘live quality’. Interesting enough this

mechanism does not only work in one way, it also has effect in the other

direction. This means, if you start consciously breathing deeper, you are

starting to feel more secure, calmer and ‘connected’ or rooted. This is the

reason, why the main component of any relaxation / meditation is the

control of breath (Pranayama). In order to increase this relaxation effect

with the conscious slow down of breath, we first speed up our body

functions with the application of Asanas (body postures) and dynamic

movements.

 

In general the breath cycles have the following effects on the body / mind:

slow inhale -> strengthens glandular system

holding of breath after inhale -> cleansing of blood, exchange of toxins

in the lung

slow exhale -> strengthening of the nerves

holding of breath after exhale -> release of energy on a subconscious

level, against fears

 

Don't worry, you can't hold long enough the air out in order to damage

brain cells. Your body is build to force you breathing in before it is too

late.

 

Sending blessings and light from Shanghai,

 

Adarsh S.

 

 

 

 

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Huamu Road 983, Pudong

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Tel: +86-21-6856 0832

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