Healing Starts with Breathing

Practicing Conscious Breathing 

To answer the first question of my previous post, by training ourselves to breath effectively, we re-program our involuntary system to adopt this new way of breathing until it becomes you.  Want to try it?

First, lie down on your back, relaxed, with hands and legs outstretched and eyes looking up at the ceiling or sky (if you are outside). Gently close your eyes and relax, breathing only through your nose.

Step 1: Abdominal breathing

Observe your natural breath. You will notice that as you inhale the abdomen rises and then falls with exhalation. Watch this for a few moments to check this flow. Now begin to deepen, lengthen and extend that movement. That is, while inhaling, let the abdomen rise to its limit and at exhalation let it fall completely. Keep the chest still during this entire process – only move the abdomen. Continue this for 20 breaths and then rest.

Step 2: Thoracic (chest) breathing

Again observe your normal breath, this time focusing your attention on the chest. You will notice the chest moving slightly up at inhalation and down with exhalation. Again observe this pattern for a few moments. Now again, begin to deepen, lengthen and extend that movement. This time, on inhalation expand and lift the rib cage, filling the lungs completely. Then on exhalation, let the lungs collapse fully, sinking to the limits. In this step, keep the abdomen still, moving only the chest. Do this for 20 breath cycles and then stop.

Step 3: Conscious breathing

This combines the above 2 steps in the following way: First inhale by filling the abdomen and then CONTINUE inhaling as you expand and fill the chest. Then exhale first from the chest as it empties and falls and then CONTINUE exhaling from the abdomen as it draws inwards completely. This is one round of the full conscious breath. Repeat this for 20 rounds.

Remember the pattern… Inhaling - abdomen then chest; Exhaling – chest then abdomen.

GOLDEN RULE: All of the above steps should be done WITHOUT strain. The natural tendency is to heave with effort. The right way is to make it smooth and effortless. Go slow and easy.

Initially you will experience unevenness or bumps in this breathing process – as if there are 4 separate parts to the full conscious breath. This is natural considering the years we have spent breathing unconsciously.

 Application Suggestions

• Health maintenance: 6 to 10 repetitions 2 to 3 sessions per day. 

• Health enhancement: 6 to 10 repetitions 4 to 6 sessions per day.

• Disease intervention: Start slowly and build up to 15 to 20 repetitions 10 to 15 sessions per day.

• Getting started: 2 to 3 repetitions, once or twice per day.