Breathing
Breath is vital for our health and well being. In fact, our need for oxygen surpasses both food and water. Now, there are many people today practicing yogic breathing or getting books on other types of breathing techniques. However, unless you are being trained by an expert, I highly advice that you be cautious. Many people who practice breathing techniques, say out of a book, will experience what we call “running fire” in Chinese Medicine. Theses symptoms can include, but are not limited to tightness or stuffiness in the chest, heat in their body, heart palpitations or insomnia.
To enhance your breathing, all you have to do is relax. Forced breathing will actually do more harm than good as many of you reading this may have experienced. Now you need to understand some things about breathing. First of all, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. In nature there’s always a process of absorption and expelling in organisms. Now when you breathe in you are activating your sympathetic nervous system and when you breathe out you are activating your parasympathetic nervous system. Our sympathetic nervous system rules fight or flight and our parasympathetic nervous system rules rest and digestion. Staying in parasympathetic mode will increase relaxation, healing and well being. So it is important to breathe out. It expels toxins and stuck energy in our body. Now don’t read this and start forcing your exhalation. Rather, exhale naturally. Usually, your exhale will be longer than your inhale. Now once you relax into your breathing, you breath will naturally descend into your abdomen. This is similar to the way a child breaths or the way you breath when sleeping.
Breathing naturally while relaxed will improve your health in many ways. First, your body will be less toxic since your exhaling toxins. Next, your body will take in more oxygen that your body can use as fuel. Therefore, your body will have more energy. Finally, your body will get accustomed to being in a relaxed state which will improve the quality of your life.
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Filed under: Articles on September 1st, 2007
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