Dennis Lewis, the author of Free your Breath, Free Your Life,” “The Tao of Natural Breathing” and “Breathe Into Being: Awakening to Who You Really Are,” once wrote that, breathing re-education work and the exercises related to it can be divided in a number of categories. These exercises are extremely helpful in overcoming various kinds of breathing problems. They also promote diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing, back breathing, etc. These different breathing techniques open our body’s breathing spaces. Some exercise can also work on our spirituality and inner peace to help us rejuvenate and live a fulfilling life.
But just practicing these exercises is not enough. In order to bring a substantial change in your breathing pattern, you must base your re-education exercises on the principles of natural breathing. The exercises should be carried out in a way that they become a natural thing for your body and mind. You should be aware of the good effects of these exercises on your mind, body and soul, in order to gain their benefits.
In today’s modern age, most people find the concept of breathing techniques and development very strange and unusual. Most of us take breathing as something we are always doing in the right way. They think that if breathing is something that we do naturally, there is no need to pay any extra attention to it. Did you know many maladies can be caused or worsened by poor breathing are: asthma, anxiety, high blood pressure, headaches, poor sleep, shortness of breath and much more. Oxygen is the most important factor. Also, nervous system function, circulation, detoxification and organ massage are greatly aided or inhibited by the way we breathe.
Have you ever taken real good notice of your breathing? Many of you don’t breathe as deep enough or in the right balance. Many hold your breath a lot. But most of you won’t ever know this because unless you have been diagnosed with some kind of breathing issue or you miraculously experience the right balance, ease and depth of breathing; like tasting chocolate to know what it really tastes like, you will have no reality or experience of good breathing and be able to feel it in its optimal form. There is a right way to breathe so that it "feels" right and you KNOW it is right.
As modern medicine fails to keep people away from sickness and the rising cost of treatment adds additional stress, it is now time to create a widespread and immediate action plan to improve our health. The right kind of breathing development can bring a remarkable change in the health and well being of any person. It has the capability to influence the history of medical evolution and history of health care in the world. Breathing exercises have been a part of ancient cultures for thousands of years. Sadly, the western world knows very little about them and many are surfacing in the West that may be causing energy ussues that Medial Qigong practitioners call Qi Deviatoins. A number of physiological mechanisms are triggered when you focus on our breathing and increase the depth, volume, ease and balance of our breathing pattern. Dr. Danielle Rose states that " the more correct teachings should be incorporated into the physical exam taught in medical schools as well as other allied physical and mental health programs, particularly education, speech therapy, physical therapy, and respiratory therapy.
Once you optimize the rate, awareness, volume and balance of your breathing, you will notice a dramatic physiological and emotional change in your life. The effects of breathing exercises were a mystery for most modern doctors, until recently. Research has shown that when you breathe, the action of your diaphragm, lungs and thorax also work as primary pump for heart and lymph. And of course, breathing being the only source of oxygen in your body, it helps keep us energetic and healthy.
But you must remember that if you want to get most benefits from breathing exercises you must try more difficult ones as well. Practicing only easier exercises is like doing the same number of push ups everyday for years. Our body adapts to the exercise and slowly, their effects start to diminish. Similarly, the muscles you use for breathing get acclimatized with the same pattern and stops having any good effects on your body. Plus, the muscles become most comfortable working in the same pattern. Therefore, to get long term results through breathing exercises, you must practice all kinds of exercises including the harder ones. The issues are which ones, when and for how long.
Many patients and people who are looking to achieve higher goals in life have learned and used our breathing development techniques. These techniques have helped them improve their personal functionality and personal power, regardless of their health and performance abilities. These exercises also help healthy people to stay in good shape, endure stress and other difficulties of their daily life.
You must realize that the breathing diaphragm is not just mechanical air shifter in our body. It is also a tool for our emotional expression. We all have experienced an urgent need to laugh or yawn when we see somebody else doing it. The reason behind this is that seeing some person laugh or yawn creates an energetic or physiological response in our diaphragm. This response causes us to react in the same way as the person in front of us. The diaphragm also helps us in singing and speaking.
We greatly underestimate the function of diaphragm and its contribution in our emotional and vocal expression, by just regarding it as a pump. Therefore, to improve our vocal expressions and compensate for lost strength in our diaphragm, we must develop optimal breathing techniques. Remember, if you are doing any breathing exercises which do not work on this aspect, they most often will have limited or counterproductive effects. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
The ancient literature on Hatha Yoga instructs us to be judicious and respectful towards the breathing exercises. Even the beginner’s level of exercises should be treated with care and respect. It is becoming clear -from the subjective reports - that the ease and flow of our breathing has effects on our entire body. Breathing accentuates our thoughts like, our kindness, wickedness, our harmony and disharmony, our virtue and vice.
In some cases, the quirkiness of some people also gets accentuated through these exercises. A quirk could be anything, from an abusive streak to the habit of laughing inappropriately, from speaking rudely to flightiness and twitchiness. If a person has some physical imbalances in his body, then they can also become exaggerated. Many times, people don’t pay much attention to these warnings and become habituated or addicted to these exercises. But an expert instructor can spot the warning signs in such cases will modify his instruction plans to accommodate his or her personality traits.
There are a number of physiological risks associated with breathing exercises. One of the most common hazards is that they don’t give us any warning signs of the problems arising from not doing the exercises correctly. While practicing any other kind of Yoga asanas, diet experiments or any other changes in our life, we depend on our senses for the warning signs which tell us that we are doing something harmful or unsuitable for our body. If we are allergic to chocolate and do not know what it tastes like we risk ingesting it by default.
We help you develop your fundamentals first. These fundamentals are extremely easy to learn and apply in our daily life. You don’t need any special training or knowledge to practice them. Whether you are perfectly healthy or suffering from some illness, you can practice these exercises daily. These are the best way to recharge your cellular batteries.
