| The Miracle of Breath |  |
by Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed. ©
Do you ever stop and think what an amazing thing our breath is?
Probably not. Most of us never give it a thought. It is something we
take for granted. Rarely do we stop and think about how it is our
life force and without it we would not be alive. Breathing is so
simple and intrinsic to our life that we usually don't think about it
and most of us are unaware that we breathe improperly.
We are taught at an early age to suck in our stomachs and puff out our
chests. This is in complete contradiction to proper breathing. To
breathe properly, when you inhale, your abdomen should protrude not
your chest. When you exhale, your abdomen should flatten. When you
breathe in, you should breathe completely until the lungs are full and
when you exhale it should be until all air is expelled. You should
breathe deeply and completely.
Breathing through your nose keeps the charge of energy in check,
increasing control and slowing your metabolism. Breathing through
your mouth increases the charge of energy and facilitates the
discharge of emotions. You may have noticed that when you are upset
that you breathe heavy sighs out through your mouth. This is not bad
during those times, because it helps expel the emotions, but it isn't
a state you want to remain in consistently.
By breathing through your nose properly as described above you can use
your breath to help relieve pain, boost energy, clarify and quiet the
mind, relieve tension, decrease the intensity of symptoms, relax, calm
and soothe the body and mind, quiet the soul and help you be more
spiritually connected. You can also oxygenate your body and help your
body to detoxify better and boost the immune system.
When you don't breathe properly, your body does not receive adequate
amounts of oxygen. This depletes your energy, allows toxins to
accumulate, weakens your immune system, clouds your head and
disconnects you from your spirituality.
Deep breathing is the single most effective, beneficial technique we
can use to relieve pain and stress and to relax. It is also non-toxic
and costs us nothing. Below is an exercise that I use on a regular
basis.
Lie down somewhere comfortable and close your eyes. You can have some
relaxing soothing music playing in the background if you prefer or
complete silence. Make yourself completely comfortable with pillows
or whatever and your arms at your sides. Loosen any tight clothing.
Take a very deep breath in (using the proper breathing technique
above) then exhale. Do this several times until you begin to feel
your body relax a little. Try not to think about anything. Focus
your mind completely on your breath. Flowing in and out with each
breath. Now take another deep breath, and beginning with the top of
your head, guide your breath to that area and using your minds eye as
you exhale, direct the breath into your head.
With the exhale, envision that the breath is penetrating into that
area of the body you are focusing on. Take another deep breath and
this time using your minds eye guide the breath into your face
muscles, then another deep breath into your jaw and eye muscles.
You should begin to feel little tingles as tension and pain melt away.
If tension is persistent and doesn't loosen, then try tightening the
area by clenching and then releasing and then breathe into the area
again. It may take several attempts if this is new for you. As you
practice it more frequently, it will become easier and quicker to
attain. After the muscles begin to relax then do several deep breaths
into the whole head, face area and enjoy the sensation.
Now move to your shoulders and chest. Take a deep breath and on
exhale breathe into your shoulders and then another deep breath and
into the chest. After several deep breaths guided to these areas
imagine the breath is now radiating down the arms and into the fingers
as you breathe in deeply and exhale into the chest.
Then move to your abdomen and hips and again guide your deep breath on
exhales into each of them. As they begin to relax, imagine the breath
is now radiating down the legs and into the feet and toes as it flows
into the abdomen. Again, if any particular area is resisting, then
tense it up by clenching and release it and breathe into it again
until it releases.
Now the whole body should be relaxed and pain minimized; your mind
should be calmer and you feel peaceful. Stay lying in this position
for a while and continue to breathe deep breaths. Guide these breaths
into the center of your body, letting them radiate out to each and
every fiber, enjoying the sensation of complete relaxation. You may
get up when you feel ready.
Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed. is a holistic health counselor specializing in
issues of living with chronic illness, chronic pain and disability as
well as sexual intimacy. She is also author of the inspirational
E-Book Finding Life Fulfillment when Living with Chronic Illness-A
Spiritual Journey. Services, Ebooks and a FREE Newsletter can be found
at her website. http://www.holistichelp.net/ or send any email to this
address to subscribe to the FREE
Newslettermailto:Holistichelp-subscribe@topica.com
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