Breathing: Basic How-To

At the very center of our being is rhythmic movement, a cyclic expansion and contraction that is both in our body and outside it, that is
both in our mind and in our body, that is both in our consciousness and not in it. Breath is the essence of being, and in all aspects of the
universe we can see the same rhythmic pattern of expansion and contraction, whether in the alternating cycles of day and night, waking
and sleeping, high and low tides, or seasonal growth and decay. Oscillation between two phases exists at every level of reality, even up
to the scale of the observable universe itself, which is presently in expansion but will at some point contract back to the original,
unimaginable point that is everything and nothing, completing one cosmic breath.

Breathing is a natural object of meditation. By putting attention on your breath, you will change your state of consciousness, begin to
relax, and detach from ordinary awareness. Many systems of meditation use focus on breath as the main technique. In the Buddhist
and yogic traditions are many examples of people who reached enlightenment by doing nothing other than paying attention to the rising
and falling of their own breath. In this sort of meditation you can try to experience the dimensionless point between inbreath and
outbreath and to glimpse enlightenment in that space. You can come to know reality itself as an eternal oscillation between being and
nonbeing. All this is possible from experiencing breath, which is the mystery of being unfolding right in front of our noses, connecting us
to the universal rhythm.

If today you can be aware of breathing for 10 seconds more than you were yesterday, you will have taken a measurable step toward
enlightenment, will have expanded your consciousness, furthered communication between mind and body, become a little more whole,
and so improved your health. While diet and exercise are important, they are not the sole determinants of health. People who eat
excellent diets and exercise faithfully are not always healthy, but the likelihood of being a healthy person who does not breathe well is
slim.

When learning how to breathe, begin by closing your eyes for a few minutes. Practice moving your breath. Keep your back straight.
Begin with a deep, audible sigh, then quietly inhale and see how slow, deep, quiet and regular you can make your breathing and still
have it feel perfectly comfortable. You should feel that you are getting enough air with no sense of not getting enough air. Do this for at
least eight breaths, then open your eyes and breathe normally. This is a simple exercise but an effective one, and you should do it
whenever you can.

Next, pay attention to your exhalation. If you watch people breathe, you will see that most of them use effort to inhale but none to
exhale. Exhalation is usually passive and takes less time than inhalation. When you breathe this way, you do not move nearly as much
air in and out of your lungs as you can. The more air you move, the healthier you will be, because the functioning of all systems of the
body depends on delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide. To get more air into your lungs, concentrate on getting more air out
of them by attending to exhalation.

At the end of a normal breath try squeezing more air out. You will be using your intercostal muscles to do this, and you will feel the
effort as they compress the rib cage. Try to make your exhalation as long or even slightly longer than inhalation. Whenever you think of
it, practice this technique of extending exhalation and developing your intercostal muscles.

Three Breathing Exercises

"Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging
from panic attacks to digestive disorders."
Andrew Weil, M.D.

Since breathing is something we can control and regulate, it is a useful tool for achieving a relaxed and clear state of mind. I
recommend three breathing exercises to help relax and reduce stress: The Stimulating Breath, The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise (also
called the Relaxing Breath), and Breath Counting. Try each and see how they affect your stress and anxiety levels.

Exercise 1:
The Stimulating Breath (also called the Bellows Breath)
The Stimulating Breath is adapted from a yogic breathing technique. Its aim is to raise vital energy and increase alertness.

 Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal
in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.
 Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows.
Breathe normally after each cycle.

 Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your
time by five seconds or so, until you reach a full minute.
If done properly, you may feel invigorated, comparable to the heightened awareness you feel after a good workout. You should feel the
effort at the back of the neck, the diaphragm, the chest and the abdomen. Try this breathing exercise the next time you need an energy
boost and feel yourself reaching for a cup of coffee.

Exercise 2:
The 4-7-8 (or Relaxing Breath) Exercise
This exercise is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the
exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue
just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your
tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

 Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

 Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

 Hold your breath for a count of seven.

 Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

 This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position
the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of
4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases.
With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take
them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it
at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if
you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will
pass.

Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it
whenever anything upsetting happens - before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall
asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it.

Exercise 3:
Breath Counting

If you want to get a feel for this challenging work, try your hand at breath counting, a deceptively simple technique much used in Zen
practice.

Sit in a comfortable position with the spine straight and head inclined slightly forward. Gently close your eyes and take a few deep
breaths. Then let the breath come naturally without trying to influence it. Ideally it will be quiet and slow, but depth and rhythm may vary.

 To begin the exercise, count "one" to yourself as you exhale.

 The next time you exhale, count "two," and so on up to "five."

 Then begin a new cycle, counting "one" on the next exhalation.

Never count higher than "five," and count only when you exhale. You will know your attention has wandered when you find yourself up
to "eight," "12," even "19."

Try to do 10 minutes of this form of meditation.

Breathing: An Introduction
"The single most effective relaxation technique I know is conscious regulation of breath."

Dr. Andrew Weil

In many languages - the words for spirit and breath are one and the same (Sanskrit prana, Hebrew ruach, Greek pneuma, Latin
spiritus). Native Americans, among others, believe that life enters the body with the first breath, not at the moment of birth or of
conception. In this view the fetus and newborn have a kind of vegetative life, uninvested with spirit until the breath cycle begins.

Breathing is the bridge between mind and body, the connection between consciousness and unconsciousness, the movement of spirit
in matter. Breath is the key to health and wellness, a function we can learn to regulate and develop in order to improve our physical,
mental and spiritual well-being.

Breathing is special in several respects: it is the only function you can perform consciously as well as unconsciously, and it can be a
completely voluntary act or a completely involuntary act, as it is controlled by two sets of nerves, one belonging to the voluntary nervous
system, the other to the involuntary (autonomic) system. Breath is the bridge between these two systems.

Most people do not know how to breathe so as to take full advantage of the nourishing, health-giving properties of the act of breathing.
Knowing how to perform simple breathing techniques can help lower your blood pressure, calm a racing heart, or help your digestive
system without taking drugs. Breathing has direct connections to emotional states and moods - observe someone who is angry, afraid
or otherwise upset, and you will see a person breathing rapidly, shallowly, noisily and irregularly. You cannot be upset if your breathing
is slow, deep, quiet and regular. You cannot always center yourself emotionally by an act of will, but you can use your voluntary nerves
to make your breathing slow, deep, quiet and regular, and the rest will follow.

Stress and Relaxation: An Introduction

We can no more eliminate stress from our lives than we can eliminate tension from our muscles. If muscle tension
dropped to zero, we would fall to the ground in a shapeless heap. If all stress disappeared, we would not be alive. Stress
is inherent in our interactions with the world around us and, unless it is overwhelming, it keeps us growing and developing.

The word stress comes from the same Latin word that gives us strict, which originally meant "narrow" or "tight." Stress is
the discomfort or distress caused by forces that limit our freedom and movement. The suggestion is that sources of
discomfort are external. It is outside forces acting on us that keep us from ease: a demanding boss, an unhappy spouse,
difficult children, the commute to work, mounting bills, the threat of crime, political unrest, pollution, the risk of cancer, and
on and on.

Most people describe themselves as being under stress. Some say that they are outwardly calm but carry a lot of internal
tension. Ask yourself this: Do you consider yourself a nervous person? Are you tense? Do you worry? What do you do to
relax? Have you ever had any kind of relaxation training?

Stress really has two aspects: one external and one internal. The internal aspect of stress is our reaction to the obstacles
and reverses of living. If we become anxious, fearful, angry or depressed about them, those states can certainly do us
harm. Internalized stress keeps the mind agitated, throws the nervous system out of balance, interferes with the
functioning of the immune system, and produces the many stress-related disorders so common in our society. The
external aspect is what we see as causing the tension. While it is always worth trying to change external situations that
are destructive, keep in mind that you have a choice as to how situations affect you. In time, you can learn to change your
reactions to them - simply making changes to what you see as the external aspect of stress (such as getting a new job,
moving, ending a relationship) does not give people tools for managing future problems any better. Therefore it is also
important to learn how to relax and protect yourself from the harmful effects of stress.

To learn how to relax - and benefit from relaxation, ask yourself two broad questions: What am I now doing that prevents
me from relaxing? And, What am I not doing that could help me relax?