Breathing For Life – Dr Helen Lee (ChicagoHealers)
July 27th, 2009 by admin
We come into this world with the first breath and will leave with the last. Yet what will we do with all the breaths in between? Our breath is sacred in the sense that it holds within it the gift of life—it is our connection to life force energy in the form of oxygen as well as spirit energy or prana. It can let us know when we are stressed, worried, working to hard, or relaxed & healing. When we are worried, anxious, tasking, running around, etc. we are activating the sympathetic or “fight or flight” mode of our nervous system. This part of our nervous system causes us to breath shallow and rapid in order to bring most of the oxygen to our muscles so that we can fight or flee. Once the stress is over, the body should go back to the parasympathetic mode which is the relaxation, rejuvenation, digestion and healing mode. However, in our demanding, fast pasted, “get it done yesterday”, “not good enough” society, it has become too common to find a person’s body trained to always be in sympathetic overload. This is a person that is constantly breathing shallow or even holding one’s own breath through the day. This is a body that can’t relax easily, feel peace, or that can’t heal & function ideally.
In any healing art or spiritual practice, you will find the importance of the breath. Getting re-connected and re-training a person on how to breathe properly is key to increased health & wellness.
Benefits of Abdominal or Belly Breathing:
-Draws in more oxygen to the lower aspects of the lungs which gets it into our blood quicker
– Increased oxygen for metabolism, for the muscles & organs, for the brain
-initiates parasympathetic nervous system function
-calms our body & mind
-keeps us in present time instead of worrying into the past or future
-promotes digestion
-increases reproductive organ health
-can increase quality of life & life-span
-increased overall energy in body & mind (helps mental clarity)
Key Points to practicing Abdominal Breathing:
-sit or lie with spine erect
-Inhale slowly through the nose
-keeping the chest still
-pull the air into the belly—allowing the belly to expand filling with air as you inhale fully
-then slowly exhaling through the nose or mouth as the stomach pulls inward
-commit to practicing this breath through the day by linking it with something you do all day such as every time you talk on the phone, while you drive in the car, and especially any time you find yourself stressed, worried, or unable to relax
-can also practice 4 Square Meditative Breathing for increased health benefit: inhale slowly for the count of 4-8 seconds, hold breath for same count of 4-8 seconds, exhale slowly for same count and again hold breath for same count and repeat. Do as many cycles as can
Breathing is something that we can take for granted on a moment to moment, day to day basis and yet it is the very thing that allows us the gift of life. By bringing your awareness to each breath, by intending to honor and work with your breath you are not only bringing about more relaxation and health but also beginning the practice of remembering the sacredness of your body & who you are. The breath has no judgment, no agenda, and no limits. It is what connects us to life and one another.
Links/Reference:
http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_breathing_Importance.htm
http://www.altmedweb.com/experts/yoga/importance-breath-work-yoga
http://www.positivehealth.com/article-view.php?articleid=127
Science of Breath by Yogi Ramacharaka
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/breathing-for-life-dr-helen-lee-chicagohealers-1073075.html
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