Oxygen comsumptin during meditation

**VagalTone** · 01-20-2015 10:22 PM

Have you noticed your respiratory rate decreasing in proportion to the amount of distraction and thoughts?

this is something really interesting... thinking, and specially getting involved in thinking for while, really increases the metabolic rate.
so i think this is a very practical evidence that meditation is anti-aging remedy, as less metabolism means less tissue damage

the breath is really an amazing biofeedback system in meditation, and this is one reason that makes breath meditation so popular i believe

**JustASimpleGuy** · 01-21-2015 12:23 AM

You are correct. From the link I posted in the other thread:

"If your practice is anapana-sati, there are additional signs to indicate you have arrived at access concentration. You may discover that the breath becomes very subtle; instead of a normal breath, you notice you are breathing very shallow. It may even seem that you've stopped breathing altogether. These are signs that you've arrived at access concentration. If the breath gets very shallow, and particularly if it feels like you've stopped breathing, the natural thing to do is to take a nice, deep breath and get it going again. Wrong! This will tend to weaken your concentration. By taking that nice deep breath, you drop down the level of concentration. Just stay with that shallow breathing. It's okay. You don't need a lot of oxygen, because you are very quiet."

**VagalTone** · 01-21-2015 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

You are correct. From the link I posted in the other thread:

"If your practice is anapana-sati, there are additional signs to indicate you have arrived at access concentration. You may discover that the breath becomes very subtle; instead of a normal breath, you notice you are breathing very shallow. It may even seem that you've stopped breathing altogether. These are signs that you've arrived at access concentration. If the breath gets very shallow, and particularly if it feels like you've stopped breathing, the natural thing to do is to take a nice, deep breath and get it going again. Wrong! This will tend to weaken your concentration. By taking that nice deep breath, you drop down the level of concentration. Just stay with that shallow breathing. It's okay. You don't need a lot of oxygen, because you are very quiet."

Yes, it was your article that reminded me to start this thread ( i should have put a proper reference

)

Also, it is easily found in the web the work of herbert benson on the relaxation response
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**Dthoughts** · 01-21-2015 04:53 PM

You guys know about Holotropic Breathwork?

**JustASimpleGuy** · 01-21-2015 10:43 PM

Interesting. I just read a quick 'How To' on Holotropic Breathwork. When I practice mindfulness of breath, from a pure mechanical perspective I do something similar, but slightly different.

My focus is on sensations of breath throughout the whole cycle, not just at the nostrils or diaphragm. But I do breath from the diaphragm and the sensations on the in breath start at the diaphragm and nostrils and end at the ribcage. On the out breath it reverses. A nice rhythm develops and it flows effortlessly.

Where it differs is I don't exaggerate by taking overly deep or fast breaths, and I don't breath through the mouth. It's a steady and full breath, with seamless transition from in to out to in to out. It's very relaxing and almost melodic, if that makes sense? After some time, and it differs from sitting to sitting, the breathing slows of its own accord and I find myself at access concentration.