Deep breathing

Recently I've read a book of a Polish professor and specialist of alternative medicine and related things. He is quite a renown person, to such extent that when he lived in Russia, as far as I remember, he had to move elswhere because people were literally crowding in front of his house. Most of his books were best-sellers.In them, he gives many, many excercises for spine and or mind and body relaxation and proposes curations designed to eg. purify your bowels, get rid of toxines etc.
He emphasizes many times that our health is in our hands and only in our hands. It is nothing more than a result of how we think and how much negativity do we have in our minds, as well as what we eat and how much we excercise, and other habits... like breathing.
And, you may call it a bullshit.;) I only want your opinion on this. He said that when he visited buddhist monks he asked them what to do do live long and be healthy. The only answer he got was 'Breath deeply and rarely'. And he claimed that while healthy diet can prolong our lives up to twenty years, proper breathing can prolong it by forty!;) Bullshit? Maybe.
But you've got to admit - for a vast majority of our life (except sleep and some meditations during the day which 90 percent of society doesn't practice, anyway) we breath shallowly. While breathing deeply you inhale the air into the lower parts of your lungs, you use your diaphragm, this air in the lower parts is, as far as I know, more dense and rich with oxigen.
Any thoughts?

I agree....

It gives you fresh energy and clarify the toxins...& one more thing i practice deep breathing daily by counting and it also improves the concentration..:)

i practice deep breathing... thanks for the reminder and pep talk, however. people love hearing about the things they love.

I've been working on using pain and frustration as a way to point myself back to my breath. Rather than getting upset and reacting to it negatively, just looking at the impermanence of it all and focus on this breath.

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Originally Posted by Nick89

Recently I've read a book of a Polish professor and specialist of alternative medicine and related things. He is quite a renown person, to such extent that when he lived in Russia, as far as I remember, he had to move elswhere because people were literally crowding in front of his house. Most of his books were best-sellers.In them, he gives many, many excercises for spine and or mind and body relaxation and proposes curations designed to eg. purify your bowels, get rid of toxines etc.
He emphasizes many times that our health is in our hands and only in our hands. It is nothing more than a result of how we think and how much negativity do we have in our minds, as well as what we eat and how much we excercise, and other habits... like breathing.
And, you may call it a bullshit.;) I only want your opinion on this. He said that when he visited buddhist monks he asked them what to do do live long and be healthy. The only answer he got was 'Breath deeply and rarely'. And he claimed that while healthy diet can prolong our lives up to twenty years, proper breathing can prolong it by forty!;) Bullshit? Maybe.
But you've got to admit - for a vast majority of our life (except sleep and some meditations during the day which 90 percent of society doesn't practice, anyway) we breath shallowly. While breathing deeply you inhale the air into the lower parts of your lungs, you use your diaphragm, this air in the lower parts is, as far as I know, more dense and rich with oxigen.
Any thoughts?

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Actually, it might make sense that you would live longer if you take deep breathes. More oxygen supply resulting in less work on your heart, so it wouldn't need to beat as much. Result would be that you would naturally live longer. I don't know about twenty extra years though.

In addition to deep breathing, try Rapid Breath of Fire, an essential part of Kundalini Yoga:



Here's a comment from the video:

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it massages the brain, its also called frontal brain purification. It doesnt just cleanse the mucous membranes, but sweeps clean the lungs, the nasal passageways, all of the "spaces" in the head, the sinus', eustatian tubes, etc..Another side effect is strong and developed abdomnal muscles and avery healthy diaphram...it's also a great pranayam to practice in moments of stress as it can infiltrate, break up and dissipate emotional tension.

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... Not only all of that, but I can tell you - it also can give you quite a nice buzz. :boogie:

yes, and rapid breath of fire purges your body of carbon dioxide so that you can take in more oxygen with your following breaths. It is a great way to start any breathing exercise because it makes it that much easier to breath slower and less frequently.

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Originally Posted by Darkmatters

In addition to deep breathing, try Rapid Breath of Fire, an essential part of Kundalini Yoga:



Here's a comment from the video:



... Not only all of that, but I can tell you - it also can give you quite a nice buzz. :boogie:

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I believe this works, but it feels awkward to imitate. Any idea how to overcome this feeling of awkwardness? I'm probably not the only one.

It can be hard for me to do it using the abdominal muscles... in the beginning I did it just using the diaphragm. I thought that was the right way to do it, and that was pretty damn good... but since finding this video I now understand it's supposed to be the abdominals doing the work, and that's harder to do... it does feel awkward. I start by using the abs, and pretty soon it';s the diaphragm doing the work. I guess it's a good way to start... maybe Ill get better at it. But today (after doing it for a while last night) my abs feel strong.

I also discovered it can help if you're a runner or even a walker. I used to jog, but it's been years. Now I've been walking, and there are some really steep hills around here. I tried doing rapid breath of fire as I was approaching the bottom of a steep hill and found I was able to get up it without having to pant for breath like I used to. This is some badass shit!!

I am like totally addicted to deep breathing. Whenever I get free time, I do it. I think it gives more oxygen and also our lungs get enough time to get more oxygen from in-warded breath which reduces free radicals.

I came across an hindu proverb that said everyman is born with a limited number of breaths to take in their life. So, be wise, breath slowy & enjoy every breath

Well i also agree with it. In many countries people take exercise for deep breath. The long term practicing of deep breathing exercises improves wellness.
Deep breathing is important from the standpoint of both health and spiritual development.
Deep breathing increases our vitality and promotes relaxation.

I had trouble loading that video for some reason.
Another video on breath of fire on youtube that describes the technique can be found by searching Kundalini Yoga Breath of Fire Primer. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zedVvFEh1ck
I only do it for a minute or two at a time, but it's amazing how great I feel after. It took some time to get the hang of, though.

Yes, I already stated in a thread that deep breathing prevents most, if not all stress and diseases, or any other ailment or illness.....

because it relaxes you, relaxes your body, mind and soul.

Hello friends

Relief from anxiety in 19 seconds? A free method for increased energy, improved blood circulation, reduced swelling, and improved complexion? Studies prove that simply learning how to breathe correctly can have these remarkable effects throughout your body.
Breathing correctly can be as powerful as it is simple. The typical person only uses around twenty percent of their lung capacity, but with practice, they can learn how to tap into their lung’s full potential. Sending better oxygen content to all the cells of the body can bring dramatic changes in general health and mood.
Famous health guru, Dr. Andrew Weil, says that if he could only give one tip for better health, it would be to breathe properly. Proper breathing technique is central to the ancient practices of Yoga, Qi Gong, Ayurveda and other meditation disciplines. A clinical study* of thousands of participants over a 30-year period presents convincing evidence that the most significant factor in peak health and long life is how well you breathe.
Breathing correctly is critical in maintaining the level of oxygen for energy, keeping the correct pH levels in the body, and enough carbon dioxide for bodily functions. Healthy people make 93 per cent of their energy aerobically ("in the presence of oxygen,") but poor breathing habits can reduce the amount of energy made aerobically to 84 per cent. Seventy percent of the elimination of wastes from the body is through breathing.


Thanks for all friends

Don't know if this^ is spam or what, but you sound creepy when you say friends like that and only have 19 posts.

In karate there is alot of importance on breathing. I learned how to meditate and breathe properly and even after an hour of intense kata I can regain about 90 to 100% of my stamina in only 2 minuites. You just have to breath in from the bottem of your lungs up to the top all the way then breath out all the way. If you dont breath out enough the way youl have to much carbon dioxide so even though your getting oxygen youl get tired quickly. It also helps me regulate my heart rate which contributes alot to my stamina.