Breath… Breathe! The same word, pronounced differently with one extra vowel on the end, changes from a thing to an action. A noun to a verb.
Let’s begin here with our breath.
However, I’m going to show you a way to breathe that comes from the ancient Taoist wizards of China, over 8,000 years ago. A practice that was kept in secret for thousands of years, known as “Whole Body Breathing”. This diagram is the quickest way to explain and understand the concept of whole body breathing.
The idea is actually pretty simple. I’ve searched around on the internet about the subject and although there is much information, I couldn’t find anything that quite does it justice. I’ll do my best here. Please add your suggestions and/or knowledge in the comments below.
Imagine that each individual cell in your body is actually breathing in and out. You can literally feel this once you begin to learn how to activate “Whole Body Breathing”. There’s a bit more to it, but this is the goal. The legends have it that if you can master this technique, you can breath underwater, or even in outer space!
I know I said this was going to be quick and easy. And it is! Like most things of value in life… once you understand and have the fundamentals.
Let’s keep going. I promise you’ll thank me one day if you learn and practice this technique.
So, now we have our goal in mind… “To activate our breathing from the individual cells within our body.” The idea is to be able to absorb energy on a cellular level. This is how the yogis can suspend breath and heart rate for extended periods of time.
Think of the “Hydrostatic Equilibrium” diagram below as a three-dimensional sphere. However imagine your cells expanding and contracting in search of this equilibrium. The arrows penetrating the sphere. Visualize each cell expanding outward as the breath and energy draws inward. And each cell contracting as you exhale and release your energy back to the universe. Now hold the reverse/mirror image in mind. This is perhaps the tricky part. It’s a bit paradoxical. But allow your imagination to set this idea free in your mind and body.
Now, take this model and apply it to your lower abdomen, breathing from just below your belly button. Imagine your torso is a large vase and you are filling it with water. It fills from the bottom upward and pours out with force from the bottom when turned over. We want to mimic this mechanically with the air as we breath. While maintaining the expanding and contracting sphere visualization both with your individual cells and like a balloon or energy ball that you are in the center of.
Mouth relaxed, with tongue tip resting easy behind the top teeth on upper palate. I usually do this exercise twice a day lying in bed as I wake up and before I go to sleep. But it can be done sitting and standing as well, any time of day.
Close your eyes and imagine a bright light in your third eye. This is the first star of the “Big Dipper”, known in ancient times as the “Seven Stars”. More on that subject in a future story. For now, I try not to digress.
Begin to breathe slowly and intentionally, yet naturally as you start the visualization. With each breath let your mind and thoughts calm and slow your respiratory rate slightly. It should be roughly 3-5 count breaths with 1-2 in between each inhale and exhale. But stay natural, just slightly slower, deeper and more intentional with the visualization.
After several breaths you should begin to feel your cells activate. It may take some practice, but once you have it down you can really feel a “cellular tingle”, (as many have described it), within just a few breaths.
This is the start. Once you sense this cellular activation you want to complete at least 8 fairly deep whole body breaths, preferably 3 sets for a total of 24 very intentional repetitions. This is to pay homage to the “Eight Immortals”, (but that’s also for another story…)
Finally just let your breathing return to several natural breaths and enjoy the feeling.
😉
Again, it will take some practice but stick with it for a while and you will soon be on your way. Don’t forget to share your experience and knowledge on the subject in the comments below.
You rock Geordie! Thanks for engaging with me here. 🙂
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Great! I’m going to try this. I do the ‘Kegel’ exercises when breathing and I’ve noticed a great improvement.
There is a new theory beyond the big bang that the universe, like the ocean tides and human breathing, actually expands and retracts.
Oh yeah, and I suggest you try activating the whole body breathing first and see how it amplifies your efforts! Once you get good at the whole body breathing you can do this within a few breaths and it can be used before just about any meditation or exercise to help increase results.
Basma, this is amazing and just the kind of response I was hoping for. Thanks for sharing. I know many people who could use this practice including myself. ?
Very well! I agree with you sure it will take sometime but yes it’s worth it! there’s another tip that may help you alot with getting rid off the negative energy and staying as calm as the sun. Why i chose the sun in that case? : it’s because the sun is calming round and everybody can feel it energy . And by this tip you will be able to feel the beauty of the sun just between your hands! Well it’s very simple the first thing you do is the savasana pose! just lay down on you back and clear you mind you can do that while listening to music because it really helps you to feel like you’re not linked to that world anymore. Next step is to remember something really sad.. Something that broke your heart and it’s still burried inside of your soul, Try to live that thing again and if you’re angry it will help you even more, After that don’t lose this negative energy! make a circle with your both hands imagine like you’re holding a ball leave some space between you hands then get this anger out of your body by believing that it’s leaving across your arms right out of your fingers. You will feel it you feel like you’re holding a real ball you will feel like a small storm is just between your hands. After you get rid off this negative energy you’re able to collect the postive power and by time your health is going to be just between your hands, you’ll gain a healing power by time and practice;
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