Correct Breathing

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Correct Breathing is the Base for a Healthier LifeLife

starts and ends by taking a breath and it is obvious that we should

fill out lives with good breathing habits. Our bodies needs a lot of

oxygen to function properly and to help discard waste products like

carbon monoxide. Every cell in our body actually needs lots of oxygen.

Today many people are conscious about what they drink and what they eat

but very few think about how they breath! Breathing affects the whole bodyIt

affects the nervous system, the heart, the digestive system, muscles,

sleep, energy levels, concentration and memory and much more. Breathing

is also our largest system for waste removal. 70% of the waste products

produced in our body is supposed to be removed via breathing. 30% is

removed via the skin and only 10% remains for the kidneys and the

digestive system.We not only breath in oxygen but also life energy (Qi or Chi in China, Ki in Japan, Mana in India).A majority uses chest breathingBreathing

is easily affected, become restrained or blocked. Our way of breathing

is actually one of the first affected by stress and emotions. According

to a resent study in Sweden 83% of the adult population uses chest

breathing i.e. they only use the top part of the chest. This is a very

uneconomical way of breathing as it uses more muscle power than the

deeper and more relaxed abdominal breathing. People that use chest

breathing take more breaths per minute and as a consequence receive

less oxygen and get rid of less waste products. 

Abdominal breathing - effective breathingDeep

and effective breathing reaches all the way down to the abdomen. The

abdomen expands forward, to the sides and also towards the spine. The

breathing movement can be felt all the way down towards the pelvic area

and up towards the top of the lungs. Abdominal breathing has a calming

and relaxing effect as we take fewer and but more effective breaths. We

absorb more oxygen and release more waste products with each breath. As

an added bonus we also add more life energy, Qi, to our system by using

abdominal breathing.Don't use your chest - use your abdomenOne

of my Chi Gong masters used to say that Abdominal Breathing is like a

return to childhood. Abdominal breathing not only makes us breath like

we did when we where children, it can also rejuvenate bodily functions

and organs.A

child still unaffected by the habits and defense mechanisms we learn as

adults, breathes naturally. If you ask a young child to lay down flat

you can easily observe  how he/she breathes in the rhythmic rise and

fall of the abdomen as life energy is absorbed. My master referred to

abdominal breathing as natural breathing and chest breathing as

reversed breathing. Abdominal breathing can be considered as taught by

nature, chest breathing is learned by the self.Abdominal breathing exercise for a healthier lifeHere

is an easy way to learn again how to breath with your abdomen and

receive many health benefits on the way. If you are a Reiki

practitioner it is easy to combine with the use of Reiki use your

imagination/intuition or follow my suggestions. If you have not yet

started your journey on the path of Reiki then you can still benefit

from this exercise as it from the beginning is a pure Chi Gong

exercise. How to do it:

You can either stand or lie down (suggest you stand)

Stand with your feet fairly close together

Relax and free your mind from all thoughts (easier said than done but don't worry about it!)

Be happy!

Rub

your hands together briskly (if you have taken Reiki 2 add the symbols

in each hand at this stage). Place one palm (the left for men and the

right for women) on your " Qihai " (Hara) point about 2 fingers below

your navel. Place the other palm on top of the first one.

Open your mouth slightly

Press gently and smoothly inward on your abdomen with your palms. Breath out during a count to six.

Hold for a count of two

Release smoothly and breath in under a count to six.

Hold for a count of two. (This whole process of pressing, holding, releasing, holding is called a breathing unit)

Repeat this whole process until you have done ten whole breathing units.

Drop your arms to your sides and close your eyes if not already closed.

Let go of everything and enjoy the state of " nothingness " for about five minutes or the time that feels right for you.

When ready rub your hands together and " wash " your face with them. Open your eyes and walk a few steps.

Here are a few tips for you:

To do this correctly you breath out on pressing and breath in on

releasing. In the beginning try and forget about the breathing it

usually takes care of itself. Concentrate on the pressing and

releasing. Practice once in the morning and once in the evening for a

couple of weeks and see how you feel! As you go along you can add more

units to your exercise. If you feel stressed, upset or tired this is a

very good and quick exercise to revitalize yourself. There is a second

and third stage of this exercise where you visualize bad energy leaving

you when pressing and good energy entering when releasing. I will try

and write something about this later. " Practice is the mother of all skills " Enjoy and good luck!