I have been reading several info messages about the breathing exercises in the internet.Some say that abdominal breathing and chest breathing (which is normally deep breathing) is harmful to the body and some say NO.some say that we should do the abdominal breathing and chest breathing 9 times each every day while lying flat on the ground. some say we should sit on a chair while doing the abdominal breathing and chest breathing.further some say that there is no benefit from the abdominal breathing since the organs in the lower part do not require oxygen.I am doing these two breathing exercises for the past 1 year 9 times each without any side effects.Will any master advise me in this regard.
Greetings! Could you please explain more fully what you mean by abdominal and chest breathing? Are you using a specific technique? Were you taught by a teacher? More info would be helpful in answering your question. Thank you!
All the organs of your body require oxygen and they get it through oxygen rich blood not directly through breathing.
All breathing is fine if you do not force it and abdominal breathing is very good for you but again you should not force it or over expand your lungs in order to do it. Abdominal breathing is simply using your lung capacity to breathe by using both top and bottom of your lungs. But I cannot stress this enough, it should not be forced.
There are also breathing exercises that focus on breathing with the top part of your lungs, middle and bottom and also in progression; top first followed by middle and then bottom and the reverse of that as well (bottom, middle, top) and the same is done for both inhale and exhale but again it is not forced, it is relaxed. Be aware of your breath don’t force it
Breathe naturally and you will be fine
But problems arise when wrong breathing becomes natural. Wrong breathing is typically shallow, out of thrythm and not involving both chest and the diaphragm. It is usually a result of, among other things, emotional swings, stress, lethargy, bad eating habits, lack of exercise etc.
Abdominal breathing is a little misnomer. Right breathing is by using the diaphragm through the upper abdomen (from the rib-cage to the navel). Its operation is simple to understand. Right under the rib-cage is diaphragm, a divider membrane that creates chest and abdomen as two separate compartments. This divider is muscular and flexible. By pushing the upper abdomen out, it pulls the diaphragm down that expands the lungs like a balloon and inhales air. The reverse is the exhalation.
So for a full breath, let the chest and upper abdomen come out and go down together. Having said that please follow Yulaw’s advice. The breathing apparatus is very delicate; don’t ever stretch it. Only by practice, your normal breath will become fuller.
Secondly, it is not the volume of air going in and out that matters, but the rhythm of the breathing motion. Please refer to some standard text and follow the recommended rhythm.
Lie down on your back, head tilted towards left placed comfortably on the floor, place your right hand on your abdomen. Breath in and out normally, just experience the movement of your abdomen. Focus your attention on the in coming and outgoing breath. Practice this for 2 minutes daily. The breathing should be gentle and normal. Do not exert or do forceful breathing. May be after a month or so you can go on to learn the next technique. Forceful breathing through abdomen or through chest can be harmful…[QUOTE=tatvamasi42;39917]I have been reading several info messages about the breathing exercises in the internet.Some say that abdominal breathing and chest breathing (which is normally deep breathing) is harmful to the body and some say NO.some say that we should do the abdominal breathing and chest breathing 9 times each every day while lying flat on the ground. some say we should sit on a chair while doing the abdominal breathing and chest breathing.further some say that there is no benefit from the abdominal breathing since the organs in the lower part do not require oxygen.I am doing these two breathing exercises for the past 1 year 9 times each without any side effects.Will any master advise me in this regard.[/QUOTE]
Hi All,
I have question similar lines. What I see is, my breathing is too shallow and whenever I become conscious about breathing, either breathing is stopped because I am so involved in other thoughts.
Can anybody suggest me how to practice good breathing so that breathing happens rhythmic naturally(unconsciously)?
Raje
Hi Raje,
Your doubt is because of good observation and analysis, most of them are not aware about their thoughts or breathing pattern. Shallow breathing could be because of two reasons: 1) Requirement of air/oxygen for your body. 2) Not being aware of your breathing pattern.
For example if one is angry then it is quite natural that breathing is fast and unnatural. If mind is occupied with lots of thoughts then one is not aware of his/her breathing, so the breathing becomes shallow. If one is aware of his/her breath then the breath is long, deep and relaxing. Breath is stopped is in two situations: 1) If there is no life 2) There are no thoughts crossing the mind, at this state one enters the state of meditation.
To practice good breathing, just be aware of your breath: Incoming and outgoing, whatever work you are doing just be aware of your breath, you will experience all the work you do is with ease and comfort. The logic is simple: If you are aware of your breath, then lesser thoughts will occupy your mind, so your mind is focussed on the task with almost complete awareness.
Some one asked Buddha: Who is a self realized person? Buddha answered: One who is in complete awareness.
Take care!
[QUOTE=Raje;40010]Hi All,
I have question similar lines. What I see is, my breathing is too shallow and whenever I become conscious about breathing, either breathing is stopped because I am so involved in other thoughts.
Can anybody suggest me how to practice good breathing so that breathing happens rhythmic naturally(unconsciously)?
Raje[/QUOTE]
Here is an extract from an article i wrote for my students entitled “what Prana Is”
[…]
When we breathe in and feel the prana, what we’re really doing is facilitating the extraction of oxygen from the air to the lungs, and subsequently from the lungs to the blood vessels surrounding the lungs. Red blood cells then carry oxygen throughout the body. How we breathe determines how much oxygen we get. Shallow breathing or chest breathing (caused by stress, bad posture, inability to relax, and overly stressful exercise) results in limited oxygen, simply because there are hardly any blood vessels surrounding the upper lobes of the lungs. So we need to breathe down to the belly, and in the words of Patanjali to feel firm but calm as we move through our asanas; “sthira sukham asanam”.
So why do we need oxygen to travel through our bodies? Well firstly, unless we’re talking about specific cases of dehydration or starvation, death is due to oxygen not getting to the organs of our bodies. So if we bring this down to a slightly smaller scale, each of the cells of our body needs oxygen to stay alive, if oxygen is not circulating properly the cell will self-destruct, and the bi-product of this act actually kills more cells and tissues as well.
So if we look at the brain as an example, brain cells that don’t get any blood will die off. So if we increase the flow of blood to the brain we slow down the death of cells, and stimulate inactive areas of our brain… as in… We make ourselves smarter.
If oxygenated blood doesn’t fully make it to our muscles, they will fatigue much faster because they can’t function to their full potential, so even if we appear strong and fit, if the blood isn’t circulating properly the strength won’t really manifest.
So breathing correctly is the first step to increasing the circulation of blood throughout the body and ensuring that not only the oxygenated blood circulates but all the other nutrients, information, and matter are transported. There are other ways too! […]
thought it might be of interest… I like viloma breathe. Belly, Ribs, Chest to inhale and the reverse to exhale.
I respectfully disagree when people equate “air” that is breathed (along with the process of oxygenation) with “prana” the cosmic energy.
Swami Vivekananda, comments on Sutra II-49: ?When the posture has been conquered, then the motion of prāṇa is to be broken and controlled, and thus we come to Prāṇāyāma, the controlling of the vital forces of the body. Prāṇa is not breath, though it is usually so translated. It is the sum total of the cosmic energy. It is the energy that is in each body, and its most apparent manifestation is the motion of the lungs. This motion is caused by the prāṇa drawing in the breath and is what we seek to control in Prāṇāyāma. We begin by controlling the breath, as the easiest way of controlling the prāṇa? (pg 214).
Many breathing techniques are based on two wrong assumptions:
? Air and prāṇa is one and the same thing.
? Breathing air in a particular fashion automatically controls prāṇa.
Sage Pata?jali always recommends comprehensive solutions for the subtle as well as the gross levels. Getting carried away by the physical aspect alone may make one lose sight of the golden essence of sūtra that says, ?when right posture is attained there follows right control of prāṇa and proper inspiration and expiration of breath (Sūtra II.49)?. Here, the goal is to synchronize prāṇa and the breathing. And the golden essence is that [B]though initially breathing drives prāṇa, eventually and ideally, prāṇa should drive breathing.[/B]
Breathing represents only the physical vehicle for the internal prāṇa to draw its replenishment from the external prāṇa, Cosmic energy of the universe (the life-force). Spiritually, this energy plays a far more important role than the physiological oxygenation.
Hi all,
Thanks for response.
I have been doing anulom vilom regularly and want to make sure doing it correctly. Especially while breathing in, I try to breath in slowly, without jerk and concentrate on air passing in nostrils. But what is not sure is, where should I fill the air? If filling the lungs completely is right way, do I do it consciously?
Please let me know…
>>Raje
I want to point out that in Vedic practice, prana is closely connected with citta, and the theory is that if one controls prana (through controlled breathing), one also controls citta. Himalayan yogi said basically the same thing. Pranayama is also employed in Kundalini practice to fan the flames of Agni which is said to rouse kundalini. Certain types of pranayama are also said to have specific health effects. These practices include both deep abdominal breathing and shallow (chest) breathing.
We should keep in mind that these are very ancient practices and we may or may not want to adopt these beliefs which do not have any scientific basis. Pranayama does have some physiological effects, and it does seem to help concentrate the mind. If you experience that in your practice, it’s all well and good. Anything beyond that gets you into the realm of Hindu beliefs. I’m not advocating or criticizing these beliefs, I just think people need to be aware of what they’re getting into.
Also, in my view, the “cosmic energy”, prana is analogous to the Spirit in Christianity.
[QUOTE=Raje;40177]Hi all,
Thanks for response.
I have been doing anulom vilom regularly and want to make sure doing it correctly. Especially while breathing in, I try to breath in slowly, without jerk and concentrate on air passing in nostrils. But what is not sure is, where should I fill the air? If filling the lungs completely is right way, do I do it consciously?
Please let me know…
>>Raje[/QUOTE]
I recommend that you acquire a copy of Light on Yoga, by BKS Iyengar and read the sections on pranayama. Further questions should be directed to a qualified teacher.
[quote=Asuri;40179]
Also, in my view, the “cosmic energy”, prana is analogous to the Spirit in Christianity.[/quote]
What Christains( invariably) call " being filled with the Holy Spririt" does indeed sound rather like Mother Kundalini Shakti,awakening or stirring.It makes sense that reilgious folk devoted to spiritual realities by giving themselves to a higher force or agency are allowing any divine intelligence there may be( of course believing,having the faith obviously must help) to grow, from within of course. I think they may well be talking about or experiencing the same phenomenon if you analyse at it from a scientific perspective, examine the condtions that allow it to airse, a clear mind , a single thought- that of God or your ishta/object of devotion, the letting go attitude, the mania or accompanying bhakti or emotionally charged spiritual energy.
When you see folk in evangelical churches , rasing their hands,praying,chanting in tongues they are actually practicing the highest form of yoga(or you might say an advanced sort,those that are devoted that is) , a kind of bhakti yoga from this pespective.Youu could say they are giving themselves to God, a higher agency, a spiritual potential really… The principles and dynamcs appear similar (or same-y), the beliefs,associated culture and ritual obviously may differ.
Of course,Whatever else they may do when they leave the church is also part of their yoga,their personal 'yoke with God, the divine" . It could be compared to a ‘yoga’ class, a conventional one i mean, on some level or from that perspective.
[QUOTE=himalayanyogi;40016]Hi Raje,
Your doubt is because of good observation and analysis, most of them are not aware about their thoughts or breathing pattern. Shallow breathing could be because of two reasons: 1) Requirement of air/oxygen for your body. 2) Not being aware of your breathing pattern.
For example if one is angry then it is quite natural that breathing is fast and unnatural. If mind is occupied with lots of thoughts then one is not aware of his/her breathing, so the breathing becomes shallow. If one is aware of his/her breath then the breath is long, deep and relaxing. Breath is stopped is in two situations: 1) If there is no life 2) There are no thoughts crossing the mind, at this state one enters the state of meditation.
To practice good breathing, just be aware of your breath: Incoming and outgoing, whatever work you are doing just be aware of your breath, you will experience all the work you do is with ease and comfort. The logic is simple: If you are aware of your breath, then lesser thoughts will occupy your mind, so your mind is focussed on the task with almost complete awareness.
Some one asked Buddha: Who is a self realized person? Buddha answered: One who is in complete awareness.
Take care![/QUOTE]
I just like very much your advice. It is simple, clear, to the point, practical.
It has lots of depth, in spite of its apparent simplicity.
Where is the OP in this thread???
[QUOTE=tatvamasi42;39917]I have been reading several info messages about the breathing exercises in the internet.Some say that abdominal breathing and chest breathing (which is normally deep breathing) is harmful to the body and some say NO.[/QUOTE]
just watch out not to get hyperventilated:) your can read about hyperventilation here http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/807277-overview