Basic human needs - Nourishment & Vitality part II

What makes for Physical nourishment ?

Food, drink, sleep and of course breathing. Most people tend to take breathing for granted. It is automatic and therefore taken care of by the body. The truth is slightly different. Breathing is a semi automatic function. This means we have control over it to an extent. Enough to make a crucial difference in the quality of out lives when we invest some time to learn and practice better breathing.

Most of us breathe just enough not to die. is that enough to supply us with optimal oxygen levels? The more stressed and unaware we are the less we breathe. This can easily be proven by practicing Yogic breathing techniques. For one thing, many people find themselves dizzy from hyper-oxygenation at first. Their brain is so not used to reasonable oxygen levels it gets shocked... Another way to prove this is simply by practicing breathing techniques. After a short time it becomes very obvious that this is improving the quality of your life.

I used to find this fact quite flustering. If breathing help one relax, why do people in distress choose to breath less ? It seemed paradoxical. Thinking this through I remembered that our stress response is primordial. It comes from a period of survival-ism. Which would you prefer if you were faced with a raging lion in the night (That hasn't noticed you) - being quiet or loud? Breathing can become somewhat loud when we breathe rapidly as we often do when stressed (Unless trained) and so breathing in such moments can be dangerous... It is of course only a theory but the fact remains - when stressed we breathe less. When stressed for long periods of time we train ourselves to breath less on a regular basis. The price being insufficient oxygenation for optimal living.

The results of inadequate breathing are:

1. Low vitality

2. Less than optimal brain function (Concentration, memory, cognitive abilities etc.)

3. Higher stress levels

4. Lower emotional control

5. Higher acidic tissue levels (From accumulation of Co2 = higher tendency to 

    inflammations, allergies and cancer)

And much more.

If you wish to lead a healthy, vibrant and alert life - learn to breathe !

In the following video I will be sharing the first of several breathing techniques I employ for my own well being as well as for my patients and students. I call it 1:4:2. The brief instructions for this exercise follow.

1:4:2 - how to

1. Exhale fully and slowly

2. Inhale to the count of 5 (X1)

3. Hold your breath to the count of 20 (X4)

4. Exhale to the count of 10 (X2)

5. Repeat 10 times morning and evening

If 5:20:10 is too hard (Go for 70% effort, no more) reduce the count to 4:16:8 or even 3:12:6 - over doing it is in efficient to advance. When you find it too easy you can advance to higher counts (The highest in the textbooks being 16:64:32).