I asked myself, "How well do I breathe?"
Modern conditioning has presented different systems in place that may prompt a scarcity mindset. We are unable to sit with discomfort, we learn to rely outside ourselves, and we grow to believe we lack resources. Breathing in different patterns may influence the body, affect size and function of lungs, alter your own nervous system, sway your immune response, restore well-being, and inherently help you to understand yourself better. It is a missing pillar in health.(1) The breath is our first language after all. Breathing is one of the easier practices to engage with, gives a high return for your effort, and can be done anywhere or anytime you choose to focus on it.
Those with significant anxieties may consistently suffer from breathing habits or respiratory afflictions. It begs for us to question the quality to which we breathe. Experts cite three common influences that contribute to inefficient breathing: poor posture, weak or constricted respiratory muscles (especially the diaphragm and rectus abdominis), and profuse everyday stress.(2) There have been observations made using capnometry-assisted respiratory training (CART) to teach patients how to normalize dysfunctional breathing patterns. Based on original trials founded by Prof. Dr. Alicia E. Meuret, those with patterns of hyperventilation were taught to become more aware of depth and pace of their breathing. The methods helped to stabilize carbon dioxide, reduce symptom frequency and distress, and increase asthma control, while lending hope in the reduction of pharmaceutical use.(3) By referencing historically traditional breath concepts leading up to such ideas of today, may this be an offering and reminder of accessible cultivation for both the individual and community. Ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428-347BC) described one soul of the individual as courage being located in the heart, originating from breathing. It preemptively takes a certain calm when courage is taken. "If you would foster a calm spirit, first regulate your breathing; for when that is under control, the heart will be at peace; but when breathing is spasmadic, then it will be troubled. Therefore, before attempting anything, first regulate your breathing on which your temper will be softened, your spirit calmed," Kariba Ekken, a seventeenth century mystic, wisely conveys.(4) To imagine your heart-mind opening wide, 'eyes of the heart' is a breathing practice to prevent the chest from collapsing quickly on an exhale. Rest fingers just below the clavicles to either side of the sternum. Inhaling, pull gently down on the upper two pairs of ribs, imagining they are sliding down away from the clavicles. Exhaling, push up on the clavicles as if to slide them up over the shoulders. Repeat with breathing as your guide.(2)
Early Greek schools of medicine were of two traditions regarding the understanding of breathing. Cerebrocentrists held the belief that the soul originated from ambient air (pneuma) inspired through nose into the brain. Meanwhile, cardiocentrists viewed the heart as the seat of the soul and implied anatomical pathways between the lungs and heart. Greek philosopher Anaximenes (570 BC) segues the beginning of early Greek physiology stating, "As our soul, being air, sustains us, so pneuma and air pervade the whole world." Pneuma, 'air in motion' or 'breath of life', was then essential for existence. Greek physiologist Erastistratus (304-250 BC) was credited for declaring the medical pneumatic theory of respiration, transforming ideas from psychic to vital. Herophilus (335-280 BC) led the School of Anatomy and Medicine of Alexandria and was first to discover the cardiac valves. He believed that breathing consists of air inspired to the lungs, which then is transported to the heart and body.(5) It is internal respiration that involves the mechanisms of both heart and lungs in the oxygenation of blood, while external respiration or "breathing" occurs at the level of the lungs. Survival of the human body is dependent on the supply of air and the body that is deprived of such air will deteriorate and/or perish. Thousands of years ago this concept of life energy was first documented around the same time in India and China, and became the bedrock of medicine. Like Grecian 'pneuma', traditions in India identify vital force as 'prana', in Japan as 'ki', 'lung' in Tibet, 'hininga' in the Philippines, in Hebrew as 'ruah', to the Iroquois as 'orenda' or 'neyatoneyah' with the Lakota Sioux, etc. The vast span of cultures have developed methods to balance flow of vitality, such as ritual, acupuncture, yoga, or breathing techniques. The art of breathing was so fundamental to prana that ancient terms for energy are synonymous with respiration.(1)
Just as the word 'yoga' is one of wide import, so also is 'prana'. 'Prana' means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy or strength. It also connotes the soul as opposed to the body. 'Ayama' means length, expansion, stretching or restraint. Pranayama is the process of expansion by lengthening, directing, and regulating the oscillations of breath while limiting the increased energy in the body-mind. This includes inhalation/inspiration, exhalation/expiration, and retention/holding. Pranayama is thus a science of breath. Some trace its lineage back to Brahman priests and their collection of hymns, prayers, incantations, and litanies known as the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism transmitted orally since second millennium BCE.(2) If the yogi masters regulation, he can command the mind and govern its constant movement. Improper practice of pranayama may invite disorders like wind, asthma, cough, catarrh, head/eye/ear pains, and nervous irritation. It was essential to note that patience is needed to learn beneficial inhalations and exhalations.(4) More so, to remember that good things may take time, and practice.
The seminal teachings of the historical Buddha and moving through every intervening century since, teachers from all traditions have been telling us, in one form or another, to breathe and be aware. The three historical texts that speak of breath most prominently, and whose statements have directly attributed to the Buddha himself, are the Satipatthana Sutta, the Anapansati Sutta, and the Kayagatasati Sutta. These texts are found in the Sutta Pitaka, the second division of the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) that consists of over 10,000 discourses of Buddha's teachings. The Pali Canon is central to the Theravada school of Buddhism, said to be first written in Sri Lanka at the end of the first century BCE.(6) All three of these texts include specific instructions about breath, and the breath practices in many contemporary Buddhist schools are still based on interpretations of words in these suttas. The principle instructions on meditating encouraged finding a quiet place free of distraction, sitting in a way that maintains an erect spine, and observation of breath at the front of the body with specificity to nostrils and belly. In the book "The Primordial Breath: The Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control", it was wonderfully advised that when refining the breath, not to practice when sleepy, to endeavor when feeling good and comfortable, which is not necessarily every day. This suggestion to not approach a method only while things have gone bad nurtures an abundant mindset.
While the Chinese call the physical air as 'qi', they also recognize that qi is much more than that. For example, without an appropriate morale (shi qi) or will (zhi qi), a body will deteriorate. "Breath perceives the will. The will follows the mind. If breath is being perfected, then the body is perfected. If breath is interrupted, the soul gives up. If soul is extinguished, then the body dies. The reason, therefore, why a doctor must first examine the pulse. The pulse is combined with the condition of the breath."(7) Qi may be understood as something that not only enables energy production and growth, it is also a phenomenon that gives the body motivation and purpose to survive. 'Breath of life' can have two meanings: one in the physical realm, another in the esoteric. Qi may then be considered a fundamental force for life. "The qi of the body flows in accordance with the changes of heaven and earth", as described in a discussion on the essentials of clinical diagnosis over two thousand years ago in "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Cannon". The notion of qi has acquired a wide range of different meanings in various philosophical schools. However, it is possible to distinguish two main types of meaning for the notion of qi, cosmogonic-ontological and moral. This is akin to the practice of martial arts. The relationship to qi is dependent upon the importance of lived experience, motivation, connection to higher self, possibility of spirituality, and honoring traditions without necessarily being bound to theology.(8) Tai chi is a martial art originating from China in the thirteenth century. It is viewed to this day as a therapeutic form of exercise in Chinese medicine. Qigong, a more than five thousand year old Daoist system of exercises, is also referenced to support physical and psychological health outcomes. Combined and known as Tai chi Qigong (TCQ), diaphragmatic breathing coordinated with slow dance-like movements, may enhance respiratory function, qi cultivation, and psychosocial mending.(9)
A Chinese Daoist text from eighth century AD noted that "the nose was the 'heavenly door', and that breath must be taken through it. Never do otherwise for breath would be in danger and illness would set in." It was not until the nineteenth century that the Western population ever considered nasal breathing. A man by the name of George Catlin, published a book, "The Breath of Life", in 1862. He had traveled and learned from fifty Native American tribes who attributed their vigorous health to a medicine called 'the secret of life', which was breathing. It was explained that when breath was inhaled through the mouth, the body would lose strength and succumb to stress and disease. Conversely, the body remained stoic when breath inhalation was through the nose. Healthy nasal breathing started at birth. Children were trained to breathe through their noses at all times. At night, mothers would gently pinch the mouths shut of sleeping babies if they fell open. Temperature regulation with infants included light dress during winters and lessened skin contact during warmer seasons. This was to prevent becoming too hot and panting.(1) The Dutch athlete at present, Wim Hof, created a breathing method of the same name, showing the repression of inflammatory response. His training includes cold exposure and suggests shallow breathing through the nose so as to prevent breathing too deeply. This method was influenced by the techniques of Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko (1950s), which encouraged breath control as part of daily life, particularly at the onset of asthma or breathing-related symptoms.(10) The Buteyko Method emphasizes nasal breathing at all times, including sleep and exercise.
Because not all of us live an agrarian life, it has become almost inconvenient to let ourselves feel much of the immense richness that comes from unhurriedness or quiet. Breath may be a means. Refining breath settles the mind and allows you to recognize what is happening below the surface. Breathing may be a way in. Breaching the barrier into the concept of pneuma/prana/qi can serve as a bridge from experiencing yourself as only physical to engaging with the far more visceral aspects of your being. The gift of awareness is to find out who you are and who you become when you pay attention. How different it would be if you gave your breath and body precedence and let the mind align itself with them? Our current lifestyles seem to have us living with a permanent underlying or low level hum of infection on the spectrum of dis-ease. Heartbeats and respiration are two sources of selfhood. Self-sourcing is a way of acknowledging that often there are really no original ideas, yet you are living into it as that is what you are called to do.
"Selflessness is manifested by straightening out the self, not by straightening out others." -Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC), Chinese philosopher
In sharing,
Kimy
*Disclaimer - Please check in with a licensed provider outside matters of opinion to see if any choices regarding prevention, treatment, or diagnosis are right for you.
Modern conditioning has presented different systems in place that may prompt a scarcity mindset. We are unable to sit with discomfort, we learn to rely outside ourselves, and we grow to believe we lack resources. Breathing in different patterns may influence the body, affect size and function of lungs, alter your own nervous system, sway your immune response, restore well-being, and inherently help you to understand yourself better. It is a missing pillar in health.(1) The breath is our first language after all. Breathing is one of the easier practices to engage with, gives a high return for your effort, and can be done anywhere or anytime you choose to focus on it.
Those with significant anxieties may consistently suffer from breathing habits or respiratory afflictions. It begs for us to question the quality to which we breathe. Experts cite three common influences that contribute to inefficient breathing: poor posture, weak or constricted respiratory muscles (especially the diaphragm and rectus abdominis), and profuse everyday stress.(2) There have been observations made using capnometry-assisted respiratory training (CART) to teach patients how to normalize dysfunctional breathing patterns. Based on original trials founded by Prof. Dr. Alicia E. Meuret, those with patterns of hyperventilation were taught to become more aware of depth and pace of their breathing. The methods helped to stabilize carbon dioxide, reduce symptom frequency and distress, and increase asthma control, while lending hope in the reduction of pharmaceutical use.(3) By referencing historically traditional breath concepts leading up to such ideas of today, may this be an offering and reminder of accessible cultivation for both the individual and community. Ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428-347BC) described one soul of the individual as courage being located in the heart, originating from breathing. It preemptively takes a certain calm when courage is taken. "If you would foster a calm spirit, first regulate your breathing; for when that is under control, the heart will be at peace; but when breathing is spasmadic, then it will be troubled. Therefore, before attempting anything, first regulate your breathing on which your temper will be softened, your spirit calmed," Kariba Ekken, a seventeenth century mystic, wisely conveys.(4) To imagine your heart-mind opening wide, 'eyes of the heart' is a breathing practice to prevent the chest from collapsing quickly on an exhale. Rest fingers just below the clavicles to either side of the sternum. Inhaling, pull gently down on the upper two pairs of ribs, imagining they are sliding down away from the clavicles. Exhaling, push up on the clavicles as if to slide them up over the shoulders. Repeat with breathing as your guide.(2)
Early Greek schools of medicine were of two traditions regarding the understanding of breathing. Cerebrocentrists held the belief that the soul originated from ambient air (pneuma) inspired through nose into the brain. Meanwhile, cardiocentrists viewed the heart as the seat of the soul and implied anatomical pathways between the lungs and heart. Greek philosopher Anaximenes (570 BC) segues the beginning of early Greek physiology stating, "As our soul, being air, sustains us, so pneuma and air pervade the whole world." Pneuma, 'air in motion' or 'breath of life', was then essential for existence. Greek physiologist Erastistratus (304-250 BC) was credited for declaring the medical pneumatic theory of respiration, transforming ideas from psychic to vital. Herophilus (335-280 BC) led the School of Anatomy and Medicine of Alexandria and was first to discover the cardiac valves. He believed that breathing consists of air inspired to the lungs, which then is transported to the heart and body.(5) It is internal respiration that involves the mechanisms of both heart and lungs in the oxygenation of blood, while external respiration or "breathing" occurs at the level of the lungs. Survival of the human body is dependent on the supply of air and the body that is deprived of such air will deteriorate and/or perish. Thousands of years ago this concept of life energy was first documented around the same time in India and China, and became the bedrock of medicine. Like Grecian 'pneuma', traditions in India identify vital force as 'prana', in Japan as 'ki', 'lung' in Tibet, 'hininga' in the Philippines, in Hebrew as 'ruah', to the Iroquois as 'orenda' or 'neyatoneyah' with the Lakota Sioux, etc. The vast span of cultures have developed methods to balance flow of vitality, such as ritual, acupuncture, yoga, or breathing techniques. The art of breathing was so fundamental to prana that ancient terms for energy are synonymous with respiration.(1)
Just as the word 'yoga' is one of wide import, so also is 'prana'. 'Prana' means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy or strength. It also connotes the soul as opposed to the body. 'Ayama' means length, expansion, stretching or restraint. Pranayama is the process of expansion by lengthening, directing, and regulating the oscillations of breath while limiting the increased energy in the body-mind. This includes inhalation/inspiration, exhalation/expiration, and retention/holding. Pranayama is thus a science of breath. Some trace its lineage back to Brahman priests and their collection of hymns, prayers, incantations, and litanies known as the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism transmitted orally since second millennium BCE.(2) If the yogi masters regulation, he can command the mind and govern its constant movement. Improper practice of pranayama may invite disorders like wind, asthma, cough, catarrh, head/eye/ear pains, and nervous irritation. It was essential to note that patience is needed to learn beneficial inhalations and exhalations.(4) More so, to remember that good things may take time, and practice.
The seminal teachings of the historical Buddha and moving through every intervening century since, teachers from all traditions have been telling us, in one form or another, to breathe and be aware. The three historical texts that speak of breath most prominently, and whose statements have directly attributed to the Buddha himself, are the Satipatthana Sutta, the Anapansati Sutta, and the Kayagatasati Sutta. These texts are found in the Sutta Pitaka, the second division of the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) that consists of over 10,000 discourses of Buddha's teachings. The Pali Canon is central to the Theravada school of Buddhism, said to be first written in Sri Lanka at the end of the first century BCE.(6) All three of these texts include specific instructions about breath, and the breath practices in many contemporary Buddhist schools are still based on interpretations of words in these suttas. The principle instructions on meditating encouraged finding a quiet place free of distraction, sitting in a way that maintains an erect spine, and observation of breath at the front of the body with specificity to nostrils and belly. In the book "The Primordial Breath: The Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control", it was wonderfully advised that when refining the breath, not to practice when sleepy, to endeavor when feeling good and comfortable, which is not necessarily every day. This suggestion to not approach a method only while things have gone bad nurtures an abundant mindset.
While the Chinese call the physical air as 'qi', they also recognize that qi is much more than that. For example, without an appropriate morale (shi qi) or will (zhi qi), a body will deteriorate. "Breath perceives the will. The will follows the mind. If breath is being perfected, then the body is perfected. If breath is interrupted, the soul gives up. If soul is extinguished, then the body dies. The reason, therefore, why a doctor must first examine the pulse. The pulse is combined with the condition of the breath."(7) Qi may be understood as something that not only enables energy production and growth, it is also a phenomenon that gives the body motivation and purpose to survive. 'Breath of life' can have two meanings: one in the physical realm, another in the esoteric. Qi may then be considered a fundamental force for life. "The qi of the body flows in accordance with the changes of heaven and earth", as described in a discussion on the essentials of clinical diagnosis over two thousand years ago in "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Cannon". The notion of qi has acquired a wide range of different meanings in various philosophical schools. However, it is possible to distinguish two main types of meaning for the notion of qi, cosmogonic-ontological and moral. This is akin to the practice of martial arts. The relationship to qi is dependent upon the importance of lived experience, motivation, connection to higher self, possibility of spirituality, and honoring traditions without necessarily being bound to theology.(8) Tai chi is a martial art originating from China in the thirteenth century. It is viewed to this day as a therapeutic form of exercise in Chinese medicine. Qigong, a more than five thousand year old Daoist system of exercises, is also referenced to support physical and psychological health outcomes. Combined and known as Tai chi Qigong (TCQ), diaphragmatic breathing coordinated with slow dance-like movements, may enhance respiratory function, qi cultivation, and psychosocial mending.(9)
A Chinese Daoist text from eighth century AD noted that "the nose was the 'heavenly door', and that breath must be taken through it. Never do otherwise for breath would be in danger and illness would set in." It was not until the nineteenth century that the Western population ever considered nasal breathing. A man by the name of George Catlin, published a book, "The Breath of Life", in 1862. He had traveled and learned from fifty Native American tribes who attributed their vigorous health to a medicine called 'the secret of life', which was breathing. It was explained that when breath was inhaled through the mouth, the body would lose strength and succumb to stress and disease. Conversely, the body remained stoic when breath inhalation was through the nose. Healthy nasal breathing started at birth. Children were trained to breathe through their noses at all times. At night, mothers would gently pinch the mouths shut of sleeping babies if they fell open. Temperature regulation with infants included light dress during winters and lessened skin contact during warmer seasons. This was to prevent becoming too hot and panting.(1) The Dutch athlete at present, Wim Hof, created a breathing method of the same name, showing the repression of inflammatory response. His training includes cold exposure and suggests shallow breathing through the nose so as to prevent breathing too deeply. This method was influenced by the techniques of Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko (1950s), which encouraged breath control as part of daily life, particularly at the onset of asthma or breathing-related symptoms.(10) The Buteyko Method emphasizes nasal breathing at all times, including sleep and exercise.
Because not all of us live an agrarian life, it has become almost inconvenient to let ourselves feel much of the immense richness that comes from unhurriedness or quiet. Breath may be a means. Refining breath settles the mind and allows you to recognize what is happening below the surface. Breathing may be a way in. Breaching the barrier into the concept of pneuma/prana/qi can serve as a bridge from experiencing yourself as only physical to engaging with the far more visceral aspects of your being. The gift of awareness is to find out who you are and who you become when you pay attention. How different it would be if you gave your breath and body precedence and let the mind align itself with them? Our current lifestyles seem to have us living with a permanent underlying or low level hum of infection on the spectrum of dis-ease. Heartbeats and respiration are two sources of selfhood. Self-sourcing is a way of acknowledging that often there are really no original ideas, yet you are living into it as that is what you are called to do.
"Selflessness is manifested by straightening out the self, not by straightening out others." -Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC), Chinese philosopher
In sharing,
Kimy
*Disclaimer - Please check in with a licensed provider outside matters of opinion to see if any choices regarding prevention, treatment, or diagnosis are right for you.
1. Nestor J. Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art. New York: Riverhead Books; 2020.
2. Rosen R. The Yoga of Breath, A Step-By-Step Guide to Pranayama. Colorado: Shambhala Publications; 2002.
3. Jeter AM, Kim HC, Simon E, Ritz T, Meuret AE. Hypoventilation training for asthma: a case illustration. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2012 Mar;37(1):63-72. doi: 10.1007/s10484-011-9178-6.
4. Iyengar BKS. Light On Yoga. New York: Schoken Books; 1979.
5. Fitting J, -W. From Breathing to Respiration. Respiration 2015;89:82-27. doi:10.1159/000369474
6. Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Tipitika: the Pali Canon. Insight Meditation Community of Charlotte. Accessed March 2023. https://www.imccharlotte.org/wp-content/uploads/PaliCannon_1.pdf
7. Huang J, Wurmbrand M. The Primordial Breath. Volume 1. California: Original Books; 1987.
8. Cibotaru V. The Spiritual Features of the Experience of qi in Chinese Martial Arts. Religions. 2021; 12(10):836. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100836
9. Chaitow L, Bradley D, Gilbert C. Recognizing and Treating Breathing Disorders. Second Ed. Elsevier; 2014.
10. Hof W, Jong KD. The Way of the Iceman. Canada: Dragon Door Publications; 2016.
2. Rosen R. The Yoga of Breath, A Step-By-Step Guide to Pranayama. Colorado: Shambhala Publications; 2002.
3. Jeter AM, Kim HC, Simon E, Ritz T, Meuret AE. Hypoventilation training for asthma: a case illustration. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2012 Mar;37(1):63-72. doi: 10.1007/s10484-011-9178-6.
4. Iyengar BKS. Light On Yoga. New York: Schoken Books; 1979.
5. Fitting J, -W. From Breathing to Respiration. Respiration 2015;89:82-27. doi:10.1159/000369474
6. Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Tipitika: the Pali Canon. Insight Meditation Community of Charlotte. Accessed March 2023. https://www.imccharlotte.org/wp-content/uploads/PaliCannon_1.pdf
7. Huang J, Wurmbrand M. The Primordial Breath. Volume 1. California: Original Books; 1987.
8. Cibotaru V. The Spiritual Features of the Experience of qi in Chinese Martial Arts. Religions. 2021; 12(10):836. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100836
9. Chaitow L, Bradley D, Gilbert C. Recognizing and Treating Breathing Disorders. Second Ed. Elsevier; 2014.
10. Hof W, Jong KD. The Way of the Iceman. Canada: Dragon Door Publications; 2016.