The single most important action in all our lives is one we seldom, if ever, think about—breathing! If we don’t breathe, none of the rest of life is even possible. Yet when was the last time you paid any attention to the way you breathe? You know breathing is essential to keeping you alive. What you may not know is that the way in which you choose to breathe is essential to how fully you live. Opera stars know the importance of breathing. So do great actors. So do champion swimmers. Sadly, most of the rest of us, including most athletes, simply take breathing for granted.
It is through breathing that we take in oxygen to fuel our minds and bodies. The more fuel we have, the better we function. The more effectively we breathe, the more effectively we live. The benefits of effective breathing include:
increased oxygen intake
increased oxygenation of the blood, tissues, muscles, and organs
relaxation of the body
calming of the mind
balance of the emotions
enhanced mental focus, clarity, and creativity
relief of stress.
Put simply, proper breathing can make you faster, stronger, calmer, and smarter, which is pretty wonderful when you stop and think about it—something so simple can be so powerfully helpful and healthful.
Conversely, if you are not breathing effectively, you simply cannot be as fast, as strong, as calm, as smart, or as healthy as you could be.
What I want to share with you here is a simple yet powerfully effective method for enhancing the benefits of breathing. Call it “energy breathing.” Energy breathing is an easy way to enhance your mind-body-spirit connection. That is the key.
Your mind and body are not separate things. Your mind affects every part of your physical body, just as your physical body affects your mind. If your body is tense, if your breathing is shallow or rapid, your mind cannot be focused and calm. If your mind is focused on all the stress in your life, your body will be stressed, also. You need to have your mind and body working in concert to get the most out of life. This is especially true of your breathing.
Your spirit is your connection with the infinite. In energy breathing you connect your mind and body with the limitless power of the universe. You are mind, body, and spirit. It only makes sense to make the best use of all three aspects of you.
I use the term energy breathing because everything in the universe is a form of energy. Albert Einstein established this principle in the Western world more than a hundred years ago. Ancient scholars in China and other cultures have created health and wellness systems based on this principle for thousands of years.
When I say everything is a form of energy, I mean this literally. A rock, a tree, the air, every cell in your body, these are all forms of energy. You are an energy being. Even your thoughts are a form of energy, and a very powerful one. Every thought you have sends electrical impulses somewhere in your body, and your body responds accordingly.
The ancient Chinese scholars saw energy as two main components: yin and yang. Think of yin and yang like female and male, like the positive and negative poles of a magnet, or like the positive and negative charges at either end of a battery. They are opposites that attract each other. For optimal performance, yin and yang need to be in good balance.
That is some of the background behind energy breathing. How you do energy breathing is very simple.
Energy Breathing Step-by-Step:
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Put a smile on your face (this helps relax your mind and body).
Place the tip of your tongue gently against the roof of your mouth (this connects the two main energy channels in your body).
Breathe through your nose in slow, gentle, deep breaths.
As you breathe in, gently pull your lower stomach in a little.
As you breathe out, let your stomach out.
(The upper part of the body belongs to yang energy; the lower part of the body belongs to yin energy. Breathing in is a part of yin energy; breathing out is yang. One of the reasons we get sick is that yin and yang energies are not communicating well. By pulling your lower stomach in as you inhale and letting it out as you exhale, you are enhancing the communication of the yin and yang energies.)
This is the body part of energy breathing. Now we connect it with the mind and spirit by utilizing simple visualization and mental focus. Say in your mind the “password”:
I am in the universe. The universe is in my body. The universe and I are one.
If you choose to use a different password, that is fine. The words are not as important as their meaning—you are not alone. You are connected with the infinite.
As you breathe in,
imagine you are using your entire body to breathe
see and feel the air, the limitless energy of the universe, flowing into your body through every part of your body.
As you breathe out,
visualize any tiredness or stress, pain or sickness, any doubt or worries changing into smoke
and visualize it shooting out of your body to the ends of the universe.
As you continue breathing in this way, feel your mind and body becoming completely relaxed. Know that every cell in your body is being restored to its perfect, balanced state, revitalized and rejuvenated.
To end your energy breathing session:
take one final, slow, gentle, deep breath
slowly open your eyes
rub your hands together, palm to palm
gently massage your face . . .
running your fingertips gently up each side of the bridge of your nose to your forehead, then out and down to your chin in a circular motion
repeat this motion several times.
That’s all there is to it. Energy breathing is just that simple.
The key is to allow yourself to relax and enjoy the experience. Do not concern yourself with whether you are “getting it right.” There is no right. There is only good, better, and best. The more you practice energy breathing, the better off you will be, and the more you will empower yourself to be your best.
Why not take a few minutes now to practice energy breathing. Even just five minutes of energy breathing is helpful. If you can do it several times a day or for a longer period of time, that is even better.
Breathing is what you must do to stay alive, but the way you choose to breathe can empower you to truly live.
** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways2.html.
With a master’s degree in holistic healing, Chunyi Lin is a certified International Qigong Master and the founder and creator of Spring Forest Qigong. He has taught his techniques to nearly 100,000 people through classes or home-learning courses. He is also Director of the Spring Forest Qigong Healing Center in Minneapolis, where he provides healing assistance to more than 7,000 people from all over the world each year. He is a frequent keynote speaker at medical conferences and is the coauthor of a #1 Amazon.com best-selling book, Born A Healer. Visit him on the Web at http://www.SpringForestQigong.com.