RESPIRATION AND INSPIRATION     

          Breathing is our most essential connection to physical life.  Without it, we can survive only about three minutes.  Because of its critical importance, we're going to take a closer look at the art of breathing.

          For healthy functioning, the body depends on the intake of oxygen and the exhalation of waste matter in the form of carbon dioxide.  Shallow breathing and incomplete exhalation starves our muscles and our brains.  We begin to feel tired and confused.  We may also begin to feel more emotionally agitated and stressed.

          Proper breathing can boost us toward more aliveness and energy.  More importantly, our breath connects us to invisible life-force and energy that equips us to deal better with our emotions, to gain mastery over choosing our thoughts, and to reach a clearer connection with our intuition. 

          Most people take the process of breathing for granted, thinking that it is a natural process that doesn't need any special attention.  This is not so.  Most adults breathe irregularly or chronically tense some of the muscles involved in the breathing process.  Many people hold the breath, or short-circuit either the inhalation or the exhalation, or experience an erratic, interrupted kind of breathing.  Most people fail to empty the lungs completely with each exhalation.

          When we inhale oxygen, it travels in the bloodstream and combines with particles of carbon.  Then we exhale carbon dioxide.  Exhaling completely is of crucial importance.  Our blood must be maintained in a slightly alkaline state.  When we fail to rid ourselves of carbon dioxide, our blood becomes slightly acid.  If blood is allowed to remain acidic for long, the body becomes more receptive to disease.   Several deep exhalations can bring the blood back to its alkaline state, through a simple chemical process. 

          Acids from foods also frequently form in our bodies and pour into the bloodstream.  These acids result from hydrochloric acid formed in the stomach to digest proteins, or from lactic acid cast off from working muscles, or from acid-forming foods (not from alkaline-forming foods such as lemons, limes, oranges, pineapple and others). 

          If the normal, smooth, regular pattern of breathing is disturbed, it affects the entire functioning of the body.  Respiration controls the autonomic nervous system, which in turn regulates the secretion of adrenaline, thyroxin, and other hormones of the body.  The secretion of these hormones plays a major role in creating one's emotional states.  By conscious modulation of your breathing pattern, you can create positive change in your emotional state.

          In several schools of modern psychology and physiotherapy, as well as in the teachings of ancient wisdom, the breath is considered to be the main link between body and mind.  Therapists have experimented with the effects of breath regulation and have found that regulating the breath can produce striking improvements in a person’s emotional state.