In an earlier blog I talked about self care. This current blog is part of a series that looks at self care tips in more detail. In this blog I will describe the healing aspect of breath work and some simple and effective breathing techniques to aid in self care and healing.
Science Support of Breath Work
Breath is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and is an automatic process. But it is also one we can manipulate intentionally. Breath can be a gateway to the calming, restful state of the parasympathetic nervous system. On the other hand it can also be a gateway to the survival mode of the sympathetic nervous system.
Rapid, shallow breathing increases the sympathetic response of “fight or flight”. Deep breath with long slow exhalations increases the parasympathetic nervous system and the resting, calming response. This results in reduced heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and even reduction in stress hormones like cortisol. All this can aid in physical healing.
Deep breathing can also have a deep affect on the mind. Increase oxygen to the brain can elevate ones’ cognitive function. Release of “feel good” hormones improves one’s mood.
Equal and even exhalation and inhalation maintains a balanced autonomic state.
Tibetan Medicine and Breath Work
According to Tibetan Medicine, subtle energy or loong rides the breath. When we do certain breathing techniques known as pranayama, we can increase the subtle loong within our subtle bodies. We do this in a balanced way and in a way to maintain that energy in the body rather than letting it dissipate or causing imbalance.
We also get blockages in our subtle energy channels that need clearing. Other times toxins build up due to negative mind states and emotions. Sometimes these toxins can be trapped in the blockages.
Pranayama will clear blockages and release toxins from the subtle energy channels. This promotes the free flow of this subtle energy and that leads to healing of the subtle and the physical body.
The Breathing Exercises
1. Start my noticing your breath. Even the act of paying attention can slow and deepen the breathing. Locate where you connect to your breath; throat, nose, chest, belly? How fast or slow is your natural breath? Are you a belly breather or chest breather? Take some time to explore your own breath.
When doing these next breathing techniques use the diaphragm. Breath deeply into the belly. The belly should extend out when breathing in and go in when breathing out.
2. First take a deep belly breath. Hold for a second and then slowly release in a long slow nasal breath. The prana or subtle loong rides the breath and as we slowly release we hold the prana and release the coarse wind. From a western medical perspective, a deep breath engages the vagus nerve. Then we extend the out breath we also increase parasympathetic nervous system activity and a relaxation response. Repeat this breath at least three times.
3. The third exercise is called nine fold clearing. His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls this the great tranquillizer because of the calming effect it has on the nervous system. One should sit upright with a straight spine. Visualize your body as being hollow and made of light. Imagine a blue colored hollow tube made of light running from your crown point down to the perineum. This called the central channel. On the right side is another hollow tube of red light. The red tube starts at the right nostril runs upward towards the crown and then down on the right side of the central channel to just below the navel. A white light tube does the same on the left side. The red and white tubes join just below the navel. Here is a YouTube link to the Dalai Lama explaining the breathing part.
4. Vajra breath involves visualization, mantra and breath. It can take a while to get the hang of this technique but it is worth the effort. In this technique we breath in, hold for a second and exhale. On the in-breath we silently chant to ourselves “Om” and visualize white light entering in our mouth and into our body. As we hold the breath for a second we silently chant “Ah” and visualize red light filling our body. On the out-breath we silently chant “Hung” and visualize blue light coming out.
You can do any of these techniques or all of them at one practice time. Try them all and see which ones resonate most with you. If you do these exercises regularly you will begin to notice an increase in your energy level and sometimes a feeling openness and freshness.
Pranayama is particularly helpful to do when you are feeling run down or tired and need a gentle lift.
If at any time it feels uncomfortable or affects you in any negative way (e.g. bringing up negative emotions or mind states, difficult feelings in the body or dizziness) stop the practice. Seek out the help of a teacher to help guide you.
Further tips on self care be found here.
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