Breathe the Breath of Life

So you have been breathing for many years now. How often do you stop to notice the breath inside you? If you are like  most you dont  notice your breath  unless there is something wrong with it.  You notice when your breath is bad, when your nose is blocked and you cant breathe, when there is something in your wind pipe.  Do you know why? Because the air is infused with prana. Well what is Prana? Prana is a word driving from the Sancrit term meaning "Absolute Energy." This energy or "Prana" is the universal principle of energy, or the principle of energy exhibited in all living things. Living things have prana.  Lets read  D&C 88:13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.  So with out prana we die. End of story.  We gain most of  our Prana from the air and we breath it in and it circulates in the body. We can learn to  channel, use it, store it, and use it to heal ourselves and others.

I found this bit of info interesting. One year my parents took me and my siblings to  Hawaii. I LOVE that  island. I learned there that Hawaiians have/ had a practice of greeting  one another called  hongi  or Ha.

When greeting another person, one would come face-to-face and offer an expression of “ha,” expelling their breath for the other to feel. The literal translation of ha is “the breath of life.” It was a way to give of oneself and show another a deep sense of brotherly love and caring. When foreigners first came to Hawaii, they did not exhibit this same respect for others. They were called haole, (ha-ole), meaning “without ha.” 1
Cool Huh?!
Prana surrounds us, some things have high prana and somethings have low prana.  All though it is part of all living things it is concentrated in the air.  And that is where breathing becomes important.
Most of us dont breathe as deeply as our bodies and brains would like us too.  Breath = Prana, Prana = Life Force. We can have air in our body but not be alive.  The Dr can pump  O2 in our body but if there is no Breath of Life we are not alive.  Take a look at these scriptures and think about the life force in the air or the prana as you do.

• breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: Gen. 2:7 . ( Moses 3:4–7, 19 ; Abr. 5:7 . )
• in whose nostrils was the breath of life: Gen. 7:22 .
• In whose hand is … the breath of all mankind: Job 12:10 .
• the breath of the Almighty hath given me life: Job 33:4 .
• thou takest away their breath, they die: Ps. 104:29 .
• His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: Ps. 146:4 .
• he that giveth breath unto the people: Isa. 42:5 .
• I will cause breath to enter into you: Ezek. 37:5 .
• breath came into them, and they lived: Ezek. 37:10 .
• formeth the spirit of man within him: Zech. 12:1 .

• giveth to all life, and breath: Acts 17:25 .
• Spirit of life from God entered into them: Rev. 11:11 .

Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life. ~Giovanni Papini

• So all that is lovely information Jen but what do you want me to do with it?
• Well let me tell you.  I want you to breathe.... go on....breathe in--- nice--- and--- slow. Fill your body up with prana infused air.  Breathe air into your toes and fill your whole body.  Notice how alive you feel after a  few deep breaths.  Are you tingly any where?  That is good  its energy.  You know that  your  respiratory system is the only system that can be controlled both by the conscious mind and the  unconscious mind?  That is why breathing it is such a great tool to  train the mind.  I want to teach you  a few "breath exercises" yogis call that pranayam.   Yogis use breath as they meditate and do  yoga to move the  prana through out the body. 

• Pranayam is the use of breathing techniques to control the movement of prana. Kundalini Yoga includes a wide range of pranayam techniques to manage and affect different energy states of emotion, consciousness, and health.[7] Even a slight change in this pran, or “seed energy,” can change your entire world. Mastering the breath is therefore fundamental to mastering life.- Progressive Prophetess Link

• Lets start with Long Deep Breathing:

 Long Deep Breathing uses the full capacity of the lungs, by utilizing the three chambers of the lungs: 

Abdominal, or lower 

 Chest or middle  

Clavicular or upper

 Long Deep Breathing starts by filling the abdomen, then expanding the chest, and finally lifting the upper ribs and clavicle. The exhale is the reverse: first the upper deflates, then the middle, and finally the abdomen pulls in and up, as the navel point pulls back toward the spine. First, practice by separating the three parts of the breath. Sit straight on the floor, in a chair, or lie on the back. Initially have the left hand on the belly, right hand on the chest to feel the movement of the diaphragm.

Benefits of Long Deep Breathing

  Relaxes and calms, due to influence on parasympathetic nervous system. 

 Increases the flow of prana. 

 Reduces and prevents the build-up of toxins in the lungs by encouraging the clearing of the small air sacs (alveoli). 

 Stimulates the brain chemicals—endorphins—that help fight depression. 

 Brings the brain to a new level of alertness. 

 Pumps the spinal fluid to the brain, giving greater energy. 

 Breathing long and deep, plus concentration, stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete, enhancing the intuition.

  Filling the lungs to capacity revitalizes and re-adjusts the magnetic field.

  Cleanses the blood. 

 Regulates the body’s pH (acid-akaline balance), which affects the ability to handle stressful situations. 

 Energizes, and increases vitality. 

 Aids in releasing blockages in meridian energy flow.

  Activates and clears the nerve channels. 

 Aids in speeding up emotional and physical healing. 

 Aids in breaking subconscious habit patterns such as insecurities and fears. 

 Aids in fighting addictions. 

 Re-channels previous mental conditioning on pain so as to reduce or eliminate pain. 

 Gives capacity to manage negativity and emotions, supporting clarity, cool headedness, and patience. 2

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Sodhan) 

This simple, yet most powerful technique, is a pranayam that is easy to do, yet can take you through all the stages of your yoga practice.

 How to do Alternate Nostril Breathing: 

 In this pranayam, the breath is always relaxed, deep and full.

 Have the left hand in Gyan Mudra. So your thumb touches your  pointer finger with the remaing fingers extended. 

 Close the right nostril by pressing it closed with the thumb of the right hand, and gently and fully inhale through the left nostril.

 Then close the left nostril  by pressing it closed with your pointer finger or  ring finger and exhale through the right nostril.

Then inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.  Continue repeating, alternating nostrils after each inhalation.

 Benefits of Alternate Nostril Breathing:

 Creates whole brain functioning by balancing the right and left hemispheres.

  Is both integrating and grounding.

  Purifies the ida and pingala nadis, gently. 

 Creates a deep sense of well-being and harmony on the physical, mental, and emotional levels. 

 Can help with headaches, migraines, and other stress-related symptoms. 

 Inhale left, exhale right: Helps to make you calm and integrates unwanted negative emotions and stress. Excellent by itself before bed. 

 Inhale right, exhale left: Gives clarity, and positive mood. Helps us to focus on what is important.  Left Right Nostril Breathing Through the simple mechanism of closing or opening one of the nostrils, the yogi has a wide array of techniques to control his moods and energies. The quality of Prana processed through the two nostrils differs correspondingly with the qualities associated with the two sides of the brain. The nerves going out from the two brain hemispheres cross at the level of the eyebrows. The left hemisphere is connected to the right side of the body and right nostril, and the right hemisphere to the left side of the body and left nostril. We breathe predominantly through one nostril or the other at any given time. The dominant nostril alternates rhythmically every 90 to 150 minutes. The length of the cycle reflects universal rhythms, individual temperament, and the personal state of mental and physical balance. The rhythm itself is mediated mainly through structures in the hypothalamus and pituitary, though other areas in the brain are also involved. You may use the technique of inhaling and exhaling exclusively through either the left or right nostril in order to benefit from the quality associated with that nostril. For instance, breathe exclusively through the left nostril to deal with compulsive eating habits. 

Breathing through the left nostril is associated with:.

 Ida, the nadi which ends at the left nostril 

 Apana, the cleansing energy 

 The Moon energy—cooling, receptive 

 Calmness 

 Empathy

 Sensitivity 

 Synthesis 

Breathing through the right nostril is associated with: 

 Pingala, the nadi ending at the right nostril 

 Prana, the nurturing energy 

 The Sun energy—warming, projective 

 Vigor 

 Concentration 

 Alertness 

 Readiness-for-action 

 Will power . 3

In conclusion. Prana  brings life, healing, and energy into the body. It is in our  food, water, all living things around us, and it is in the air.  The more prana we have the more life force we have.  As we breathe deeply we can help our bodies heal and function on a higher level.  Breath can change our bodies, our minds, and our moods.  If you need  to change your mood change your breath its that simple. 

This is not my favorite demonstration of  this pranayam but it is only 4 minuets so take a look if you need  a visual. 

Challenge 

Breathe consciously for 11 minutes every day. It doesn't have to be all at once - though it can be  if  that is what works best for you.  Breathe consciously a few minutes here and there  through out the day and see what a difference it makes in your health and attitude. 

Check out these other helpful pranayam

Breath of Fire

Strengthen the nervous system; purify the bloodstream; energize, stimulate, wake up, and increase vitality.

Suspending the Breath

Recondition the nervous system; integration of the body systems; experience deep stillness, shuniya

Segmented Breath

Sitali Breath

Cannon Breath

Whistle breath

Lion Breath

Sitkari Breath

Vatskar Breath

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haole

2. http://www.3ho.org/files/pdfs/long-deep-breathing.pdf

http://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/pranayam/pranayam-techniques

3. © 2003 The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, KRI International Teacher Training Manual Level I, p.96