BREATHE FOR HEALTH AND PEACE OF MIND

[Originally written by me on Saturday 18 November 2006]

Breathing is essential for life. It is also most handy and easy way to peace of mind and health. Education, circumstances and practices in life mainly determine health and peace but breathing is also an important element if given proper attention. Controlling and variation in breathing practices can deliver unexpected results. It can give ‘double than expected' results. ‘Umeed se dugna' - Double than expected - this phrase is popular in India these days. The credit goes to Indian mega movie star Amitabh Bachan. Perhaps he is most popular movie star of all times in the world. He has got 1000+ million audiences in India and abroad, who are watching him for the last more than 30 years. A throughout hit!! Can any Hollywood star match this? Few stars shine that long. These days when somebody gets twins in India we call it umeed se dugna  :-).

            Let's come back to our breathing talk. Slow and deep breath is always good. Breath has four stages - getting the air in, stopping it inside, getting the air out and stopping it outside. These four stages make one breath. Concentrating on these four stages and making the breath deep, slows it down. What is your average number of breaths per minute? I have counted breaths of many friends and found it between 8 to 25 per minute. Greater number of breath means a shallow breathe. Now a days my average is 5 to 6. Earlier during student life when I used to practice it was 2 and even 1.5 per minute. At that time I felt much peace, happiness, a carefree nature, even felt that people were always eager to come in contact with me without even my talking with them. Of course I had a mix of breathe and chanting. You can also do this. Watch breath and keep chanting with it. You can choose any spiritual word as per your personal liking for chant. If you are an atheist or don't believe in traditional religions then you can select any word or even numerals for chant. ‘Ram' is my favorite word for chanting. It's a short word, easy to chant and delivers wonderful effects. The stand alone chant of this word without breathing practice is enough to bring positive changes in life. If you don't feel easy with chanting then only observe the breath. Keep a watch over you breath, trying to do it slowly. At first it may seem tiring. The persons who have never watched their breath may feel inconvenient. In few hours or days, depending on person to person, they shall feel easy with breath awareness. Try to take deepest breaths when you are free. Fill your lungs completely with air and release slowly. Stomach also helps in breathing, but these are lungs which are filled. When we take in breath stomach also gets inflated, helping to completely fill the lungs with air. We don't have any respiratory system in our stomach it is in our lungs. As is said inflated pates (Hindi word for stomach) and rates never come down, but in breathing pate (stomach) comes down  :-)) It helps in belching in and out the maximum air.  Adopt deep and slow watchful breathing; it will solve many of your problems either they are psychological or physical. Don't believe? I can give you a full money back offer!!! Send me 100 bucks and after 6 months if you are not satisfied with results I will refund full money with a little tax deduction, no questions asked  :-). It's irresistible? Okk...  RUSH .. the offer is for a limited period only. I may make it free later :-)))