- By Ivan Rados

Our breath is sacred and no two beings breathe alike. The quality of breath is a primary indicator of the quality of life. Without adequate breath, there is no health. The flow of the individual’s breath is therefore paramount in issues of health. We are not born knowing how to breathe well, and often learn bad habits such as holding our breath, breathing shallowly, or hyperventilating. Shallow breathing is one of the most fundamental and instinctive behavioral reactions to emotion. Anxiety, fear, anger, shame and sadness are all manifested in the rate, depth and facility of breathing. The depth of breath is generally an accurate barometer of tension, for it is impossible not to be relaxed and to breathe deeply at the same time.

Healthy breathing requires complete inhalation and exhalation with smooth transitions between the two. Where there is deep ebb and flow of breath, with no holding of breath, there is awareness and relaxation in the body. Your breathing directly reflects the level of tension you carry in your mind and consequently in your body. When you are under tension, your breathing usually becomes shallow and rapid. When you are relaxed, you breathe more fully, more deeply, and from the bottom of your lungs.

Some of benefits from breathing in relaxed state:

Increased oxygen supply and nutrients to the brain and musculature of the body.

Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system (a state of calmness and quiescence).

Greater feelings of connectedness between One Self and Wholeness.

Improved realization and easiness in life.

Breathing fully can trigger a deep state of being The Meditation.

Natural breathing with full consciousness you can attain Enlightenment. 

Fresh air and proper breathing are essential to overall health and vitality. Breathing for the most beneficial effects should be done through the nostrils because this is healthier and more vitalizing to our entire energy system. Mouth breathing makes an individual more receptive to illness.

Breathing Exercises:

Exercise No: 1.

Find a comfortable position. First notice the tensions in your body, particularly in muscles as they are the body shield and usually they carry tension. Take a deep, deep, deep breath from the bottom of your lungs, slowly and effortlessly – don’t gasp, hold it for a second or two and exhale very, very slowly, imagining your body exhaling all the tension. Do this three times.

Return to your normal breathing. Try to compare the state of tension before the first part of the exercise and now. Repeat the first part with three breaths three times, examining your state of tension and compare it between each part of the exercise. You are relaxed now. If you find that there are any traces of tension and uneasiness left in any part of your body, repeat the breathing, while focusing on relaxing the tensed part. 

Exercise No: 2.

Take one deep, deep breath from the bottom of your lungs, hold it for a second or two and exhale very slowly, exhaling all the tension.

Return to your normal breathing. Examine your general state. Are you relaxed? 

Now, start inhaling gently and slowly, slowly, imagining blue air entering through your left nostril. Hold a breath for a second or two and exhale very slowly, imagining that you are exhaling grey air through your right nostril. You are inhaling blue air, as blue is a calming color and exhaling grey air, full of all the impurities from your body.

Now, start inhaling gently and slowly, slowly, imagining blue air entering the right nostril and, imagining that you are exhaling grey air through your left nostril.

Repeat this breathing pattern until you have finished 7 cycles, or whatever suits you the best.

Every time you inhale the blue air contract all muscles and every time you exhale the gray air relax the muscles.

“If you can be aware of your breath for a single hour, you will be enlightened.” Buddha  

Awareness of one breath

Be aware of your breath. You don’t have to change your way of breathing, just be aware of it. Breathe naturally as you always do. Breathe in and out, in and out, fully aware of it. The more you try the more you will be conscious; you will be a different being in the world. The more you do it, the more you become aware of a subtle gap between two breaths, and that gap is your centre.

The incoming breath and the outgoing breath – the gap – center of your Being; 

The outgoing breath and the incoming breath – the gap – center of the Universe.

In and out, out and in will start to lose their meaning, and will become one centre. With every breath you invite oxygen into every cell of your being and you invite full awareness with it.  You invite Light.  Cell by cell, until your whole being is in a big bonfire of awareness. The whole Universe breathes with you and the whole Universe is aware with you.

We can also use breath in color to assist the body to self heal in a variety of conditions. Trust your intuition with the choice of a color. 

Make your body as comfortable as you can. Inhale slowly through the nostrils for a count of five. Hold the breath for a count of five. Then exhale slowly through the mouth for a slow count of five.

Now, as you breathe in, see and feel the air coming in as a particular color light. See and feel it filling your whole body. See and feel it balancing and healing whatever condition you want to correct. If you are not sure which color to breathe, breathe pure, brilliant white light. You may also breathe the seven colors of the rainbow to balance your overall system. Breathing a color for five minutes can have a wonderful effect.

Which particular color you will breathe depends on your awareness and your need. Every color has a different energy frequency and all the different frequencies come from one light frequency. No single color is essentially better than any other. So, it’s up to you to listen to your intuition and use any color you feel is appropriate for you.

Ivan Rados