BREATHING PROPERLY FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© March 2023, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Contents
II. The Combined Breathing Procedure
III. Other Good Breathing Exercises
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Proper breathing is one of the most important healing and development procedures. It is a very ancient method to speed up healing and development. Proper breathing has many amazing benefits described in the next section below.
Development is the goal of the healing programs we set up and is just amazing. For details about development, read Introduction to Development and Introduction To The Development Program.
Recommendation. Practice proper breathing for at least half an hour every day and preferably longer. It takes some practice, but slowly become easier, more comfortable and more natural.
THE SCIENCE OF THE BREATH
Breathing is an entire realm of science. In terms of physiology, breathing is one of the few aspects of physiology that is both under automatic control and voluntary control. For this reason, by working with the breath, one can influence the nervous system to help it relax and balance.
Of interest is that the word to breathe in – inspire – also means to encourage. It is related to the words spirit and spiritual.
BENEFITS OF PROPER BREATHING
- A powerful massage of all the organs of the body. This has many benefits described in the Massage article.
- Increases Oxygenation, circulation and Hydration of the body. It helps to decongest all the internal organs and move the blood through them more vigorously.
- Turns off the sympathetic nervous system, which is partly controlled automatically but also able to be controlled through the breath. This is essential for deep healing. For details, read Healing The Autonomic Nervous System.
- Assists with proper movement of subtle energy - downward through the body from the head to the feet. For details, read Downward Moving Energy And Healing.
- Makes the body more yang in macrobiotic terminology. This is very important for healing and development. For details, read Yin Disease and Yang And Yin Healing.
- Very centering and grounding.
- A helpful way to tune into yourself.
- Expands your lung capacity and will often clear mucus and other nasal and bronchial obstructions.
- Warms the body in a gentle, safe way.
- Releases tension all over the body, particularly in the spine and abdomen.
- Reduces the buildup of carbon dioxide in the body, and helps eliminate many other toxins as well.
- Helps alkalinize the body in a powerful way.
- Assists good posture.
- Increased oxygen helps clear the mind and allows better thinking.
- Helps sleep if you do it just at bedtime or a short time before.
- Helps digestion of your food and elimination of wastes and to help end constipation.
- Helps clear infections, asthma, colds and many other health conditions. We hope to expand this topic in the future.
II. THE COMBINED BREATHING PROCEDURE
Ideally, combine several breathing procedures all at the same time. Combine deep breathing, toe breathing, down breathing, whole body breathing, bone breathing, circle breathing, the open position procedure and coffee breathing.
This takes some practice, so start with just one of the breathing procedures. When you are comfortable with it, add the next one until you are doing all at the same time.
Within a few weeks of doing this daily, you will be able to combine the procedures in a beautiful way. Just play with the procedures and enjoy! The procedure eventually becomes a new habit that is very excellent for healing and development. Here are details:
- Deep breathing means that you will do the entire procedure with a certain force and strong intent to bring in as much air as possible to the body.
- Toe breathing means to keep your attention on or preferably below your toes at all times while doing the procedure.
- Down breathing means to move subtle energy downward at all times while you do the breathing procedure. The way I do this is to imagine two very fine wires, one attached to the bottom center of each foot. A third fine wire is attached to the floor of the pelvis around the genital area. I pull hard and continuously on the wires downward or away from the body, which is the correct direction of movement.
- Whole body breathing means you will visualize filling you whole body with breath, not just your lungs.
- Circle breathing means you don't hold your breath. Instead, you breath smoothly in and when that is complete you immediately begin to slowly exhale. When you have exhaled completely, you immediately begin to inhale again. When doing the pulling down procedure with breathing, circle breathing is easier.
- Bone breathing means that you visualize filling your bones with air.
- The open position procedure means to position the body in a certain way that the joints and the structure take on an open quality. This combines very, very well with the other aspects of the combined procedure. For details, read The Open Position Procedure.
- Coffee breathing is a new development procedure that consists of putting your nose close to a cup or bowl of coffee and breathing it in with each breath. It is quite powerful. For details, read Coffee Breathing.
Here is how to combine these:
THE COMBINED PROCEDURE
1. PREPARATION: Put some coffee in the rectum for an enema. At the same time, you can also hold some coffee in your mouth. To add the breath coffee you will need to lie on your side with a cup or bowl of coffee right next to your nose.
2. TWO VISUALIZATIONS: First, focus your attention on your toes or ideally, about two to three feet beneath the feet. You must keep your attention here and nowhere else at all times during this procedure.
The second visualization is to imagine a large hole in the top of your head. You will imagine that the air and the coffee will enter your body through this hole and flow downward all the way to your feet and a little below.
3. DEEP BREATHING: Fill your whole body with air and coffee in the following order. First, fill up your toes with air. Feel your toes expanding as they fill with air. This includes the bones of your toes.
Remember that the air and coffee always flows into your body from the large hole in the top of your head and flows downward to your feet.
Fill up your feet. Feel them expanding as they fill with air.
Fill the legs with air and coffee, including the bones of the legs. Begin with the lower legs. Then fill the knees, and then the upper legs and the hips. These will expand a little as they fill up.
Then fill your abdomen. Your belly will move outward a little as it fills up.
Then fill your chest. It will expand to the sides and in front as it fills with air and coffee that is coming into the body through the large hole in the top of your head.
Then fill your arms, moving down the shoulders to your hands.
Finally, fill your head, including your jaw, your ears and the bones of the skull.
At first, this may seem like a lot of work and it may not occur smoothly. However, with practice each day it becomes easier and easier!
4. THE EXHALE: As you exhale, keep your attention focused below your feet. Release the air and breath coffee downward through your toes away from the body.
HINTS:
- Practice every day. Soon it will become much easier and will become your normal way of breathing.
- Add counting, if you wish. This may help you relax and deepen your breathing. Inhale to a count of at least 4 or 5 and preferably to 8 or 10. Usually, you will not be able to do a higher count at first. However, after a few minutes or perhaps after a number of practice sessions you will relax and will be able to inhale to a longer count.
- Add imagining separating and opening every joint of the body. For example, as the air flows into the top of the head and down the neck, imagine it separates the vertebrae of the neck a little.
Then it separates the thoracic and lumbar vertebra all along your spine. It also opens your hip joints a little, and opens the knee joints, ankles and toe joints. This is excellent and will help move the breath all through the body.
- For more understanding of why you are doing this combination procedure read Downward Energy And Healing and Coffee Enemas.
III. OTHER GOOD BREATHING EXERCISES
Jumping into the combined development breathing may be a bit much. You may want to begin your breathing adventures with some simpler procedures:
THE THREE-PART BREATH
The three-part breath consists of:
Part 1. To a count of 3 or 4, breathe into your abdomen, and move the air downward from your head toward your feet. As you do this, your abdomen (the belly button area) should move outward.
Place a hand on your abdomen to test whether your abdomen is moving outward in a forward direction and a little downward as you inhale.
Part 2. Then, to a count of 3 or 4, breathe into the sides of your mid-chest. At the same time, continue to move the air downward from the head to the feet. As you do this, your ribs should move outward to the sides, making your chest area wider.
Place a hand on one side of your ribs and notice if it moves outward to the side, and perhaps slightly downward toward your feet as you do this part of the three-part inhale.
Part 3. Finally, to a count of 3 or 4, breathe into your upper chest. At the same time, continue to move the air downward from the head to the feet. As you do this, the upper chest area should rise a little bit, all the way up to the collarbones. Also, there may be a slight downward motion of the entire chest.
The hold. Now hold the air inside yourself for about a count of 2 to 4. This gets easier with practice.
The exhale. Now exhale in three parts, in the same order as when you inhaled. To do this, push your abdomen inward to a count of about 3. Then make your chest more narrow, to a count of 3. Finally, release the air in your upper chest so the chest falls a little, again to a count of about 3.
Hints:
1. When you begin, you may not be able to do each part of the breath to a count of 3 or 4. That is okay. As you relax and practice, you will be able to slow and deepen your breathing.
2. There is no need to make any noise or do anything else with this exercise.
3. Combining. You can do this exercise at the same time you are doing a coffee enema, while in the sauna, while doing other healing procedures, while lying in bed, or while walking, standing in line at the grocery store, or any time. There is no excuse not to do it!
4. Keep practicing. It will become easier and easier, and more natural. You will develop a slow, deep, gentle routine. Practice every day. Over time, it will become your new habit, and a very healthful one.
DOWN BREATHING
Breathe in a way that moves a lot of subtle energy downward through the body from the head to the feet. Here is the procedure:
The inhale. Place your attention at or ideally about two to three feet below your feet. Now inhale from below your feet. Bring air into the body from an imaginary hole in the top of the head. Keep your attention focused below your feet at all times.
The exhale. Keep your attention focused below your feet as you exhale. Feel the air leaving the body through an imaginary hole that is in the middle of each foot.
Use force. To be effective, you must breathe very forcefully. Breathe so that you move the maximum amount of subtle energy downward with each breath.
With a partner. You can do down breathing alone or with a partner. If you have a partner, hug each other. One inhales while the other exhales in a continuous, smooth motion.
The pulling down of one person helps the pulling down of the other. As a result, you will both develop faster.
Here is another type of down breathing that is based upon the 3-part yoga breath. First, fill your belly with air. As you do this, also move the belly downward toward your feet.
Then, as you fill your mid-chest with air and move the ribs out to the side, also move them downward toward your feet. Finally, as you fill your upper chest with air and move your upper chest outward a little, also move it toward your feet.
THE 4-4-6-2 EXERCISE
This is a simple and effective way to time your breathing. It is helpful to reduce high blood pressure, among other uses. The procedure is:
- Inhale to a count of 4.
- Hold your breath to a count of 4.
- Exhale to a count of 6.
- Relax to a count of 2.
- Then begin the same steps again.
NO ABDOMINAL BREATHING
This is caused by:
A. Stress or tension in the body.
B. Poor breathing habits.
C. Wearing pants or a blouse that is too tight and does not move in and out when you breathe. Suspenders are better than a tight belt for this reason.
D. Not wanting your stomach to pop out a little when you breathe in.
The three-part breath and proper clothing can retrain you to solve this important problem.
NO BREATHING INTO THE UPPER CHEST
This is extremely common, especially among some women! The causes include:
A. A stooped posture, which is almost universal today.
B. Stress and tension in the body
C. Adhesions in this area that prevent full chest expansion.
D. A desire among some women to not show off the breasts. These women do not want to breathe deeply into the upper chest, as it pushes out the breasts, exposing the women to more negative attention.
E. Lung infections in this area, which are very common today.
F. Deformity of the chest cavity due to asthma, birth defects or other reasons.
G. Wearing a very tight blouse or a very tight corset or bra.
H. Wearing high-heeled shoes. This can alter posture and makes deep breathing less comfortable in some cases.
GENERAL SHALLOW BREATHING
This is also common. It is mainly due to:
A. Fear and stress. This will cause anyone to breathe in a shallow way.
B. Tension in the body. For example, people who are in a sympathetic dominant mineral pattern often breathe in a shallow manner.
C. Adhesions that prevent full movement of the abdomen and chest.
BEWARE! It is possible to hurt yourself with breathing exercises. Here are some cautions:
OVERBREATHING OR HYPERVENTILATING
One can breathe shallow, but too frequently. A person may take 15 or more breaths per minute, which is not normal. About 12 breaths per minute is normal for most people. Women tend to breathe more frequently, perhaps because their lung capacity is smaller than that of most men.
Breathing can be very deep. If deep breathing causes a headache, most likely you are over-breathing.
USING BREATHING TO CHANGE YOUR PH OR ACIDITY
To correct the pH of the blood, and not just change the urine or saliva, one must replace the alkaline reserve minerals in the body.
This is a slow process that is the result of following the development diet, and no other diet. For details, read Food For Daily Use, Food For Occasional Use and Forbidden Food.
NOTE: We do not recommend the Buteyko Breathing Method to change the pH. We find it is not needed if one corrects the pH of the body in the proper way with the diet.
We also do not recommend drinking alkaline water, taking hydrogen peroxide drops, (but peroxide baths are fine), drinking fruit or vegetable juices except for 10-12 ounces of carrot juice daily, or a vegetarian diets.
These are all “cheating” methods and they do not work or they have serious side effects. The main problem with all of them is they make the body more yin.
OTHER BREATHING TECHNIQUES
Be extremely careful regarding other breathing techniques. Some are definitely dangerous. Always follow the principles in this article for safety.
WOMEN AND BREATHING
Most women breathe in a shallow way, do not breathe into their abdomens, and do not expand the upper chest well.
These breathing problems tend to shorten women’s lives, sickens them, harms their appearance, and can cause depression.
The main cause can be fear. However, it may also be due to wearing tight clothing, tight bras, tight belts, and in some instances not wanting the breasts to protrude.
FRESH AIR AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY
It is always wise to have a window open a little wherever you live, work and sleep. Indoor air quality can be much worse than outdoor air quality if there is inadequate ventilation.
COMBINING WITH THE COFFEE BREATHING PROCEDURE
A new procedure is to breathe coffee as a healing procedure. Usually, it is combined with a coffee enema. Doing the combined breathing procedure with coffee breathing is powerful! For details read Coffee Breathing.
We also believe that one could place a bowl of coffee near one's head at night and breathe coffee all night. This is a research subject.
PEROXIDE BREATHING
A sleep remedy that works well and depends upon breathing is to place a bowl of hydrogen peroxide near your head when you sleep. You will breathe it all night and this has a relaxing effect.
AIR OZONATORS/IONIZERS
We recommend the use an ozonator/ionizer air purifier in the home. This is a squarish box that you place high up and just let it run. It converts some oxygen in the home to ozone and then more oxygen enters the home. The effect is to slightly increase the oxygen content of the air. For details, read Ozonator-Ionizer Air Purifiers.
SUSPENDERS AND LOOSE DRESSES
In the past, many people wore suspenders instead of using belts to keep their pants up. Suspenders are better for breathing because they allow the abdomen to expand.
Also, in the past more women wore loose dresses that also allow the abdomen to expand better than pants with belts or skirts with belts.
SLEEP AND BREATHING
Most people breathe the deepest when they are asleep. In fact, this is an important reason to sleep.
CPAP MACHINES
These help some people breathe at night. We believe if one follows the development program one will not need one of these machines, but this needs more research.
YOGA AND BREATHING
Yoga teachers often talk about breathing. The problem with most yoga is the postures and breathing that goes with them is not directed downward from the head to the feet. This aspect of breathing – down breathing – is extremely important.
Yoga has another problem. Many people are injured from it and the soft tissue injuries are subtle, at times. So we only recommend very gentle yoga or none at all.
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