updated 6/26/04
Civilization Survival Tip No. 6
Breath Is Life
by Paul Ingraham, Vancouver, Canada MOREclose
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
The Civilization Survival tips series was originally commissioned by CBC Radio One for “The Early Edition,” and broadcast between September 30 and October 4, 2002.
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Illustration by Shayne Letain
Good morning, o seekers, o students of life. Everyone take a deep breath.
You’re probably already rolling your eyes. “Taking a breath” seems like such a New Age cliché. But a deep breath is much more than just a way to relax.
Breathing is, in fact, the most universal and useful tool for the exploration of human potential and the self. It holds this status because it is the only major physiological rhythm that is under obvious conscious control.
By manipulating our breath, we can stimulate altered states, which is one of the basic goals of all personal and spiritual growth. Other physiological rhythms are coupled to the breath cycle, and change in concert with it: the tides of cerebrospinal fluids, the clock of your brain, the strength and rate of your heart, and many more.
Breath is your foot in the door to your soul. To the Chinese in their healing wisdom, it is the symbol of life itself, synonymous with spirit, and breathing is like blowing on the coals. It is the first step in the training of yogis, kung fu masters and medicine men with strange powers. Breathing techniques are a part of the arts, sports and most religions. Breathing is better than drugs: breathing is free, easy, powerful, and safe.
So, calmly hyperventilate a little bit today — just a few deep, strong, clear breaths through the mouth will do it. Get a bit light-headed. Feel the buzz. Stir your blood with unfamiliar oxygen.
Further Reading
- SY The Art of Bioenergetic Breathing — A powerful tool for personal growth and transformation