Why
Breathing Technique?
Throughout
our lives we are not taught how to breathe.
This
results in it being a very 'hit or miss' business, whether we do it right or
wrong.
This
is unfortunate because the lungs and other structures involved in breathing
perform other functions, as well as oxygenating the blood.
They
are also involved in the control of the metabolic flow of the body.
Ossification.
When
we are young we breathe with both the diaphragm and the upper chest.
At
around about 25 years old, the bones of the body start to ossify.
This
means that they start to harden and we then start to use mainly the diaphragm
for breathing, or we should do!
Unfortunately
for most people this does not happen and the result is, that for most, the
breath rate rises.
Triple
Heater.
As
mentioned in the section on History, learning the breathing technique has the
ability to teach the student start of the process of 'self healing'.
In
this section I hope the reader will start to understand why.
It
has been believed for many years, in the Chinese Medical system, that there
exists another organ in the body, other than the known liver, lung, heart etc
and this they called the triple heater.
This
is the described in various works and it is not my intent, to agree or disagree
with the theories about this organ.
I
know, however, that this organ has many different functions and is responsible
for many different aspects of human and animal life.
The
operation of the organ is largely controlled by the diaphragm and its movement.
The
diaphragm acts not only as a pump for the lungs but also as a pump and valve,
for the control of the metabolic flow.
Part
of this organ is responsible for the regulation of body heat, hence the name
Triple Heater.
This
is most aptly demonstrated by some Tibetan monks, who can survive outside, in
extremely cold temperatures, using only breathing technique.
It
can also be used on various areas of the body to provide cooling.
Breathing
Technique.
This
mechanism controls the metabolic rate and is very much connected with the
operation of the immune system.
With
breathing technique one learns to slowdown the operation of this pump and thus
heart rate usually falls.
Obviously,
there may be cases where this does not happen but I have yet to discover one!
It
has been said by monks in the East, that a human being has only a fixed amount
of heart beats.
If
there is any truth in this, then it would be prudent, for long life, to try to
make the heart operate more efficiently, and therefore less.
Not
only will the using of the lungs more efficiently benefit the oxygenation of
the blood but it also allows more activity to be undertaken, without straining
the heart.
The
Immune System.
The
benefits of breathing technique will also slow down the metabolic rate and this
is directly related to the ageing process.
Modern
day living, tends to make people lead exceedingly hectic lives.
The
word 'stress' is associated with higher metabolic rate and it is also related
to faster operation of the immune system.
When
stress is increased not only does the metabolic rate increase but also the
immune system is stimulated, so that the body thinks that it is 'ill'.
This
makes the immune system starts to operate by running much faster.
This
is probably part of the reason why there is such an increase in severe
headaches and migraine in the UK.
Another
method of over stimulating the immune system is to breathe too many times per
minute.
Anyone
who breathes more than 12 times and minute, apart from those with lung damage,
is giving instructions to the immune system that the body is ill and this makes
the immune system run much faster.
Pregnancy.
Pregnancy
is also very bad for breathing technique.
As
the Baby is carried it pushes up under the diaphragm and prevents the woman
from breathing properly.
When
the child is born, in many cases, the woman will never learn how to breathe
correctly again.
This
is in part the cause of some of the problems that develop later on, with the
Menstrual cycle.
Incorrect
Breathing.
Incorrect
breathing also has a detrimental effect on Asthma sufferers and quite often
causes a loss of breath, when the asthma sufferer performs exercise.
Those
people who become obese have great difficulty in operating the diaphragm
correctly.
Because
of this the Triple Heater does not work efficiently and this can cause many
troubles and multiplicity of ailments.
Energy
levels are also adversely affected by incorrect breathing and those who wish to
get more from their sport, would be well-advised to make their lungs and there
breathing technique, work to their maximum efficiency.
Incorrect
breathing has many affects on many other types of human ailment and these are
spoken about in the section on Healing.
What
is written here, is just an outline of what can be learned, by starting this
type of breathing exercise, but there are many, many, more benefits that may be
gained by doing these techniques.
Speed
of Learning.
Progress
with breathing technique, is a slow and methodical business.
If
the student goes too fast and does not learn the techniques correctly, or tries
to do exercises far in excess of their ability, it is quite likely that they
will damage themselves.
If,
however, the techniques are studied correctly and persevered with, then a
student will not only gain some control over the breathing function but also
start to learn how to control their own metabolic rate.