WholeHeartedNews.com

By: cejames

Breathing is important for a variety of reasons with the most obvious being that it supplies our bodies and organs with a supply of oxygen which is vital for survival. It also gets rid of waste products and toxins from the body.

Poor oxygen supply affects all parts of the body. When reduced, say through panic or extreme stress which results in shallow breathing, it results in mental sluggishness as well as vision and hearing decline. It also causes the heart to work harder which can display itself as palpatations. The hands get cold and sweaty.

Oxygen is critical to our well being and increaseing the supply to the brain through proper breathing techniques provides a good deal of benefits physically as well as mentally.

Benefits of Breathing:

1. Improvement in the quality of the blood due to its increased oxygenation in the lungs. This aids in the elimination of toxins from the system.

2. Increase in the digestion and assimilation of food. The digestive organs such as the stomach receive more oxygen, and hence operates more efficiently. The digestion is further enhanced by the fact that the food is oxygenated more.

3. Improvement in the health of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, nerve centers and nerves. This is due again to the increased oxygenation and hence nourishment of the nervous system. This improves the health of the whole body, since the nervous system communicates to all parts of the body.

4. Rejuvenation of the glands, especially the pituitary and pineal glands. The brain has a special affinity for oxygen, requiring three times more oxygen than does the rest of the body. This has far-reaching effects on our well being.

5. Rejuvenation of the skin. The skin becomes smoother and a reduction of facial wrinkles occurs.

6. The movements of the diaphragm during the deep breathing exercise massage the abdominal organs – the stomach, small intestine, liver and pancreas. The upper movement of the diaphragm also massages the heart. This stimulates the blood circulation in these organs.

7. The lungs become healthy and powerful, a good insurance against respiratory problems.

8. Deep, slow, yoga breathing reduces the work load for the heart. The result is a more efficient, stronger heart that operates better and lasts longer. It also mean reduced blood pressure and less heart disease.

The yoga breathing exercises reduce the work load on the heart in two ways. Firstly, deep breathing leads to more efficient lungs, which means more oxygen is brought into contact with blood sent to the lungs by the heart. So, the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen to the tissues. Secondly, deep breathing leads to a greater pressure differential in the lungs, which leads to an increase in the circulation, thus resting the heart a little.

9. Deep, slow breathing assists in weight control. If you are overweight, the extra oxygen burns up the excess fat more efficiently. If you are underweight, the extra oxygen feeds the starving tissues and glands. In other words, yoga tends to produce the ideal weight for you.

10. Relaxation of the mind and body. Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing causes a reflex stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which results in a reduction in the heart rate and relaxation of the muscles. These two factors cause a reflex relaxation of the mind, since the mind and body are very interdependent. In addition, oxygenation of the brain tends to normalize brain function, reducing excessive anxiety levels.

The breathing exercises cause an increase in the elasticity of the lungs and rib cage. This creates an increased breathing capacity all day, not just during the actual exercise period. This means all the above benefits also occur all day.

Number ten is very important to the Martial Artist in self-defense. When confronted by an adversary the body will immediately start to exhibit symptoms of panic in a faster pulse and shallow quick breathes. The hands will start to get cold, the shoulder muscles will start to tense up, and you may feel heart palpatations.

When confronted with such situations immediately start to perform deep breathing techniques to slow your breathing and to supply adequate amounst of oxygen to your system. This results in the reflex to the body systems to reduce heart rate and relax the muscles. Additional reflex relaxation are of the mind. Additional oxygen tends to normalize brain function and reduces anxiety levels.

Couple this with proper training through years of practice will result in a calm mind, relaxed body, and your sytems will function as necessary so your cleared mind though Zanshin and Mushin will allow for proper reaction in self-defense situations. With out a proper breathing method the body would lock up, the muscles would become sluggish, and the mind will shut down resulting in delayed reactions allowing for the attacker to overcome and defeat you.