Open Breathing

Breath is Life. The breath brings both oxygen and life force energy, also known in many world cultures as prana or chi, to all of the cells in your body. When you consciously breathe a deep open breath using your full respiratory capacity, you can dramatically increase the amounts of these life and health-giving elements in your body. Not only will this daily practice physically recharge your body, but it will also assist in discharging stress and locked up emotional energy that gets in the way of fully experiencing a joyful life.

Your breath is a metaphor for your life. The way in which you inhale represents the acceptance of good in your life. The way you exhale reflects how you handle negativity and stress. And so, inhaling openly and fully helps to increase the good in your life while exhaling in a relaxed way will assist in letting go of all that isn’t serving you. Furthermore, keeping your breath connected and continuous with no pauses will allow you to flow in and through life with grace and ease.

Take 5...
and begin conscious breathing using these guidelines:

1. Start your breath all the way down in your belly and let it rise up to expand the rib cage and into the chest and shoulders to a long count of three.
2. As soon as you are filled with breath, quickly release and relax the exhale without blowing it or controlling it in any way.
3. As soon as the breath has been expelled, begin inhaling once again. Consciously create a circular pattern of breathing imagining the waves of the ocean ceaselessly rising and falling and rising again.

If you become dizzy, be certain that you are not pushing or blowing out your exhale. This causes the symptoms due to hyperventilation. Conscious, open breathing hyper-oxygenates, increasing oxygen in the body. This, too, can create a sensation of feeling light-headed but will not cause you to pass out. What you are sensing is the increased amount of oxygen and energy in the body. Take 100 breaths each day in five minutes and feel refreshed and energized.

© September 2009, Carol Piro