Breathing to heal...

I was reminded today by a remarkable and amazing healer that breathing is one of the most important things we can do to heal and give balance to our lives. I know, you're thinking "well DA!" It is not just about breathing itself, more importantly, it is about how we breathe.

Biologically, breathing is a mechanical process that will continue whether you are conscious of doing it or not. (Lucky for us) So whether you are thinking about breathing or not, it still happens and your body still gets the oxygen it needs.

When you make breathing a conscious as well as a mechanical process, you increase its value exponentially.

A great way to learn the feeling of deep and healing breathing is to lie flat on your back for a while, concentrating in taking in deep breaths and slowly releasing them. When you lie on your back, you have no choice except to breathe "correctly" for maximum benefits. In this way, oxygen is drawn deep into your lungs and fills all of the little air sacks (alvioli) using the maximum surface area for oxygen to pass into your blood stream and then every part of your body.

When you feel confident that you can feel the correct way to breathe, try it sitting or standing.

Deep breathing is an excellent way to rid your body of unwanted and uninvited energies. On each exhale, feel negative, tiring or toxic energies leaving your system in a steady stream. Think of them as little particles and imagine these particles detaching from your cells and organs and being forced out of the body through your breath. Just doing this for a few minutes a day can be very restorative. Like any exercise though, the maximum benefits come from consistent and persistent application. This is a great way to restore balance to your physical self (see post on Balance for further information on this topic) and to heal the day to day toxicities creeping into your system.

So, breathe for balance, for renewed energy and for ridding the body of toxic energies rather than simply fulfilling the mechanical process required to sustain life.

Thank you Earth Angel Linda Simpson for this timely reminder :D