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The Power of Breathing: Health & Spiritual Series
The Power of Breathing: Health & Spiritual Series
The Power of Breathing: Health & Spiritual Series
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The Power of Breathing: Health & Spiritual Series

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The most powerful book on breathing that not only explains what many people learn in expensive workshops and remote retreats but very personal routine the author follows. Several independent studies on breathing are given that confirm the practitioners of breathing techniques not only experience physical and mental comfort, but discover cures for illnesses such as asthma.

The book teaches you breathing-based technique called the healing breath. It incorporates specific natural rhythms of breath to release stress and bring the mind to the present moment. The book also includes other breathing techniques, meditation, low-impact yoga, and skills for dealing effectively with challenging emotions and situations.

Several independent studies on mental and physical health benefits of the breathing are given along with source, which have been published in international peer-reviewed journals. The studies confirm that practitioners of breathing techniques not only experience physical and mental comfort in their own breathing, but find cures for common illnesses from heart disease and cancer to asthma.
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The "Power of Breathing" is written to be enjoyed by people of all traditions, religions, and walks of life, in universities, churches, governments, businesses, prisons, war zones, community rooms, and living rooms. The book is complete in itself and is also a foundation of healthy living.

What is called "Sudarshan Kriya" by new age gurus is a cycle of breaths—long, medium and short. Not only breathing patterns influence our emotions, the breath is in the present and is used to "rope in the wandering mind" that oscillates wildly between the past and the future. Like Zen masters who teach that the present moment is a chink opening into eternity, this guide describes the use of breathing to rope the present that frees our mind from the past which is nothing but history and the future which is mystery.

You will learn:
* Practices that heal and harmonize the body, mind, and spirit
* Skills for handling negative emotions and situations
* Practical wisdom for improving work and relationships
* Insight into the laws that govern the mind and emotions
* Stretching and low-impact yoga combined with breathing for health, circulation, and body stillness

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 6, 2018
ISBN9781458085313
The Power of Breathing: Health & Spiritual Series
Author

Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon

Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon, Yale-educated University Professor, has an advanced degree in life sciences and molecular biology from the west and a fascination with yoga, breathing, religion and spirituality from the east crafted out of studies at Yale University, U.S.A. and Punjab University, India. Therefore, he is uniquely qualified to present a synthesis of eastern and western approaches towards concept of Spirituality, God, science, and religion.  He has published over 12 books and 40 research papers, and has expressed his views in the news media and workshops.  He has been the President, Chairman of the board, and life-trustee of a non-profit religious organization and has expressed his views in the congregation and at international seminars. He is affluent in 4 languages. Most of his titles are now available from popular booksellers throughout the world.

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    The Power of Breathing - Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon

    Introduction

    Yawning that enforces deep breathing and believing in a higher power alters your grey matter, says a neuroscientist with the scans to prove it.  Andrew Newberg a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, has done medical brain image scans on Franciscan nuns, Buddhists, Pentecostals, Sikhs and Sufis as they pray or meditate, all in his quest to map the effects of spirituality and yawning on the mind.

    His conclusions: Best ways to exercise your brain is faith. Faith in a positive outcome. When people have an optimistic, positive look on the world, it's one of the best ways to maintain a healthy brain and body. 

    Also on his list is yawning. That's a brain exercise!  He says it's the brain's way of waking itself up. You take in more oxygen. Force a few yawns before a meeting or a test.  So instead of a third cup of coffee, his best solution is yawn!  If simple yawn can power your brain because it takes more oxygen, proved by medical scan images, can we imagine what powerful breathing exercises can do.

    The 21st century modern guru Swami Ramdev whose blessing are sought by India's elite, including its vice president, several Supreme Court judges and other senior government officials and politicians emphasizes on ancient Eastern tradition of pranayama - roughly put, breathing exercises or the art of breath control. "If you do pranayama half an hour daily, you will never fall sick, he claims.  Diseases are nothing but imbalances of the body, and yoga and breathing exercises correct those imbalances."

    Here’s what the scientific community and medical experts of the west has to say about the benefits of Breathing:

    Overcoming Disease:

    All chronic pain, suffering, and diseases are caused by a lack of oxygen at the cell level. 

    Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., author The Textbook on Medical Physiology

    Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health.

    Dr. Andrew Weil

    Breathing is the key that unlocks the whole catalog of advanced biological function and development. Is it any wonder that it is so central to every aspect of health?  Breathing is the first place, not the last; one should look when fatigue, disease, or other evidence of disordered energy presents itself. Breathing is truly the body's most basic communication system.

    Sheldon Saul Hendler, M.D., Ph.D., Oxygen Breakthrough

    Oxidation is the source of life. Its lack causes impaired health or disease, its cessation, death. 

    Dr. F.M. Eugene Blass, Ph.D., author Oxygen Therapy: Its Foundation Aim Results

    Simply put, disease is due to a deficiency in the oxidization process of the body, leading to an accumulation of the toxins. These toxins would ordinarily be burned in normal metabolic functioning.

    Dr. Albert Wahl

    Oxygen plays a pivotal role in the functioning of the immune system.

    Dr. Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D., author Antioxidant Adaption

    In all serious disease states we find a concomitant low oxygen state...Low oxygen in the body tissues is a sure indicator for disease...Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the tissues, is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease. Oxygen is the source of life to all cells.

    Dr. Stephen Levine, Renowned Molecular Biologist and Geneticist, Author Oxygen Deficiency: A Concomitant to All Degenerative Illness

    Starved of oxygen the body will become ill, and if this persists it will die, I doubt if there is an argument about that.

    Dr. John Muntz, Nutritional Scientist

    Insufficient oxygen means insufficient biological energy that can result in anything from mild fatigue to life-threatening disease. The link between insufficient oxygen and disease has now been firmly established.

    Dr. W. Spencer Way, from the Journal of the American Association of Physicians

    Cells undergoing partial oxygen starvation send out tiny panic signals which are collectively felt in the body as a continuous vague sensation of uneasiness, dread or disaster. This low level generalized warning tends to get tuned out as mere ‘background noise’ by the individual experiencing it. Or, it is attributed to other sources of uneasiness.... People rarely suspect that the constant vague feelings of helplessness, fatigue....uneasiness are symptoms of cellular oxygen deprivation.

    From the Townsend Letter for Doctors

    Dr. Lataste in 1992, conducted a study with a team of scientists on health at high altitudes (where oxygen level is low). They observed people who lived at high altitudes and found that there was a much higher incidence of drowsiness, apathy, delayed reaction time, and reduced motor capacity, as compared to those who lived in lower altitudes.

    Heart Disease:

    Coronary heart disease is due to a lack of oxygen received by the heart.

    Dr. Dean Ornish

    ...healthy breathing should be the first thing taught to a heart patient. A Dutch Study conducted by a doctor named Dixhoorn, compared two groups of heart attack patients. The first group was taught simple diaphragmatic breathing, while the second group was given no training in breathing. The breathing group had no further heart attacks, while 7 of the 12 members of the second group had second heart attacks over the next 2 years.

    Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., Conscious Breathing

    A lack of oxygen (hypoxia) is the prime cause of 1.5 million heart attacks each year.

    Dr. Richard Lippman, renowned researcher

    Blood Pressure:

    The relationship between breathing and blood pressure has been known and understood for a long time. It boils down to this: Elevated blood pressure accompanies those bodily states where rapid shallow breathing prevails. By altering breathing to a slow diaphragmatic mode, blood pressure decreases.

    Robert Fried, Ph.D., The Breath Connection

    Cancer:

    The first discovery was made by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Cell Physiology in Berlin. He confirmed that the key precondition for the development of cancer is a lack of oxygen at the cellular level.

    Nathaniel Altman, Oxygen Healing Therapies

    Lack of oxygen clearly plays a major role in causing cells to become cancerous.

    Dr. Harry Goldblatt, Journal of Experimental Medicine

    Cancer has only one prime cause. It is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body's cells by an anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) cell respiration.

    Dr. Otto Warburg: Two-time Nobel Laureate, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Cancer Research

    Cancer is a condition within the body where the oxidation has become so depleted that the body cells have degenerated beyond physiological control. Similarly, the true cause of allergy is the lowered oxidation process within the body, causing the affected individual to be sensitive to foreign substances entering the body. Only when the oxidation mechanism is restored to its original high state of efficiency can the sensitivity be eliminated.

    Dr. Wendell Hendricks, Hendricks Research Foundation

    Detoxification:

    Many healings of other physical troubles have occurred in my clients after they started to integrate breathing practices into their lives.  There is a simple but encompassing reason that may explain this. The human body is designed to discharge 70% of its toxins through breathing.  Only a small percentage of toxins are discharged through sweat, defecation and urination. If your breathing is not operating at peak efficiency, you are not ridding yourself of toxins properly.

    Gay Hendricks, Ph.D, Conscious Breathing

    One of the most overlooked benefits of extra oxygen in the tissues is their ability to detoxify more efficiently.

    Dr. Kurt W. Donsbach, D.C., N.D., author of Super Health. Oxygen-Oxygen-Oxygen,  Founder and Executive Director of Medicine at Hospital Santa Monica, California.

    Illness is the result of improper removal of toxins from the body.  Oxygen is the vital factor which assists the body in removing toxins.

    Ed McCabe,  author, Oxygen Therapies, A New Way of Approaching Disease (1988).

    Lymphatic System:

    Jack Shield, MD, a lymphologist from Santa Barbara, CA, conducted a study on the effects of breathing on the lymphatic system. Using cameras inside the body, he found that deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulated the cleansing of the lymph system by creating a vacuum effect which sucked the lymph through the bloodstream. This increased the rate of toxic elimination by as much as 15 times the normal pace.

    J. Shields, M.D., Lymph, Lymph Glands, and Homeostasis, Volume 25 No. 4, Dec 92, Pg.147-153.

    Asthma:

    One study on the treatment of asthma patients conducted by researchers John Goyeche, Dr. Ago, and Dr. Ikemi, suggests that any effective treatment should address suppressed emotions - such as anxiety and self-image - as well as the physical dimension. To achieve this, they encourage correction of poor posture, and helping the person relax the irrelevant respiratory muscles while restoring full diaphragmatic breathing. They also recommended finding ways for getting rid of excess mucus. The good news is that a well rounded breath practice will do all these things

    Donna Farhi, The Breathing Book

    I am honored to share my personal experiences of breathing.  My first introduction to breathing was in 1984 while learning yoga and writing about it in my first book Health, Happiness, and Longevity. This was the first time that I could experience my awareness, watching the activity of my mind and the thought process. I could realize that my mind was never without a thought, sometimes useful and sometimes not so useful. The activity of mind through thoughts went on continuously, without giving any tranquility or rest to my mind. This is the first time I could realize awareness as a major force, and just being aware of this awareness brought a sense of tranquility and peace that was never felt before. The most important aspect of that initial experience was that it has continued to grow each time I have sat down for pranayam (breathing) and Sudarshan Kriya (cycle of breaths—long, medium and short). This experience has brought in unconditional self-contentment and also has helped me be more compassionate and understanding.

    I tend to enjoy more every moment in life. I am appreciating more how enjoyable and important is to live in the present and not to worry much about the future.  My sense of gratitude has grown. I have discovered a new person within myself. The continued practice of Sudarshan Kriya has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I have encouraged more and more people to experience the same as shared in this book.  My positive experience with breathing and weight control is shared in another book "A Simple Solution to Americas Weight Problem."

    Examples from family and friends further support the power of breathing.  Angela*, a beautiful 40 year old working mother with a telecommunication company went from tranquilizers to drink to religion for handling family problems, relieve stress, and find comfort.  Amanda*, five feet 2 inch, weighing 110 pounds was pregnant with twins.  Her small body size for normally growing twins resulted in neonatal care to handle premature delivery.  Both turned to breathing for handling stress and difficult pregnancy. (*Real names withheld to protect privacy.)

    The above examples from family and friends are not to suggest that we should not use counselor or neonatal care, but suggest that role of breathing to handle stress; pregnancy and other life situations including certain diseases cannot be ignored.

    Unlike food, air is breathed every second. It is the oxygen we breathe that fuels the working of our cells, and provides the basic life force that keeps us going. Biologically speaking oxygen is required for the body's metabolism, which provides energy for physical and mental activity, as well as for the ongoing involuntary functioning of the body such as heart beat and digestion. However, we take breathing for granted and rarely consider poor breathing habits as the source of: our lack of energy, nervous tension, inability to concentrate, bad heart, inability to sleep, lack of resistance to colds and respiratory infections, asthma, over-weight problems, poor skin, or aging. It is the breathing—more than the food we eat, the amount of exercise we do—that affects how we think and feel mentally, as well as, physically.

    Breathing is one of the greatest tools and resources influencing the vitality of our body and positively affects our well-being. Although the list could go on and on, but some of the benefits that we can achieve may include: (l) more personal energy, (2) more restful sleep, (3) greater ability to handle domestic and job-related stress, (4) less depression and anxiety, (5) better concentration at work, (6) less need for smoking, caffeine, alcohol or other drugs, (7)fewer physical complaints, (8) fewer diseases of the respiratory system, (9) more efficient digestion and effective weight control, (10) slowing of the aging process.

    Unfortunately, too many of us are poor breathers, cheating our body of the very oxygen that keeps it alive. Each of us breathes in a specific way that is unlike anyone else's breathing patterns. The way we breathe affects how we think and feel, while the way we think and feel affects the way we breathe. If we are tense or afraid, our breathing becomes quick and shallow, but during relaxation and sleep our breathing becomes deep and regular.

    Breathing is one of the most essential and controllable processes of the body. On the average we breathe about fourteen times a minute and the tidal volume averages 0.5 liter of air per breath. Although respiration process functions automatically and voluntarily, however, unlike the flow of blood and the beat of heart, we are able to change the rate and tidal volume of our breath whenever we wish. By controlling and changing the way we breathe, we can better regulate the needs of our body. Because the breathing process is so intimately connected with every thought and action—by mastering it we can continually monitor and improve our health, vitality, emotions and longevity. Practice of breathing can even save the addicts of such dangerous drugs as heroin by giving them comfort due to natural endorphin production.

    Too many of us today rely on miracles of modern medicine and surgery and an insufficient reliance upon ourselves to keep us healthy. We live in an era of heroic therapies: coronary care units, kidney and heart transplants, antibiotics and other potent drugs that should be used only when preventable measures fail. But changes are now taking place.  A wellness movement is sweeping the younger generation. The future of health care will be marked by a diminishing role of medical care and an increasing role of health care. Many of the young doctors have already started the practice of preventive (behavioral) medicine. This positive change in medical practice is quite remarkable, but their basic medical training is still limited to western approach and keeps these young doctors away from trying ancient eastern traditions—many of which can be supported by scientific research.  Some of the common examples of ancient eastern practices that are supported by scientific research are: increasing metabolic energy by breathing exercises, positive changes in body physiology by transcendental meditation, and hypnotic power of mind realized in ancient cultures for centuries. The stress treatment approaches that have been recognized for centuries by faith healers and mediators are now accepted by modern medical practitioners.

    You may find some of the claims and approaches so simple and inexpensive to be true when compared to advanced and expensive medical approaches. But we must remember that nature is simple and logical (as Albert Einstein phrases, "I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world). Do things nature's way and you have something powerful for you. Depart from nature, and terrible things must be printed after the world caution" on medicine bottles.

    We know that in spite of our achievements in education, material wealth, organized society and security through insurances of all kinds, cases of worry and depression, fear and anxiety, insecurity, and sickness are still rising. Health professionals are in high demand than ever, and hospital facilities are still expanding. We are in such a desperate need of a disease care program only because we ignore a health care program. One is born to be healthy and not to be sick. Good health is a natural state and in this book we have discussed maintaining this state—and restoring it if it is lost—through a powerful addition of preventive approach through proper breathing of clean air for healthy and energetic living. 

    This book is designed to combine old eastern traditions pertaining to air and breathing with modern scientific knowledge.  It covers every aspect of breathing. You will understand what Swami Ramdev teaches about breathing and what "sudarshan kriya" and healing breath is all about.  It provides information on the very important aspect of health care that is almost ignored in an era—dominated by nutrition and exercise. Nutrition and exercise, of course, are important, but more important still is proper breathing. This book will teach you the right way to breathe for every aspect of your life, from preventing diseases, during pregnancy, stopping the habit of smoking, falling asleep, relieving stress, practicing meditation and spirituality, controlling the weight, competing in supports, and maintaining the over-all health to increase energy and longevity. The breathing practices in this book require no special equipment or clothing. Each practice is designed to perform a specific function and should be followed carefully. After completing the entire book it is hoped that you would become aware of the importance of breathing and be able to use it for physical and mental well-being and lead a long productive life.

    The newborn infant gasps for its first breath, and life ends with a final exhalation.

    SECTION I

    WHY BREATHING IS SO IMPORTANT!

    Back to Contents

    Chapter 1

    HEALING BREATH – CASE HISTORIES

    Healing Breath

    Stress. Fear. Anxiety. Sadness. Some say these arise from a mind that has overexerted itself. We spend so much of our time taking care of our physical wellbeing yet how often do we take a moment to tend to our mind and spirit? With today's fast-paced lifestyle, a healthy body helps us keep up with tasks that require energy, but what about the chores that require awareness and a sharp mind? How can we deal with the stresses that may arise from working just to 'keep up’? It seems these answers lie within the breath.

    Take a deep breath is not just a cliché used to help someone calm down anymore. It actually helps to bring the mind to a peaceful state. Ancient eastern meditation techniques always seem to focus on a stillness achieved first by focusing on breathing in and out. Professional athletes who run, lift weights, and push themselves through pain and fatigue all requires a very strong awareness and use of their respiratory systems. Why, you could simply ask any mother who has given birth to a child, just how important is it to change the pace of her breathing during delivery? It truly seems that an awareness of the breath can help push us beyond the known physical limits.

    However, such knowledge benefits us far beyond the physical level. Think of the emotions again, and their link to breathing. In a rage, our breathing can become short and even rapid. When feelings of love overcome us we tend to inhale and exhale at much slower pace with longer intervals. There is a direct correlation to the mind here and if we become more in tune with our breath maybe we can even learn to have a little more control of our emotions, or at the very least our reactions. Of course this would require practice and mastery, as it is indeed a skill.

    Independent studies have shown that the human lungs have an average capacity of 4-6 liters. The volume of air taken in with a single breath is about 0.5 liters. This means we are using about 10% of our potential! Even during the most strenuous exercise, humans can use up to 60% capacity but only for a short time. Taking in more oxygen is not only vital for life, but helps release more carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Studies indicate over 70% of toxins are released through the breath alone!

    Think of the state of mind after a very intense workout and it is easy to relate to the effects of increasing our breath intake. Endorphins have been released and there is a peace or calmness within the mind and body. The combination of drinking water and detoxification through the breath leaves the skin vibrant and healthy. Yet this feeling of freshness and tranquility is not just reserved for those who have the option of intense training.

    Sudarshan Kriya (Healing Breath Techniques) and its accompanying breathing practices pranayama, are techniques which have been shown to manage stress and promote health. The benefits even reach the immune system, by increasing anti-oxidants in the body. A sense of inner-peace can coexist with enhanced mental focus. This skill of breathing techniques has the added benefit of easy to learn and practice in everyday life without added health care costs.

    We are discovering the secrets of the breath and how to better utilize the breath to improve the quality of life. There are methods and techniques that can be used to improve the purifying power of the breath and which lead to a healthy mind. Of course everyone knows a healthy mind is the key to a healthy body.

    We have known since ancient times that no one can live without air as one can without water for a few days and without food much longer.  Air and breathing in the east had been considered important not only for health, but breathing therapy has been practiced secretly for thousands of years by spiritualists.  In many eastern cultures and religions, controlled breathing has been an integral part of physical, mental, and spiritual development. Ancient yoga philosophy states that mind is the master of the senses and breath is the master of the mind, and that breathing is the elixir of life.  Most people in the western world have not kept up with the natural, full breathing they did as infants—when the abdomen moved up and down with each breath, indicating the internal movement of the diaphragm. 

    West is now

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