Breath : Healing Effects

To begin with, I invite you to take a moment and check your breath. Stop reading, close your eyes for 30 seconds and notice your breath. What did you notice? Was it short and choppy? Long and smooth? Could you feel it in your belly or mostly in your chest? Do you breathe through your nose, your mouth or may be a little of both? 

What poor breathing does

Noticing the way you breathe gives you a peep into how your nervous system is responding to physical, emotional or mental stress. It is also a key for unlocking the secret to managing your reaction to stress. When we breathe short and shallow breaths and have a difficult time in breathing out completely, we are triggering the flight/fight response which is the sympathetic branch of ANS (autonomic nervous system). This creates anxiety and other stress related feeling, raising our adrenaline and cortisol levels while decreasing blood flow to our digestive and excretory organs. Higher levels of cortisol are related to higher dosage of belly fat and inability to looseweight. 

Breathing right

As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says ‘Every emotion is associated with breath, so if we 
control our breath we can control our emotions.’ When we train ourselves to breathe 
smoothly and evenly, it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to a dominant state,stimulating the digestive and immune systems, lowering our cortisol levels and balancing the adrenal and thyroid glands. Sudarshan Kriya is a powerful tool as it effectively corrects our breathing pattern.

Most people keep their lungs and chest in contraction, using only 25per cent of their breathing capacity. When you train your lungs to function at 80-90 per cent, this becomes 
a very powerful workout. The breath can alone generate heat andcause you to break into a sweat while in training. Your entire body is nourished and oxygenated while toxic wastes like CO2 are eliminated. Daily breathing practices contribute tobetter sleep, improved 

posture, toned abdomen, better circulation and brain function which in turn boost the 
immune system and increases energy. The time is worth the effort. 

My personal experience 

According to Ayurveda our life duration is the count of our breaths, so if we increase the depth of breath, we could increase our life span. Earlier, I used to have short andshallow breaths, full of quivers. With regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya my breath has become 
smooth and long. It is now a shudder free breath. 

Short and shallow breaths often accompany negative characters like lack of energy, 
laziness, hopelessness, lack of enthusiasm, jealousy and so on. Sudarshan Kriya detoxifies 

our body and with its regular practice you start feeling abounding energy in your body, 

enthusiasm and positivity. I have experienced my immune levels being elevated after its regular practice. More important my sleep quality has improved tremendously. Earlier I used to struggle with my sleep and wake cycle, now it is balanced with nature. My instincts have developed too. 

Correct breathing is not just exchange of gases but a powerful tool and a way to 
happiness. So stay committed to personal growth and transformation by attending to your breath. 

- Keshav Sharma 

( We are sharing a series of articles contributed by upcoming writers on this blog.  Many are experiences of people on the various programs of the Art of Living. Opinions expressed are their own.)

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March 11-13, 2016 at Delhi. 
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