tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1477655200801012236.post3964874662393579791..comments2023-05-19T03:01:27.786-07:00Comments on Here’s to Your Health: 15. More About BreathingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1477655200801012236.post-88212169538972049712012-01-29T18:31:00.746-08:002012-01-29T18:31:00.746-08:00Hi there
After we talked yesterday I thought I w...Hi there <br /><br />After we talked yesterday I thought I would send you some directions for this breathing technique to try. It seems complicated but it does not take long to get the hang of it.<br /><br />Try sitting on the floor cross-legged for this, on a pillow if that helps. It is very calming to sit on the floor rather than ‘up’ somewhere. If you can face out the window to somewhere beautiful even better.<br /><br />1. Hold your right hand up in front of you, palm facing you. Fold down the first two fingers into the palm and hold them with the thumb, leaving the other two fingers 3 and 4 sticking up. Other hand is on the knee. <br /><br />2. Now release the thumb, letting it point up too, but keep your first 2 fingers folded down. <br /><br />3. Now try pinching your nose shut using your thumb on the right side, and fingers 3 and 4 on the other. Your hand will feel crunched up but that does not matter.<br /><br />4. Release the thumb side and breathe in (not too full, about 75%) , then out. Close the thumb side, open the finger side, and breathe in and out again on that side. Repeat a few time to get the hang of it, then try holding your breath for a few seconds on the in-breath. <br /><br />5. Once you have repeated a few times and you are starting to feel like the movements seem easier, try the counting. Take a few breaths in and out, then breathe out to begin. Look down slightly with the eyes, so the focus is inward. <br /><br />6. Hold the right nostril shut with your thumb, breathe in for a count of 3 (these are 1-second counts like 1-mississippi, or 1-one-thousand, 2-one-thousand etc). Pinch both nostrils shut and hold for a count of 12. Then release the other side, the thumb side/right side, and breathe out for a count of 6. <br /><br />7. This will be the hard part – controlling the breath while you breath out. But this is where the real benefit is. <br /><br />8. On the same side (right/thumb side) breathe in for a count of 3. Pinch shut, hold for a count of 12, release the fingers (left side) and breathe out to a count of 6. That’s one whole round, breathing in and out on each side.<br /><br />9. To start with try 6 rounds, or 10 rounds – whatever feels comfortable. At the end rest both hands on the knees and just sit quietly, observe the breath, let the mind be still.<br /><br />10. Once you get used to this you can start increasing the counts – in for 4, hold for 16, out for 8 – so the ratio is always the same. And then you can increase again – to 6, 24, 12, etc. Try doing more rounds, whatever you have time for.<br /><br />In yoga we talk about ‘monkey mind’ – where the left/rational side of the brain always needs something (verbal) to chew on, and it bounces around latching onto things in a way that can seem really frantic. In this exercise the monkey mind gets bored and shuts off after a few minutes, leaving you feeling really empty and peaceful. <br /><br />I hope you try it – let me know how you get on!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com