Breath Is Life (Literally!) by Alan Dolan

 For most of us a full breath is something rarely experienced. Modern lifestyles are faster and more stress-filled than ever before with the result that the majority of people today have adopted restricted breathing patterns, closing down their respiratory capability to a fraction of what it could be. Now the good news……it’s reversible….you just have to (re)learn how to breathe fully.

So just how important is our breath ?

Consider the following breathing facts :

• 60% of our energy comes from our breath
• 50% of our waste products are eliminated via the breath
• Most of us utilise only 15-25 % of our breathing capacity at any given time and are therefore often in a state of oxygen (and therefore energy) deprivation
• The vast majority of us are ‘shallow breathers’ who breathe solely in our upper chests

It would therefore make a lot of sense for us to spend some time learning how to use our respiratory system to greater effect. The benefits begin almost immediately and if practised regularly we can greatly enhance our health.

Breathing and Sports

A lot of us visit the gym or play a sport on a regular basis which is clearly of benefit to our overall health. Imagine then, what it would be like to be able to breathe even more fully than at present and thereby tap into all that extra energy just waiting to happen. This applies equally to pumping weights in the gym (more energy and better recovery times) playing soccer, practising yoga, cycling or distance running. The better you can utilise your entire respiratory system the better you support your cardiovascular system and that’s great news not only for your overall health but also because it often leads to enhanced performance.

Medical Establishment View

Many in the medical professions are now convinced of the value of breathing therapies which enhance oxygen intake. Recent medical research has linked poor levels of oxygenation with the body to a large number of diseases including the top 3 killers in the western world : hypertension, heart disease and cancer. Asthma and other respiratory ailments can often be positively affected by instructing sufferers in correct breathing techniques.

Oxygen enhanced consumer products and services

Oxygen enhanced products are becoming increasingly available on every high street. The beauty industry has taken note of the benefits to be gained from super-oxygenation with ‘oxygen rich’ moisturizers of one kind or another being produced by most of the major cosmetic manufacturers. Even purveyors of bottled waters have introduced special lines with ‘added oxygen ’ in an attempt to benefit from the increasing awareness of the value of O2. Thought to be a quirky fad on their introduction, oxygen bars are increasingly popular especially in cities where air quality is highly compromised such as Bangkok and Tokyo.

Abdominal Breathing

A good start would be to learn how to breathe into your abdomen, sometimes referred to as ‘belly breathing’. Right now, as you’re reading this , imagine you have a balloon in your stomach and as you inhale ‘inflate the balloon’ as much as you can then exhale slowly letting the ‘balloon’ deflate fully. Continue breathing slowly and fully in this manner for a minute or so and notice how you feel as a result. Typical effects are feelings of relaxation and calm. Just breathing in this way will increase the amount of oxygen and energy coming into your system allowing you to utilise as much as 50 % of your overall capacity. Taking five minutes a day to breathe in this way is a really worthy investment for your physical wellbeing.

Transformational Breathing

If you are interested in making even greater use of your respiratory capacity you may wish to learn a breathing technique such as Transformational Breathing (TB) which is now available in the UK. TB is a relatively new breathing technique developed in the US which has been developed in the USA over the last 20 years by Dr. Judith Kravitz. Judith's ‘inspiration’ (pun intended) came from a personal experience of self-healing. Using principles and skills acquired through her work with the breath, Judith healed a tumor on her throat after which she dedicated herself to promoting the benefits of Transformational Breathing across the globe. Its an easy-to-learn method which allows us to access 100 % of our respiratory capacity thereby bringing far greater amounts of oxygen and energy into the system. This has numerous beneficial effects on both the physical , mental-emotional and spiritual levels.

Physical

The process begins by learning how to ‘open’ one’s breath and utilize the entire respiratory system. The resultant balanced super-oxygenation allows bodily systems to operate more efficiently. Although the specific results achieved depend a lot upon the intention an individual brings to their breathing session just about everyone who practices this breathing reports feeling reduced levels of stress ,more peace and joy and increased energy levels. In addition, breathers experience :

• Increased detoxification
• Improved respiratory capacity
• Improved immune function
• Improved levels of cell oxygenation (which reverses the aging process !)
• Endorphins and other beneficial chemicals being released into the bloodstream promoting an increased sense of well-being

Mental-emotional

Once the breath is open and flowing the deep full and circular breathing pattern creates an opening to the subconscious mind. Breathing into previously closed places allows negativity, repressed emotions and memories as well as other patterns of dense or blocked energy to surface. These are quickly, effectively and permanently transmuted into a higher energy form without the need for reliving or consciously processing each accumulated hurt. This clearing of the subconscious mind allows us to :

• Resolve stress
• Release past traumas located in the cellular memory
• Remove ‘old tapes’ of limitation and lack
• Permanently clear repressed emotions….anger ,fear, guilt etc
• Create the relaxation response
• Create more peace, creativity and clarity

Spiritual

Transformational Breathing also allows us to access higher levels of consciousness. Spiritual awareness is embodied and brought to the conscious level. With each breathing session, one becomes lighter and clearer as we gain the ability to follow our own inner guidance. This results in :

• Deeper meditations
• Stronger connection to Higher Self
• Awareness of Unity Consciousness
• Fuller expression of spiritual gifts
• Experiencing more joy in one’s life

Who can use it ?

There are no contraindications whatsoever for this modality and consequently it is available and useful for everybody irrespective of age or health. After only one session you will have enough knowledge to practice a ‘condensed’ form of the technique which can then be integrated into your daily routine as you see fit. Many use it to help a specific medical condition. For others it’s a method of boosting energy. Others use it as an antidote to stress and anxiety. It can also be used to enhance sports performance or simply to maintain optimum heath. Its also a highly effective vehicle for spiritual exploration.

Transformational Breathing has also been used successfully in the treatment of addictions, depression and post traumatic stress syndrome. Individuals prone to respiratory problems have also experienced significant benefits as a result of learning the technique.

If you find yourself lacking energy and ‘running on fumes’, if you find yourself getting stressed out or ‘caught in the headlights’ by the trials and tribulations of everyday living, if you spend a lot of time in your head and would like to feel more calm and peaceful or if you’d simply like to learn a great way to optimise your health you may well find yourself loving this technique.

Transformational Breathing is safe, effective and the results are permanent. It is about self-awareness, self-healing and self- empowerment. So if you find your curiosity aroused, would like more energy, a greater sense of purpose or more emotional freedom in your life, why not give it a try? One session is often enough to make a real difference and on completion of the first session you will have sufficent know-how to practice a condensed form of the breath technique which can then be integrated into your daily routine as an important step to improving your quality of life. Be well, have fun and keep breathing !!!

Copyright 2007 Alan Dolan is a Transformational Breath Facilitator based in Lanzarote. He trained with the founder of the modality Dr Judith Kravitz, initially in the USA and subsequently in England. Alan visits the UK and Eire on a regular basis to conduct workshops and client sessions. He also runs Breathing Space Holidays in Lanzarote. Find out more by visiting www.breath-works.com or emailing info@breath-works.com or calling (0034) 690 162 426