Abdominal breathing leads us back to our natural state, essence or divinity. Breathing is such a natural and life giving activity that most don’t give it a second thought. However, what if I told you that by consciously abdominal breathing in every moment you could discover your divinity. This would lead to a peaceful, loving and empowered life. Furthermore many health issues would clear up such as anxiety and depression since physiological stress would be considerably reduced.
All disease arises from oxygen deprivation at a cellular level causing physiological stress which generally leads to acidosis and dehydration.
Simply by abdominal breathing homeostasis will progressively return to all systems and many issues in the body will clear up. The problem for many is a lack of understanding of how the body really works and the reliance on external “authority”. This manifests as a complete disconnection in some cases of who we are. This is compounded by a refusal to know thyself and take responsibility for our “house” the body that holds the incarnated consciousness.
The ego or lower self runs amok and unchecked and has a profound effect on the way we breath. Left without interference the autonomic nervous system breathes the body in perfect harmony between sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic systems (PNS). The body alternates between “speeding up” to deal with stressful situations (or what is perceived as stressful) and slowing down or bringing us to our natural peaceful state. However with the ego or lower self unconsciously engaged we can broadly categorise that most of the population have been engaged in “speeding up” (SNS) the body. This means we tend to chest breath as opposed to our natural state of abdominal breathing. (slowing down/PNS).
Yes, you have been unconsciously influencing your breathing all your life and therefore your health. The problem is in epidemic proportions.
Abdominal Breathing
When we are small children (below about 7yrs) we breath naturally, we engage in abdominal breathing. We inhale while extending the abdomen and exhale while pulling the abdomen in and slightly up. This allows the diaphragm to fully extend downwards and the lungs to completely fill and oxygenate the body entirely. As we become older we develop unresourceful programs (lower self or ego).
This programming is created by negative situations or perceived negative situations in our lives. It follows similar patterning to our parents, grandparents and our whole genetic lineage. As we age we slowly move away from abdominal breathing. We move towards chest breathing whereby the diaphragm does not fully extend all the way down. The lungs do not completely fill up with air and we develop a tendency to hyperventilate to a greater or lesser extent. We breath the opposite way round. We inhale while pulling the abdomen in and puffing the chest out and exhale while allowing the chest to fall and abdomen extend.
Ooops!
Thought breathing was easy??!!
Abdominal Breathing and Adulthood
By the time we are ADULTS (Adept at Demonstrating Unbelievable Levels of Terrifying Seriousness) and ‘set in our ways’ poor breathing techniques are habitual. The pattern to dysfunction and disease then becomes the norm. By consciously abdominal breathing we bypass our lower self/egos need to be in control and return to our natural state. Our natural state is one of innocence, peacefulness and love. It is our very divinity. We begin to feel calm and serene and refuse to be perturbed by the “illusion” of life.
Unfortunately many are quite simply not willing to make that journey. The outer “illusion” is too strong. They will continue to chest breath, remain in the ego and outwardly focused which has a huge toll on the body. They will continue to think that life just happens to them and have no option but to use the prevailing health systems. Those have been built on treating symptoms instead of causes. In other words they are just a reflection of humanities unconsciousness. However as humanity awaken then the health systems will metamorphosis or collapse allowing new and better systems to take over.
Abdominal Breathing and Physiological Stress
Broadly speaking chest breathing can lead from mild to severe hyperventilation. This causes upper body aches and pains in the short term to physiological stress in the long-term. Very often this ends in dysfunction and disease. Let’s look at this process in a little more detail. A perceived negative situation is felt or experienced. Remember there are no negative situations, however the way we feel about it can be negative. This is why two people can have a completely different view of a “negative” situation and completely different reactions. One focuses on it and makes it bigger and the other sees it as an opportunity to grow, develop and perhaps change their life circumstances completely.
So during this perceived negative situation or negative feeling in the body we activate the SNS, the fight or flight response. It doesn’t have to be very dramatic. In fact it is the less dramatic situations that appear to be the problem. The low-level anxiety that is bubbling under the surface will still keep the sympathetic nervous system stimulated (and chest breathing prevalent). Very often an invisible “mind program” has been activated without our awareness. We unconsciously try to suppress it by using one of our addictions. For example overeating, drinking too much alcohol, drug taking, constant internet surfing and/or social media site visits.
Alternatively, we can sit quietly with it consciously abdominal breathing and bringing us into a meditative state. Remember too however that SNS arousal is a necessary part of our lives. For example just by standing up our SNS is stimulated to increase blood pressure so we don’t become dizzy and fall over. If we are to live in peace it is the subconscious programs that stimulate the SNS that must be reduced or eradicated completely.
Abdominal Breathing Benefits
By consciously abdominal breathing we bring those programs to our awareness and can therefore transmute them. If we step into courage in every area of our lives we can transmute the lower energies of the ego. We begin to enjoy much improved health benefits. Not only that but if we are aware of our lower self programming and its constant need to be ruling the roost we become much more aware of the patterns it creates in our lives.
If we don’t then our life circumstances may become extreme until we eventually “get it” and are willing to make that leap in consciousness levels. This will move us away from reactive thinking and back into wisdom. Nobody can be persuaded to be more aware, the process is purely voluntary. It is up to each person to listen to their soul promptings. These are very quiet and subtle compared to the “loud” lower self and external reality.
In a nutshell long term chest breathing and SNS arousal shunts resources away from growth activities such as proper immune, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous system function. The effects of this are enormous in terms of the way we feel on a minute by minute basis and will lead to longer term issues such as disease and dysfunction in the physical body. When we awaken or heal and see clearly what we have been doing to ourselves we can’t help but take back control of our bodies and our minds. We can’t help but disconnect from the “illusion” and take the time to “relearn” abdominal breathing. When we finally get this we realise breathing is the most important thing in our lives. We can’t do without out it. So we might as well do it properly.
