Claim Your Breath
How do we connect with our breath?
Oxygen is the main necessity of the body. It is essential for internal organs, glands, the nervous system, and the brain to operate. The body needs oxygen to generate energy. It is transmitted to the lungs through BREATHING and then enters the heart. Carried to all regions in the body within red blood cells, oxygen is released into the tissues. It is the molecule ensuring more energy is released in the cells by causing glucose, the main source of fuel in the human body, to get into oxidative destruction.
Elders and individuals with vascular occlusion usually become negative and depressive when their brains do not receive enough oxygen. In fact, the main reason for aging is oxygen deficiency. An acute circulatory impairment ceasing the oxygen to the heart causes a heart attack and ceasing the oxygen to the brain causes a cerebral hemorrhage. There is a long list of disorders and diseases that may be caused by oxygen deficiency. In conclusion, oxygen is the first and most important factor we need to pay attention to for a “quality and healthy” life.
Well, how is it going on between us and BREATH ensuring we receive this valuable oxygen into our bodies?
Breathing is like an effortless physical activity we involuntarily perform during our lives. Being out of breath even for a few minutes is enough to remind us of its value.
We say; “They do not let me breathe for a moment” when people overwhelm us.
We say; “I have to take a breath” when we are tired of working a lot.
People around us say; “Wait, take a deep breath, pull yourself together, and keep going” when we get into panic or try to do something under high pressure.
We take a deep BREATH when we relax.
We take a deep BREATH when we are overwhelmed.
All these expressions actually indicate how much effect breathing has on what kind of things. We get better and relax both biologically and psychologically by using our breath properly, in other words, receiving enough oxygen into our bodies.
We are usually unaware of our breath in daily life; we perform some work all in one breath or we receive an insufficient amount of oxygen through short breaths when we are under stress. Our breath quality decreases during the rush of life and our bodies can swap over to the proper and efficient breath only when we sleep, in other words, when we turn off the switch. This is called abdominal breathing.
Newborn babies breathe through the diaphragm, that is the abdomen. This is actually our natural way of breathing, which we forget as we grow up and enter life’s stress and competition.
When we are asleep, our bodies take themselves to rest and then recover. Our bodies store the oxygen we need each breathing through the nose since there is no external factor to prevent cell renewal. Abdominal breathing has a great effect on this storage being successful.
The diaphragm is connected to the brain through two nerves and one of the three openings of the diaphragm is connected to the alimentary canal (esophagus), which is our first point of connection to life. Neuroscience expresses that our second brain is the abdominal area due to similar cell structure, similar active ingredients, and receptors. The abdomen is also our first energy source connection in the womb.
We must breathe in through the diaphragm by filling our bellies with air like children, then take it up to our chest, and then breathe out. In this way, we increase our lung capacity and inhale more oxygen.
Deep breathing is so essential that nature forces you to take deep breaths by making you yawn or sigh whether you want it or not.
The actual thing we must do is connect ourselves and our breath.
“The air drawn into the lungs prolongs life, the breath released relaxes the body, so two blessings are hidden in one breath, and every donation requires gratitude.” Sadi Shirazi
You become aware of your own inner body as you breathe in and out as you feel the vague inflow of air, the ups and downs of your chest and stomach. Your attention is then focused on that vitality pervading from your breath to your entire being.
Some people are so engrossed in their thoughts and so identify with the voice in their head that they can no longer feel their vitality. Not being able to feel the life that gives life to the physical body is the greatest deprivation that can happen to you. Instead, you look to other things and seek to cover up and hide that irritating feeling that results from your inability to communicate with that vitality that has always been there but is ignored.
Such as drunkenness, often due to drugs, or very loud music, tense and exciting activities, or sex addiction; One can rely on things that overstimulate the senses.
Even dramatic events in relationships are sometimes seen as an alternative to that real sense of well-being. These people form close relationships to hide their never-ending restlessness in the background and look for that man or woman who will “make them happy”. These adventures, of course, often end in disappointment. And when unrest reoccurs, partners appear to be responsible.
The best source we can fill the space inside us is the breath.
We fill our gaps not with relationships, substances, various habits; when we fill it with breath, essence, ourselves, everything else in life is just the icing on the cake.
Breathing Practice
Take two or three conscious breaths. Now see if you can notice that vague sense of vitality that permeates your entire body. Can you feel inside your body? Try to feel certain parts of your body in order. Feel your hands, then your arms, feet, and legs. Can you feel your stomach, chest, neck and head? Or your lips? Are they alive too?
While doing this exercise, you may want to close your eyes initially, but once you feel your body, open your eyes and continue to feel your body as you look around.
