Training Tips

Breathing

Breathing is the greatest nourishment available to you. Breath is a powerful interface between the physical and spiritual worlds. The pattern of your breath reflects your emotional and physiological states. Conscious breathing may change the entire physiological rhythm of your body, restoring tired muscles, feeding the cells, and even gently massaging your vital organs. The three lobes of the lungs are fed by different breathing patterns or levels. Many people only breathe from the top lobe, which feeds the bronchi by a rapid, shallow breath, rather that the middle and lower lobes that brings the breath down to the abdomen. A very powerful breathing technique is an exercise called the fire breath, a form of Pranayama. Prana is the term for the life force energy attached to the oxygen in the air we breathe. Do this exercise every morning to push out the old breath so that you can breathe fresh energy into your body. This is perfect way to begin a meditation because it helps the mind let go of the body and allows the spiritual energy to flow. 

Method

Sit with your spine straight so that the energies in your body can move up and down without hindrance. Close your fists and place your thumb and forefinger together - this creates an energetic arc so that your energy is circled throughout your body. Begin to "snort" or exhale forcibly and slowly out of your nose, pulling the diaphragm upward with each snort. Imagine you are pretending to be a toy train and increase the snorts to make the train sounds. Continue with very fast snorts for a few successions and then slowly back down to a stop.

When you finish the fire breath, breathe in deeply, and as you exhale, squeeze your anus up tightly. This tightens up the pubiococcxygeous muscle that runs through the perineum area, which closes an important acupuncture point so that energy does not drain out from below. Take several normal breaths and begin again. Begin to breathe deep breaths all the way down to your belly. Focus on drawing the life force of prana into your body and concentrating on this act of nourishing yourself.