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and crying. They inhale with short, shallow gasps and exhale with either long wails or choppy sobs. If someone is angry, in-breaths are usually constricted and out-breaths are long and forceful. During stress, the breath can actually become so shallow that it is almost nonexistent. On the other hand, when someone is feeling good, the breath is calm, deep, and even. The amazing thing about breathing exercises is that the relationship also works in the reverse; by changing the way you breathe, you can also change the way you feel. If you breathe deeply, down into the abdomen, this sends a message to the body to transform negative emotions into positive ones. Deep breathing moves chi and clears stagnant energy.

It is almost impossible to breathe deeply and feel negative emotions at the same time. Chi Kung recognizes this connection between the body and the emotions and prompts us to change the body—our posture and breathing—in order to transform our mental/emotional states. Some years ago, there was a great study done on depression. One group took antidepressant drugs; the other group simply had to look up, smile, and breathe deeply periodically throughout the day. Surprisingly, the group that worked on their posture while incorporating the deep breathing had even better results than the group on drugs. The way we hold our body powerfully affects how we feel. If you want to feel better, breathe more deeply and smile more. Remember that breathing is a reflection of thought and emotion, the bridge between the mind and the body.

Breath unleashes the vital energies of life. Inhale fully to be inspired and take in more of life; exhale completely to get rid of what is old and no longer useful. This process refreshes the system in every moment, clearing out stagnant emotions and thoughts and taking in the new possibilities with each breath. If we cannot inhale completely, we cut ourselves off from new experiences, adventure, and creativity. If we cannot exhale completely, we hold on to the past and are weighed down by old emotional hurts and wounds. To breathe is to be alive. To breathe more deeply is to delve into life more fully.

Think of your breath as Vitamin O, oxygen being the most important nutrient that you take into your body. Oxygen is our most essential food, the fuel that ignites the essential bodily processes—everything from digestion and assimilation to hormone secretion and numerous brain functions.

Deep Breathing

Where deep breathing enlivens and revitalizes every cell and tissue in the body, chronic shallow breathing drains our energy and allows stress to take root. It underoxygenates the blood, the organs, the muscles, the glands, and all the cells in the body. It overworks the heart, suffocates the brain (15 to 20 percent of our oxygen goes to the brain), weakens the immune system, and leads to disease and premature aging. Underoxygenation also leaves toxins in the blood that are then recirculated through the body.

Many catastrophic illnesses have their roots in chronic underoxygenation caused by chronic shallow breathing. In fact, medical researchers believe a lack of oxygen in the system is the prime cause of 1.5 million heart attacks each year. Dr. Otto Warburg, winner of two Nobel Prizes for cancer research, explains that cancer has only one prime cause, which is the replacement of normal oxygen restoration for the body’s cells by oxygen-deficient respiration. Deep breathing increases oxygen to the cells, which is one of the most important factors in living a disease-free and energetic life. He goes on to say, “Where cells get enough oxygen, cancer will not, cannot, occur.”

The Benefits of Deep Breathing

Energizes the entire system

Provides cells with sufficient oxygen for optimal functioning

Clears stress and tension from the muscles

Supports the lymphatic system for cleansing the blood

Detoxifies the blood

Massages the internal organs for better functioning

Increases our lung capacity for more energy

Calms the mind

Facilitates communication between the conscious and unconscious mind

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