The Tao of Natural Breathing_ For Health, Well-Being, and Inner Growth - Dennis Lewis [3]
Of all the great ancient and modern teachings that have explored the full significance of breath in our lives, the Taoist tradition of China, which is more a way of life than a formal religion, offers one of the most practical and insightful approaches to the use of breath for health and well-being. One of the reasons for this is that from the very beginning of Taoism, at the time of the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti) around 2700 B.C., the goals of health and longevity were never separated from the goals of spiritual evolution and immortality. Taoists realized that a long, healthy life filled with vitality is not only an intelligent goal in its own right but also an important support for the more difficult goal of spiritual growth and independence. Supported by more than 4,000 years of experimentation with their own physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energies through special postures and movements, massage, visualization, sound, meditation, diet, and many other practical disciplines, the Taoists observed that natural breathing—breathing according to the actual “laws” of the human organism—could have a powerful influence on the quantity and quality of these energies and thus on the quality and direction of our lives. For if the Tao can be defined at all, it means the way, the laws, of nature and the universe—the laws of creation and evolution. It is through living in harmony with these laws that we become free to discover and fulfill our physical, psychological, and spiritual destiny.
The Tao of Natural Breathing integrates key Taoist teachings and practices regarding breath—especially those arising through my work with Taoist master Mantak Chia—with my observations and discoveries over the past 30 years in relation to various other systems and teachings, including the Gurdjieff Work, Advaita Vedanta, Feldenkrais®, and Ilse Middendorf, as well as with important principles from anatomy, physiology, and neurochemistry. It is my experience that any serious work with breathing requires far more than appropriate exercises. It also requires a clear “scientific view” of the human body and a deep work of organic awareness—the ability to sense and feel oneself from the inside.
A WARNING ABOUT BREATHING EXERCISES
The great spiritual pathfinder G. I. Gurdjieff once said that “without mastering breathing nothing can be mastered.”1 But he also warned that without complete knowledge of our organism, especially of the interrelationships of the rhythms of our various organs, efforts to change our breathing can bring great harm. It is clear that work with breathing, especially some of the advanced yogic breathing techniques (pranayama) taught in the West through both classes and books, is fraught with many dangers. In his book Hara: The Vital Center of Man, Karlfried Durckheim—a pioneer in the integration of body, mind, and spirit—discusses some of the dangers of teaching yogic breathing techniques to Westerners. He points out that most of these exercises, which “imply tension,” were designed for Indians, who suffer from “an inert letting-go.” Westerners, on the other hand, suffer from “too much upward pull … too much will.” Durckheim states that even though many yoga teachers try to help their students relax before giving them breathing exercises, they do not realize that the “letting-go” required for deep relaxation can be achieved “only after long practice.” At best, says Durckheim, giving breathing exercises prematurely grafts new tensions onto the already established ones, and brings about “an artificially induced vitality