Rhythmic Breathing

The main concept of the exercise I mentioned in the previous post is rhythmic breathing. Breath is important in life and more important is its rhythm. Life starts with first breath and ends with last breath. Most people don’t know that one should breathe in certain rhythm or pattern to maintain good health. They are not aware that their breathing pattern is irregular and shallow. They don’t know how to breathe. Have you ever thought whether you are breathing right? Did you know that the way you breathe affects your health? Your emotions of fear, anger, doubt, thought patterns, your mind, your intellect, indeed your whole life adversely affects your breath, making it more shallow and irregular. These causes blockages and knots in pran (life force energy) circulation channels (nadis), blockages in blood circulations and blockages in nervous systems, ultimately causing physical and mental ailments. We can change our unhealthy breathing patterns and can breathe correct and natural way.

There are various breathing exercises such as deep breathing, abdominal breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, different yogas pranayams etc. They cannot be practised for long hours. When we stop to practice, we come back to the same irregular breathing. Also most of them are not practiced rhythmically, so they, in long run, spoil the body’s rhythm and causes harm. So these exercises don’t help us to establish correct rhythmic breathing patterns.

Sage Patanjali has shown correct and natural way of breathing, but it was told by word of mouth to his selected disciples. So many people don’t know it, but Yogi Shree Tavariyaji made it open for the benefit of mankind. It is not a breathing exercise, but a natural and correct way of breathing, so it can be practiced 24/7. By practicing daily, slowly we can establish that rhythm for 24 hours. It’s a cosmic rhythm, rhythm of nature and universe. Also our astral body takes 12 prans per minute at certain rhythm. If physical body can take 12 breaths per minute at the same rhythm then it creates harmony between two bodies. Where there is harmony, there is peace. Where there is disharmony, there is conflict. Conflict creates various physical and mental aliments.

In this type of rhythmic breathing, inhalation is of 3 seconds and exhalation is of 2 seconds. While breathing, you make use of the whole lungs (upper lobe and lower lobe) and diaphragm. Diaphragm is an important organ of breathing. Rhythmic movement of diaphragm is necessary for maintaining good health. Both your chest and abdomen should rise and fall simultaneously. The volume of breathe intake should be the same as normal breathing. Here you don’t have to do deep breathing. In the beginning, when you start practicing, it may become deep breathing, but by practicing regularly and consciously, it becomes normal breathing. When you are resting, inhalation is 3 seconds and exhalation is 2 seconds. One breathe is 5 seconds, hence there are 12 breaths in a minute. When you increase the level of activity, the speeds becomes higher but the rhythm remains same, in the proportion of 3:2 (Inhalation:exhalation) It can be 18 breathes per minute while fast walking, reaching up to 36 breathes per minute when running. Initially, it seems to be an unnatural way of breathing, but by practice you will realize that it is a natural way of breathing.

If you observe somebody who is healthy, while sleeping, breathes in the same pattern and rhythm. When a child is born he breathes at this rhythm, but at a higher speed. As he grows, the speed lowers, but the rhythm remains the same. When he reaches about 27 months of age, he breathes at 12 breathes per minute. We are also born with the same rhythm, but due to emotions and stress of life we have forgotten that rhythm. We have to re-establish that rhythm by daily practice.

Related links where you can get more information:

1. Introduction to Rhythmic Breathing
2. An introduction to 3 Step Rhythmic Breathing (3SRB) by Parth Sejpal
3. Stress Relief Techniques 1: Rhythmic Breathing
4. Meditate Now Making Your Breath Rhythmic
5. Rhythmic Breathing Exercise