Power Of Breathing Deeply & Slowly - Ancient Yogic Technique

A dog who takes 27 to 28 breaths in 1 minute, lives for 10 to 12 years, and a person who takes 14 to 15 breaths in 1 minute, lives for 80 to 100 years. But a tortoise that breathes 5 to 6 times in 1 minute, lives for 500 to 600 years.

It is clear from this that the less and deeper the number of breaths of a creature, the longer that creature can live. Realizing this, our forefathers started working on the science of reducing the number of breaths and increasing their depth.

Because they understood that a person gets a certain number of breaths to live, not years or months. Life can be prolonged by reducing the speed of breathing. But this speed of lengthening and slowing down of the breath should happen naturally.

Science Of Taking Breathe

When we breathe, we feel it directly at three to four places only. Throat, heart, lungs, and stomach. We are not aware of the air that has entered the brain. We are less aware of the air that has entered the ears and eyes.

The air that enters the respiratory system gets divided in many ways, which goes to different areas and after doing its own work, comes out again in different ways.

It all happens so quickly that we are not even aware of it. All we know is that oxygen went in and carbon dioxide went out. But we get little knowledge only of what it does right and wrong inside.

What happens if we take deep breaths?

If we take a deep breath, the bacteria inside the body are destroyed by the rapid flow. The ability of cells to fight against diseases also increases.

New blood begins to form in the bone marrow. The feces deposited in the intestines begin to be excreted. The awareness of the brain returns, due to which the memory power is restored.

With the activation of the neuron, the ability to think and understand comes back to life. Confidence returns from the air filled in the lungs. Think, when a strong gust of wind comes into the forest, then every pore of the forest becomes alert.

Kapalbhati or Bhastrika Pranayama is like that gust of strong wind. Very few people have the ability to bring a storm within themselves. The storm is born only by continuous practice. A 10-minute storm will change your whole life with your body and mind. Nowadays, most people's breath is ragged and scattered, remains shallow, or moves fast.

How breathing affects our feelings?

People do not even realize how their breathing is going on. When the feeling of anger arises, the breath changes, on the other hand, when the feeling of lust arises, even then the breath changes. With our every emotion and thought, our breath also keeps on changing.

Along with this, it also keeps on changing due to our food habits and lifestyle. Actually, our breath has a direct relation to our state of mind and our physical condition. The whole science of yoga is based on proper breathing. So if we just learn to take our breaths properly, our life will change like magic.

Story of Ancient Monk and His Disciple

Today, through the story of an ancient monk, we will learn in detail about the right way of breathing and the magical secret of breathing. A long time ago, a sage used to teach yoga, meditation, and pranayama to the students in his monastery. The sage himself was also a great yogi(monk). He spent many years doing spiritual practice in a cave in the Himalayas where he deeply understood many subtle human dimensions. Now he wanted to take this experience and knowledge to the masses through students.

One day after dinner, the most intelligent and promising student of his monastery comes to him. Seeing the student's face, the teacher understood that some questions were arising in his mind. As soon as he reached near the monk, the student bowed down to him and said, "Gurudev, I want to ask you some questions." Monk smiled and said, I know. I understood this just by looking at your face. Ask, what question is in your mind.

The student said, “You often say that the basic foundation of yoga, meditation, and pranayama is our breath and once we control our breath, we control our mind and thoughts”. So today I have come to know in detail about the secret of breath and its compound science. Hearing this, the Monk gave a slight smile and then started speaking. He said, as our mind is, the speed of our breath also becomes the same or our mood will be like our breath. This means everything is connected with our breath.

Every incident that happens in life has a deep connection with our breath. Meaning that by controlling the speed of your breath, you can control your mind and thoughts. If you watch a real Yogi(monk) or a Sadhak(practitioner) carefully, you will see a wonderful calmness on his face. A true yogi can keep himself calm and composed even in the worst of situations. A yogi does not suppress his emotions, rather he gains control over his breath. And by controlling his breath, he gets control over his mind. A man who has his mind under his control has a solution to all his problems.

How monks used to live alive for 300 years or more?

The teacher pointed to the student and said, you must have heard about some yogis that they have lived for one and a half hundred, two hundred, or even 300 years. So how do they keep themselves alive for so long? Actually, they have control over their breath, which is also called life energy. Energy is all around us. In what quantity to take it and leave it, a yogi is the good kind of knows and he masters this work to a great extent.

Therefore, the monk can use the prana energy according to his need and make himself long-lived. If you want to keep your body healthy, have more ability than usual, and have a sharp mind, then you must understand your breath. Breaths have to be controlled and once you control them, everything will be arranged in your life.

Worries and Troubles do not exist

Actually, there is no such thing as worries and troubles. It is just a product of our minds and emotions. Only one thing can control the emotions in our mind and that is our breath. Our inner anger, anxiety, the feeling of revenge, etc. everything moves according to our breath. If we have control over our breath then all these disorders become under our control. The breath acts as a bridge between our body and our mind. If we want to reach our mind, understand its disorders, and remove them, then we have to walk on the bridge of our breath. We have to reach our mind through our breath and this is the only way to understand our mind.

Childs Breathing is Natural

If you have ever seen a child sleeping, then you must have experienced that when that child breathes in, his stomach expands and when he exhales, his stomach gets suppressed. That is, a child breathes through the navel of his stomach, which is the most natural and correct way of breathing. Because of this deep and long breath, the child's mind remains excited and light. His body works in a more natural way.

You must have seen that the child does not keep anything in his mind for a long time, nor can he remain angry with someone for a long time. If he is scolded or bitten for any mistake, then after some time he forgets that too and gets engrossed in his game. The child becomes so simple only because his breath moves naturally, that is, through the navel.

A child's body needs development. Growth requires more energy and more energy requires longer breaths. That's why nature has given him longer breaths. Although this long breath has been given to every human being, by making some unwanted changes in his life, man has shortened his breath. He takes the breath from his chest instead of his stomach. The fewer breath we take, the more we will be filled with anxiety and arrogance. The longer and deeper our breaths, the happier and calmer we will be.

Benefits of Reducing Breathing Counts

The monk said that a man breathes 14 to 15 times in 1 minute. Breath is directly related to our state of mind and the vibration of our body. If the number of breaths taken in 1 minute falls below 11, then we will start understanding the many vibrations happening around us. That means the sounds of the body will become clear to us.

Why Ferocious Animals Becomes pet Cats in Front of a Monk

You must have heard that even ferocious animals like lions and tigers start behaving like pet cats as soon as they come in front of some yogis. This is possible because by reducing the number of breaths, they have established a dialogue with the sounds, feelings, and vibrations of animals. If the number of breaths taken in 1 minute is less than 9, then it will be easy for us to understand the work that trees and plants are doing.

If our breaths are less than 6 in 1 minute, then it will be easier for us to understand how non-living things work. The vibrations of inanimate things and the world associated with them become clear to us. In other words, the nature of the universe can be understood.

Only after reaching such a state, many yogis and sages predict the secrets of the universe and the events happening in it. The more stable our body is, the less we breathe. If we take our whole body to a certain level of stillness and do not breathe too fast, our awareness goes on increasing.

Breathing in Ancient Yogic Tradition

Friends, according to the science of yoga, a seeker can do many such things by controlling his breath, which is beyond the life of an ordinary person. In the Yogic tradition, it is even said that by holding one's breath for hours, a man can experience a new human dimension. Many diseases that can be fatal or have no cure, can be cured only by controlling your breath and mind. By controlling his breath, a person can reach such a mental state where the ups and downs of life will not disturb him.

Some people may find all these things nonsense because usually, people do not do this. And anything they do not believe in is dismissed as superstition. But people who follow the old yogic traditions, claim such things. Swami Rama is one of those people.

Swami Rama in American Research Laboratory

Swami Rama used to live in Himalayan caves. He started practicing the systems of yoga from his childhood. In 1970, Swami Rama went to an American research laboratory. By controlling his breath, he had also gained control over his mind, and body. He could stop his breathing, brainwaves, heartbeat, and blood flowing through his body for as long as he wanted.

The doctors present in the laboratory, conducted research on Swami Rama's body and declared him dead. But even in this state, Swami Rama could feel everything. Seeing this, the team of researchers presents there was stunned. Also, Swami Rama could reduce and increase the growth of tumors in his body as per his wish. The team of researchers who previously used to suppose all the claims of Himalayan yogis to be superstition and hypocrisy suddenly seemed to be inner science. An inner science that is beyond the imagination of an ordinary man.

Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is an ancient yogic technique. A yogi who has gained control over his breath can hold his breath whenever he wants. According to Swami Rama, if you understand your breath, then the diseases occurring in your body, which even medical science does not have a cure today, can also be cured through breath.

Later, Swami Rama along with some of his companions has written a book called 'Science of Death' to explain the deep secrets of breath.

Length of Breath and Its Importance

The monk said that when the breath is disturbed, the mind also becomes unstable. But when the breath is calm, the mind also becomes stable and the yogi lives long. That's why, we must learn to control our breath. The teacher looked into the disciple's eyes and said, what do you think, do you exhale as long as you inhale? No, in normal conditions the length of the breath we take in is 10 fingers and while exhaling it becomes 12 fingers.

Here a finger means a finger thick. There are some things in our everyday life while doing which, the breath goes out many times more than the breath that goes in. The length of exhaled breath while eating is 16 to 17 fingers. While walking fast it becomes 22 to 24. The length of breath while running reaches 45 to 50. The length of exhaled breath during sexual intercourse reaches 60 to 70. That's why in our scriptures it has been said to control lust and anger. Because it depletes our life force. Breath is also called the life force of a human being.

200-Year-Old Man and His Secret of Longevity

When a 200-year-old man was asked the secret of his longevity, he told only two things. One, take a deep breath inside and second, always keep the spine straight. Both these seemingly simple things are very important from the point of view of Yoga and Pranayama. Actually, the length of the breath going inside the body is less and the length of the breath coming out is more. Long life can be achieved if the length of the exhaling breath is reduced in some way.

According to the scriptures, if the length of the outgoing breath decreases by one finger, then the person becomes lustless. That means sexual desire starts ending in him. Happiness is attained by reducing two fingers' breath. Power increases by reducing 3 fingers. With the reduction of four fingers, one attains the power of speech. Due to the reduction of 5 fingers, a person gets far vision.

Due to the reduction of 6 to 7 fingers breath, the supersonic speed comes inside the seeker. Then he can reach from one place to another in a few moments. In this way, all the eight siddhis(powers) are attained. Hanuman (Hindu God), the son of the wind, is called the giver of eight Siddhi Navanidhi because he has attained eight Siddhis.

These eight achievements are there in every human being, it is just needed to awaken them. When the length of the exhaling breath is less than 12 fingers, the yogi attains death at will. Then he can keep himself alive as long as he wants. But these sleeping powers will awaken only when there is a desire in mind to awaken them.

First of all, the breath has to be controlled. Lord Shiva tells Parvati that the one who succeeds in stopping Ingala nadi (pulse) during the night and Pingala nadi during the day is the one who is actually a true yogi.

We will know the more ancient techniques in upcoming articles. Till then be aware and take deep and slow breaths. Thank you. Keep sharing if you find this article helpful.