Connection between Cosmic Energy (Prana) and Breathing

Before we go into breathing, it is more important to know about the five elements of nature.  

Significance of Five Elements of Nature

Scholars since ancient time believe that the universe is made with the composition of five elements. All these five elements are present in the balanced state in this universe. For instance: if the level of water increases upto a certain limit, then the whole world will be filled with water resulting in floods. These five elements, water, air, fire, space and earth are together known as “Panchtatva”.

The panchamahabhuta are the five elements of nature. According to Hindu mythology, every human body essentially are made from five elements which are Earth (Bhumi), Water (Jala), Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu) and Space (Aakash). Hindus believe that, upon death; all these 5 elements of human body are dissolved to respective element of nature, so that it can balance the cycle of nature.

Each of these five elements has its own functions and characteristic described below:

Earth (Bhumi):-

The first element of panchamahabhuta is “Earth” which is translated at Bhumi in Sanskrit. This element is perceived by five senses that are Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch and Sight. The physical body with muscles and bones refers to Earth.

Water (Jala):-

The second most important element is “water”, jala in Sanskrit. This element has no odor (smell) but can be heard, felt, seen and tasted. In human body, blood and other fluid are refer to Water.

Fire (Agni):-

The next higher element in human body is “fire”, agni in Sanskrit. In human body the temperature, jatharagni are refers the fire. It can be heard, felt and seen.

Air (Pavan):-

The fourth element of panchmahabhuta is “air”, pavan in Sanskrit.  Air can be felt and heard only; one cannot see the air. In human body, the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body refers to Air. It is considered as one of the most important factor in Pranayama.

Sky (Aakash):-

The fifth and last element of panchmahabhuta is “space” which is translated in Sanskrit at aakash. Space is the medium of sound but is inaccessible to all other senses. And as in human body the Athma (Soul) refers to Space.

The combination of these 5 elements makes our body and will dissolve into respective element upon death.

How to gain AIR PRANA (Cosmic Energy in the shape of Air) by breathing

Dr.  Andrew Weil, an expert on mind-body interactions says: "If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly."

Those are powerful words from a recognized expert in the field. Notice that he says "breathe correctly." Practitioners of Yoga have known for centuries about the importance of guided breathing, and Western cultures are now embracing the benefits of "breathing correctly."

Breathing is the only bodily function you can do either consciously or unconsciously.

Breathing properly can reduce your stress levels, improve your workouts and boost your immunity to infections and illnesses. Poor breathing can lead to panic attacks and even conditions like insomnia and depression.

Did you know that your regular breathing pattern is very likely screwing up your body and its functions in tons of different ways?

Without knowing it you might be messing up your sleep, mood, digestion, heart, nervous system, muscles, brain and even the development of your teeth and face structure.

Coughing, snoring, sniffling and so on are suboptimal breaths in disguise.

It’s easy to neglect all these sounds we are making but a breathing pattern that contain a lot of these elements is a huge strain to the body.

A lot of us breathe quickly and even loudly when we talk. All these noises and talking lead to incorrect breathing.

Why is breathing properly important?

Breathing correctly means that our bodies are being supplied with the right amount of Air PRANA (Cosmic Energy), replenishing our brain and other vital organs with essential nutrients.

If you are not breathing correctly, your body can be robbed of oxygen, leading to a host of conditions.

Your skin can suffer as it is not receiving enough fresh oxygenated blood, your muscles can tire easily during a workout as they are not getting the right amount of oxygen and you can feel constantly tired and lethargic because there are not enough vital nutrients being carried in the blood.

What effect does breathing incorrectly have on my health?

When we are babies, we all take deep, relaxing breaths from our abdomen - watch your children when they are asleep to see how their stomach rises and falls rather than their chest.

As we get older, stress often changes the way we breathe. When we are stressed, our bodies operate on the 'fight or flight' response to whatever is scaring us. This means we take short sharp breaths to help prepare for the 'fight' we will have to face.

But prolonged periods of stress mean we constantly breathe like this, only ever using the top third of our lungs. This causes us to breathe as if we were permanently hyperventilating.

This leads to a poor exchange of oxygen and CO2 in the bloodstream, depriving our bodies of both vital gases.

The physiological effect of a lack of CO2 can make you feel 'spaced out' and can lead to panic attacks, insomnia, dizziness and extreme fatigue, while lack of oxygen can rob your organs and muscles of a proper blood flow.

Hyperventilating also increases the heart rate, leading to palpitations and contributes to feelings of anxiety and being out of control.

When victims are having a panic attack, the best remedy is to let them breathe into a paper bag. This means they are re-inhaling the exhaled carbon dioxide, boosting their levels of CO2 back to normal.

The solution to these issues is to become highly conscious of the way you breathe and reshape your habitual way of breathing.

How can I breathe correctly?

Breathe through the nose

The breath should go in and out through the nose. Your nose is kind of like a factory that refines and prepares the air coming in to be used by the body as effectively as possible.

When you breathe through your mouth the lungs get a lot more “unfiltered” air that is raw, cold, dry and full of viruses and bacteria. Be kind to your lungs and breathe through your nose.

Breathe with the diaphragm

The air you breath in through your nose should go all the way down to your belly. Your breathing muscles consist of the diaphragm and muscles in the abdomen, chest, neck and shoulders.

70-80% of the inhaling should be done by the diaphragm so that your breathing is nice and deep. This has a couple of advantages:

It helps your lungs with the gas exchange which is much more effective way down in the lungs. The diaphragm massages your liver, stomach and intestines and gives these organs a rhythmical balance.

The lymphatic system, which is important for our immune system, gets the help it needs to get rid of the waste products from the bowels. The pressure in the chest and belly is decreased so that the heart won’t have to work as hard.

More effective muscle work as the wrong breathing muscles won’t have to do unnecessary work. As the chest gets more relaxed so does the neck and shoulders and a s a result the likelihood of pain in these areas go down.

Straight posture

An upright posture gives a deeper breathing where the diaphragm gets more space to work. Your thoughts and feelings are affected in a positive way and at the same time it gets easier to breathe through the nose.

Breathe relaxed

No matter what we want to do, we do it better if we are relaxed. Since our breathing reflect our thoughts, feelings and physical body it means that situations that have us feeling tense also  lead to tense and stressed breathing. This way of breathing then leads to a lack of oxygen which in turn makes the body and brain even more stressed.

By taking control of our breathing and making it more relaxed, our body tunes in and becomes relaxed as well which leads to better functioning in general.

When the body is relaxed, health is good, energy is high and it becomes easier to be happy and loving toward yourself and others.

Breathe Rhythamically

Everything has a natural rhythm – the ocean waves, the seasons, the moon. Your body is no different. The rhythm of the heart is measured in EKG and the brain in EEG.

The hormones in the body follows our natural rhythm. One example the melatonin that is released when we’re going to sleep.

Optimal breathing is no different, it’s in the rhytm we find well-being. When everything is in tune the body functions at it’s very best.

The magic of breathing starts when you master exhaling. It seems that during the inhalation, the mind is calmer and one can hold the breath longer without experiencing any discomfort. During exhalation there is a natural urge to inhale immediately after exhalation. When this natural tendency calms down you will be able to reach a higher level of consciousness.

NEXT WE SHALL DISCUSS ABOUT WATER PRANA (Cosmic Energy in the shape of water) - Thanks for reading &  your comments.