Physical Practice Blog #3 Breathe!!

As my studies and research progress into the mythology of the Jedi. I've come to the conclusion that after developing a good basis in physical strength and endurance.. One must spend some time on the breath. After all, air is our greatest addiction we will ever face. Once we kick the habit, we're dead! (See my worldview, anyone?!) lol
But in all seriousness, this next lesson is on the living force. How can we know the living force if we know little about this force of life we tend to like so much? Some form of breathing is done by every living thing in this world! It would be the closest thing we know to a highly palpable version of the living force. Breath can calm, it can excite, it can heal.. it can also destroy your nervous system if you're getting too little or too much!!
What most people don't know about breath is that: to be in a healthy state of mind and body, you need a healthy exchange of gases in your blood. A nice mixture of oxygen and CO2 is just what the doctor ordered. Too much oxygen is toxic to the body. It makes your blood acidic. It also will just plain old make you excited. Any response the body makes intended to excite really stems from fight or flight response: stress. On the other hand, if there is too much CO2, your body is sluggish, your muscles go into spasm and you are literally restricting your body's functions to absolute necessity.. In a sense you are fatigued and well on your way to an early death! Breathing can definitely help save you from either stress or death! Also, as Jedi, we are also told to be aware of our stress, and mindful breathing is most definitely the first step in this process.

So find a comfortable place to practice. A clean place with a good amount of air circulation should suffice. You may sit, lie down, stand, or levitate; nobody should care but you. I believe it is important to stretch at least a little before beginning breathing exercises. It helps with blood circulation and will increase your body's oxygenation.

Calming breath - there seems to be many techniques for calming the mind/body but I find the following to be simple enough. Place your hands flat, underneath you rib cage to bring awareness to the breathing muscle called the diaphragm. Inhale through your nose, and fill your hands with your breath. When the area around your hands is filled, fill your chest. When this is done, hold the breath for 3-4 seconds, then purse your lips without tensing your face and slowly exhale. Repeat as many times as you feel you need. You can test yourself to see how many seconds you can inhale, hold, and exhale. The longer the seconds in each, the more balanced you blood will be.

Cleansing breath - this one might be a little strange sounding but its meant to cleanse the lungs and blood of excess CO2 gases and relax the breathing tissues, sinuses and nerves. Whether laying down or sitting, focus your attention to the back of the throat. Inhale and exhale through your nose while having the air stroke your throat. You should feel the air passing through your throat as it makes a hissing sound. Might seem a little weird at first but trust me, you're opening up a major center of the body that is hardest hit by pollution. It will feel good to have it open up for you.

Alright, so those are good basic level 1 breathing techniques. As always, this is a course of study I've undertaken for the Jedi order. This is for my benefit as much as for all of yours. If you have anything to add, please feel free to do so. This is meant to be an opened blog. I might have as much to benefit from you!

May the Force be with you!