Breathing Techniques: Breathe Easy and Healthy

Recently, the wildfires devastated parts of Southern California. Some lost homes and many more were evacuated. The wildfires were caused by Santa Ana wind, well, mostly, because some were, unfortunately, arson. But whatever the cause might be, the fire has left all of us hard to breathe - the smoke, smug, particles, filled up the air. We can not only see it but smell it. Yuck! A rain would have been a big relief, but that rarely happens in Southern California.

The poor air quality is a big concern for health. While we have no choice but to breathe in whatever is available to us, we do have choices for a more effective way of breathing - belly breathing. Belly breathing forms a natural filtration system to filter out dirty matters and energy. That's what we were desperate for these days.

Some might ask, "Why should we change the way we breathe? Who doesn't know how to breathe?" Well, most of us breathe with our chest, but the best way of breathing is through the belly. If you breathe with the chest, you squander plenty of lung cells because your breath is shorter and shallower. If you breathe through the belly, you not only utilize the full capacity of your lungs but also reduce the damage of cells.

The technique is very simple - inhale and the belly expands; exhale and the belly flats back. Keep practicing it until it becomes your second nature. It takes time, and it requires diligent practices to be able to do it spontaneously. You can practice virtually anytime and anywhere, such as in the office or on the bus. Once you are adept at this skill, you don't even have to purposefully expand and contract the belly to breathe in and out. It becomes spontaneous.

Compared to regular chest breathing, belly breathing has the following advantages and benefits:

1. Belly breathing makes you look younger because the chi (energy flow) in your body tends to be elevated with vitality.

2. Belly breathing makes you live longer because the air extended to the abdomen can help remove unhealthy chi in the abdomen.

3. Since belly breathing is to inhale with belly expanding and exhale with belly flattening back, it's deeper, longer, slower, softer and calmer. Thus, it fosters a calming mindset.

Practice belly breathing often. It must become your second nature - like Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello.