From medical journals to holistic practitioners, everyone seems to be touting the benefits and importance of proper breathing… also known as belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. The way you breathe affects your whole body. Webmd.com says, “Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body.”[1] Everyone knows how to do it, but due to stress and other societal conditioning, other forms of breathing take precedence in most people.
A person under stress takes small, shallow breaths, using their shoulders rather than their diaphragms to move air in and out of their lungs. Shallow over-breathing (or hyperventilation) can prolong feelings of anxiety by exacerbating physical symptoms of stress.
In Enlightenment by MSI, a book that describes what happens as one expands consciousness, it states, “As the mind settles down during the practice of Ascension, the breath naturally stills. Refinement of the breath, then, can be considered the cause of the increasing health and happiness that are the common results of Ascending.”[2]
Other benefits of regular Ascending are:
o Lowered blood pressure and heart rate o Improved immune system functioning
o Increased physical energy
o Feelings of calm and well-being
o Relaxed breathing
Why manage stress? The purpose of Ascension is to release ALL the stress from the nervous system and achieve full human consciousness. Since the mind can only do one thing at a time, if it is floating in the pure experience of Unlimited being while using the Ascension Attitude, it has no time left to be caught reacting to the stress.
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[1] http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
[2] MSI (Maharishi Sadasiva Isham), Enlightenment!, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali New Translation and Commentary by MSI, (The Ishaya Foundation, 1995), Pada 2 Sutra 49
