Éiriú-Eolas - Breathing Program

[Niall]

I would say yes, in order not to tense your muscles, because that would be counterproductive. It might be a good idea however to practice some diaphragm exercises, which can be found here:

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12634.msg90749#msg90749

Thankee mucha!

If you are like me and your hips and legs aren't use to the sitting stretches shown in the video (guys tend to have tight hips), you can purchase a yoga block for the sitting positions.

I'm actually quite supple from occasional yoga practice. The problem is that I taught myself and never learned correct breathing in the process. So I must now unlearn what has become mechanical.

 

[Evolutionary1]

Thank you all for the great info! :)
I am wondering if anyone can recommend anything for my situation. I have a neurological condition called Chiari Malformation where my cerebellum is herniated down through the foramen magnum of my skull and compresses my brain stem causes various problems. One serious problem is difficulty breathing. At this point I am having trouble doing the pipe breathing. I can do it a little bit but after a very short time I am unable to take any type of deep breath in and my breathing becomes very weak for a while afterwards. I am doing various things for my health right now but at this point I cannot do much of the breathing exercises. Is the pipe breathing necessary to do the other parts of the program such as the warrior's breath and the beatha breathing part? I tried the warrior's breath part a little bit and it seemed like it was okay for me and the beatha part should be fine also.
Does anyone else have difficulty breathing? What can be done for these individuals?

Hi Masamune, I don't know much about your condition, but I googled "Chiari Malformation and myofascial release" because I remembered my massage anatomy instructer explaining how she had used myofascial release to help a few clients to reverse dyslexia by releasing pressure from the fascia of a bent coccyx that transferred up the fascia of the client's spine affecting the part of the brain where it connected--and thus affecting how the brain received and distributed information. In those circumstances, the coccyx had been injured at some point resulting in dyslexia--she herself had dyslexia and a crooked coccyx from an accident that was reversed with this the help of this technique. I remember being surprised when she said that the connection between damage to the coccyx and dyslexia was not a medically known or accepted fact--my boyfriend at the time was dyslexic and had broken his coccyx at 3! I am not implying that your circumstances are the same or that the fact that dyslexia was related to an accident is relevant, I just think it might help to seek out a myofascial release therapist and ask some questions. At the very least, the release of blockages and tensions can have many surprising and noticable affects, and maybe it can help with your breathing. I noticed that physical therapy was suggested in managing the potential symptoms of chiari malformation and felt compelled to throw out the suggestion for this particular modality of massage therapy. Best of luck!

 

[Approaching Infinity]

I tried it last night for the first time. Like some of the forumites here I found it extremely energizing. I woke up 1.5 hrs before my alarm (I got just under 7 hrs of sleep). The beatha breathing was very intense, and the air did feel very fresh and cool, like breathing cool autumn air. I had some trouble breathing to the prayer, wanting to do longer breaths like Mrs. Tigersoap, so I'll follow Laura's advice and listen to the prayer as a background voice, until I've memorized the process and do it at my own pace.

I've got a question about the three-stage breathing. I have no trouble doing belly breathing, but at stages 2 and 3, is it normal to feel tension in the muscles around the chest as I draw more air in to fill the upper regions of the lungs? I'm also having trouble with stage 3. Should the back extend naturally, or does it forcing it out help to draw in air? Should stage 3 fill the lungs to their full capacity?

 

[gotogo]

To the Chinese, breath had the metaphorical importance to we give to blood. To them, breath was life. To breathe was to be and to breathe deeply was to move your 'chi' or 'qi' depending on how you pronounce it which was your soul or at least the energy of your soul.
...
Now everybody in our culture is upset by the very idea of having a bulging belly. We spend our time going around sucking it in and keeping it flat and people naturally are, as a result of social and cultural programming, tend to not want to breathe with their bellies, so they breathe very shallowly so that their belly won't move. This is a very bad thing. When people don't breathe well, they tend to breathe in reverse, that is the movement of their abdomen during respiration is the opposite of what is normal and healthy. Instead of letting the belly move outward during inhalation they try to suck it in and when they exhale and they are no longer in any danger of having their belly bulge out and make them look bad in profile, that's when the relax the belly. So everybody is breathing in reverse. In other words most people don't use their diaphragms to breathe.

My Chi-Gung teacher showed me a statue of person who has fully developed his Chi in China.
I took the photo of it as the attachment image. The shape of his belly would be 'ideal' in old Chinese culture. :)

 

[aragorn]

I listened to the meditation audio yesterday evening and again this morning doing the whole program and all I can say is WONDERFUL!

Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to compile this. I felt really strong sensations and tingling at the end - I like the fact that you've made the "baa-haa" section LONG and INTENSE! Not for wimps, that's for sure

Reminds me of Don Juan's remarks of discipline; It took me a whole lot of discipline to keep up with every "baa-haa", but it sure was worth it!

It makes it a whole lot easier to do these "exercises" while having someone (in this case Laura) "counting" and keeping the "tempo". Especially when doing the most intense bioenergetic breathing on my own, whitout guidance, I've often felt like drifting off or giving up because the "keeping track" of the tempo distracts and sometimes makes a real strong "barrier". Which leads me to a few points made by my bioenergetic therapist-reiki teacher:

Apropos, these remarks concern the bionergetic breathing part only:

- While doing the breathing try NOT to SWALLOW. Swallowing is the defence mechanism, or the distracting "outer barrier" of the emotional armouring. If you must swallow do it, but try to keep it to a minimum.

- You can try wiggling you head from side to side while doing the breathing - like looking first e.g. to your right and then left (didn't Castaneda write something about this?). This helps to "distract" the scalene muscles (keep them occupied) which will help your diaphragm to function more effectively (without the help of the "emergency" apparatus). Try to make the wiggling of the head NON-SYNCHRONIZED with the breathing (difficult I know!); this will "confuse" the normal dysfunctional breathing procedure even more - freeing tensions especially in the diaphragm and neck.

Lastly I would like to give one tip of my own which is just based on my own experience e.g. with my singing students:

- If you feel too tense in the ribcage, neck, back or any other area while doing the breathing, this means you are doing TOO MUCH. If you have not done these kind of breathing patterns before do not try to take the "whole cake" right from the start! In my experience it is highly more effective when you take less air but don't FORCE it - in this way you remain more relaxed and the process functions correctly. You could try to imagine the following:

Imagine the air that you are breathing in is a glass of soothing water that you drink. It pours down your throat and FILLS you from inside. You don't have to suck the water (air) in. Just let it fill you and feel the EXPANSION.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

Thank you Laura for your answer!

I wanted to say that I did the program yesterday and found that when I really vocalize the "HA" in the bioenergetic part, it is much easier to follow (at least for me). The first time, I had just pronounced a "ha" as if I was doing a regular pipe breathing (I now know is not what you are supposed to do..) and it felt really exhausting.
It felt like I was actually expelling something, instead of struggling to keep up and it felt really good.

 

[mada85]

I did the whole program for the first time last night. I found the round breathing rather challenging – it definitely takes me outside my comfort zone! During the faster sections, I found it difficult to draw enough air in via the nostrils and so breathed through my mouth, concentrating more on the out breath. Doing that, the in breath breathed itself. I slept very well and awoke this morning feeling light, energised and relaxed.

This technique is a real gift. Thank you so much, Laura.

In stage 2, with my thumbs under my arms, and my fingers touching in front of my chest, I find that gently pushing my elbows back opens my chest and pulls air into the lungs. Similarly, pushing my elbows back in stage 3 helps open the chest, but this I find more difficult.

What I’m not quite sure about, is: during stages 2 and 3, does one simply use the position of the arms to help draw air into the upper parts of the lungs, or does one use the chest muscles to expand the chest, or does one move the arms to expand the chest?

If you are like me and your hips and legs aren't use to the sitting stretches shown in the video (guys tend to have tight hips), you can purchase a yoga block for the sitting positions.

Another possibility is a kneeling stool: _http://www.qi-d.com/index.html

 

[Joe]

I've got a question about the three-stage breathing. I have no trouble doing belly breathing, but at stages 2 and 3, is it normal to feel tension in the muscles around the chest as I draw more air in to fill the upper regions of the lungs?

Yeah, that's normal since you are to some extent exercising your pectorals

[quote author=Approaching Infinity]
I'm also having trouble with stage 3. Should the back extend naturally, or does forcing it out help to draw in air? Should stage 3 fill the lungs to their full capacity?
[/quote]

Not sure what you mean by the back extending naturally and forcing it out. Do you mean arching the back?

Stage three is when I generally get a feeling of my lungs filling the most compared to my stomach, although there is still some stomach breathing going on.

 

[Niall]

While doing the breathing try NOT to SWALLOW. Swallowing is the defence mechanism, or the distracting "outer barrier" of the emotional armouring. If you must swallow do it, but try to keep it to a minimum.

I've been swallowing constantly throughout the exercises!

If you feel too tense in the ribcage, neck, back or any other area while doing the breathing, this means you are doing TOO MUCH. If you have not done these kind of breathing patterns before do not try to take the "whole cake" right from the start! In my experience it is highly more effective when you take less air but don't FORCE it - in this way you remain more relaxed and the process functions correctly.

Good tip. Does QFG agree with this?

 

[Meg]

I just finished the mediation exercise in toto. It’s quite amazing. I am so relaxed and energized at the same time. My mind is so clear too!

One thing I noticed is during the breathing exercises, until I got to the 'warriors breath' I was filled with sadness. Not to where I wanted to cry. I don't have the words to really describe it. Just a quiet sadness. Are these the sort of emotions that are going to come up and be purged during these exercises?

Thanks to all who contributed and staying the course. These meditation exercises are amazing grace! Baaa Haa!

 

[Laura]

If you feel too tense in the ribcage, neck, back or any other area while doing the breathing, this means you are doing TOO MUCH. If you have not done these kind of breathing patterns before do not try to take the "whole cake" right from the start! In my experience it is highly more effective when you take less air but don't FORCE it - in this way you remain more relaxed and the process functions correctly.

Good tip. Does QFG agree with this?

Absolutely! Take it at your own pace but, at the same time, remember that the bioenergetic part - the round breathing - is SUPPOSED to take you out of your comfort zone. But if you only do one set, that's fine. You can then work up to two sets and then, finally, the whole audio which is three sets.

Crying or feeling angry or other emotions during the breathing is quite normal. Keep a pillow nearby to punch if you feel like it!

Remember, you are processing - metabolizing - old, stuffed emotions that you need to get out. Sometimes it takes awhile.

 

[broken.english]

Quite a few times now, I'm experiencing this energetic (?) feeling at the top of my head while breathing and meditating. Sometimes it feels as if energy is entering, sometimes leaving. Does anyone else experience this and do they know what it is? Thanks.

It seems to be the same what RedFox(# 139), me and may be some others are experiencing, too. If so, it is likely to develop some further. You may have this feeling first during or after a breathing session. The it can happen outside the sessions, when your thoughts are circling around a certain subject. The feeling can vary in intensity and/or you could get an additional signal in your ear such as recently reported by Johnno:

Just yesterday I got a really strong burst of ear ringing when driving my car in an underground car park, slowed down to a crawl and avoided an accident. Can't explain it, sometimes these things just happen. Smiley

In my understanding it is a nonverbal communication rather than anything else.

So when you have this feeling, why don't you say hello to your higher centers? Maybe you get an answer.

 

[kenlee]

I just finished the entire program (3 stage breathing with pipebreath/ warrior’s breath/ bioenergetic breathing and guided meditation) and found it to be extremely powerful and the program was an experience for me in and of itself. At the moment I feel very relaxed yet quite energized, feel stronger and there is a feeling of 'emotional depth' (that’s the best way I can describe it) where buried emotions and associated memories are coming a little more to the surface of my awareness. After doing the breathing exercises I also notice that I’m more able to recognize the difference in myself between ‘I’ and ‘it.' I can see the distinction more clearly because of the more relaxed/aware state that I’m in after doing the breathing exercises. But I found that it's best for me to do the exercises and the meditation with no expectations, otherwise I'll identify with the exercise itself by expectations of what I think the results of the exercises should be (and then internally consider it and become disappointed and so on).

I put it all on my digital audio recorder and listened to it with earphones while making my efforts to do the breathing exercises/meditation as precisely as I can as it’ is advised to do. I have a little bit of experience in meditation and I remember the meditation instructor (who was a musician) once coming up to me and saying “become the music” (although I wasn't sure what he meant at the time). So maybe it’s kinda like that. I make my efforts to just do the exercises as described (as best as I am able) and “become the music” with as little expectation as possible on what my experience will be.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

[quote author=Approaching Infinity]
I'm also having trouble with stage 3. Should the back extend naturally, or does forcing it out help to draw in air? Should stage 3 fill the lungs to their full capacity?

Not sure what you mean by the back extending naturally and forcing it out. Do you mean arching the back?

Stage three is when I generally get a feeling of my lungs filling the most compared to my stomach, although there is still some stomach breathing going on.
[/quote]

I'll try to explain better. When I do belly breathing, my gut extends naturally, as a result of being forced out by the lowering diaphragm. I don't force it out using abdominal muscles. However, with chest breathing, I find that I can do it naturally, which extends the ribs a bit, but I can also force my chest out a bit to help get more air in. So my question is, should the shoulders/back extend as a result of the deep breathing, as the belly expands as a result of diaphragmatic breathing, naturally and without effort? Or are you supposed to push your arms out a bit, arch your back a bit, to create more volume in your chest cavity for lung expansion? Thanks!

 

[Chu]

I have been told that the meditation audio is now uploaded. Again, it can be linked to from here:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/Eiriu-Eolas/

And it has just been replaced with a better version. Some small glitches were corrected, and the Prayer of the Soul is a bit slower so that everyone can follow with the breathing. So, you can download it again from the same link and keep practicing every day!

Happy breathing and meditation. :)