The world is in the grip of a global pandemic which has become a threat to human existence. The COVID-19 virus affects the breathing patterns of the individual and causes shortness of breath. In this context, raising our immunity and our self-healing capacity through Reiki and breath therapy are our best options.
Breathing is a vital process fundamental to the existence of all living beings. It is so simple and involuntary that most of us take it for granted. We hardly pay any attention to it unless we land up into some physical disease. Rarely do we realize how profoundly our style of breathing impacts our lives and how it can change our lives for better.
As adults, most of us have shallow breathing which does not reach beyond the first one-third (clavicular breathing) or two-thirds (intercoastal breathing) of our lungs. The infants, on the other hand have diaphragmatic breathing pattern, implying he breathes into and fills air into the top two-third of the lungs all the way up to the bottom of the lungs. Due to this, his abdomen expands when he inhales and contracts when he exhales, resulting in the movement of the diaphragm. This is the normal or abdominal breathing pattern we all need to restore. This would help us beat physical and mental diseases easily in the wake of today’s mounting stress levels and hectic lifestyles.
The mind-body connection has been well studied by meditators and ‘yogis’ of the yore and is now well accepted even in the scientific community. Our physical body is affected by our thoughts, emotions and limiting beliefs. Similarly, our mind is influenced by the state of our gross body. This connection happens through an intermediate level of functioning involving energy or ‘chi’ or ‘prana’.
Physical body ⇔ Energy (prana) ⇔ Mind
This is where the role of breath comes in because breath is the carrier of ‘prana’ or ‘chi’. Since breath influences both body and mind, the rhythm and rate of breath would not only reflect one’s physical condition but also help to create it. The pranic level forms a sheath over the physical body and is called the subtle body or aura. This is the level that we energize or heal with Reiki. So by taking conscious control and practising awareness of our breath, we can alter the energy flow in our body and hence amplify the healing effects of Reiki. As expected, this breathwork or breath therapy offers benefits at the physiological as well as energetic levels. But before diving into the benefits, let me draw your attention to the mechanics of breathwork.
Mechanics of breathwork
When we begin the breathwork, we need to understand that while normal breathing is enough to keep us alive, it is not enough to achieve drastic improvements in physical or emotional health. We need to breathe deeply, i.e. where we draw air deeply into the bottom of the lungs so the abdomen expands on inhalation and contracts on exhalation. Breathing should be combined with rhythm and retention, in order to boost our energy-generating capability.
- Rhythm means breathing to a certain count, and then exhaling for certain counts.
- Retention means holding the breath for a moment during the breathing cycle and it is the real secret of the energizing effect of breathwork.
Rhythm and retention help to silence the constant chatter of the mind thereby bringing it to a state of mindfulness and tranquility. Several yogis have used different breathing exercises by making different permutations and combination of rhythm and retention and attained to higher states of consciousness.
Here I present a simple exercise to master deep breathing
Basic breathing exercise
The basic exercise involves the following steps:
- Sit on a chair comfortably with your spine straight.
- Place your tongue on the palate and keep it there throughout.
- Exhale completely through your mouth. Then inhale slowly and silently through your nose. Hold the breath briefly. Then exhale through your nose. This completes one cycle of abdominal breathing.
Benefits of breathwork and significance to Reiki
Deep breathing offers multiple physiological benefits including enhanced functioning of the excretory system, cardiovascular system and a stronger and more supple diaphragm which is beneficial for the body as well as the mind. The energetic benefits include but are not limited to detoxification of the aura from the negative thought patterns, traumas and negative beliefs. The ‘chi’ generated from the deep breath helps to expand the person’s aura because of the release of negative emotions. This boosts the self-healing capacity of the body and therefore breathwork is pivotal to experience the best state of health. When we combine breathwork with Reiki, the benefits of Reiki are multiplied manifold. It becomes easy to beat any disease when our own prana is powerful enough to kill any virus or bacteria.
Let’s do it together and wipe off this virus from the face of our planet. Let’s make it a heaven on earth. Let’s spread the power of Reiki far and wide because it’s not just for me or you, it’s for everyone. It’s the need of the hour.
Love and light
Article by Dr. Jayashree Ramana
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Dr. Jayashree Ramana
Dr. Jayashree Ramana is a scientist and nutritionist. She uses Reiki healing as a part of her holistic healing program.
She is Usui Reiki Grand Master and practices Usui Reiki, Karuna Reiki, Crystal healing, Lama fera, Magnified healing, Emotional Freedom Technique(EFT), acupressure, etc. She is a fitness enthusiast and helps people achieve optimal levels of wellness by amalgamating physical measures including nutrition and exercise along with various alternative therapies. Her vision is to empower people and help them tap into their individual power while simultaneously creating a life of abundance and joy.
She is working as Senior Information Scientist at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. She was formerly a university professor and scientist in the field of Biotechnology for a decade. Her own personal transformation with reiki sparked her passion for metaphysical sciences and this led her to found ‘The Healing Soul’.
Get in touch with Dr. Jayashree Ramana through her website www.thehealingsoul.in or you may reach her at ramana.jayashree@gmail.com. Her youtube channel is www.youtube.com/c/DrJayashreeRamana.
This is interesting and needs our renewed attention. Thank you for the guidance and encouragement.
Glad you liked it and hope you make the best of it. Sending healing vibes your way!