Second Song
In Part 1, I revealed that the secret is energy. And that ultimately, if we do this right, we should be brimming with energy in all our 16 waking hours per day.
So what is this energy?
(1) the ancient Chinese described it as qi.
(2) the ancient Indian described it as prana.
(3) the ancient Hawaiian Huna described it as mana.
And it’s not like that they have smartphones and talked to each other to come up with this concept, although arguably during the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), Buddhism and meditation methods were introduced from India to China.
Whichever system you look at, they described this life force, vital energy, qi, prana or mana as unlimited, available in the universe and can be harnessed in our body through proper breathing.
Science as we know now agrees that energy can be transformed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed (first law of thermodynamics). In our body, mitochondria generate the energy that we need.
So naturally, by breathing properly, we should be able to draw in this ‘life force’ (more than just oxygen) into our bodies. So how should we breathe?
(1) Our breaths should be drawn deep into our abdomen area vs chest area. Lie flat on your back and see if your chest or abdomen rises when you inhale.
(2) Place your index and middle finger below your belly button. And imagine there is a golden ball there. Breathe into that area.
(3) The ancient masters did not tell us exactly how to breathe, but they describe the process as ‘to breathe in a continuous long thread manner’
(4) Do not breathe in forcefully until your neighbour can hear you breathing!
(5) Aim to breathe 6-8 breaths per minute (the slower, the better)
Scientifically speaking it doesn’t make any difference if we breathe via our chest or our abdomen. But I do observe that sportsmen/ those with great stamina breathe using their abdomen. Strange? Your call.
p/s:
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are corrupt; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3