Inhale Exhale Focus Heal
Natural practitoners use breathwork as the foundation of health
September/October 2000
By Amy Baugh Meyer
As the acupuncturist removed the needles from
various points in my hands, ears, and feet, she told me about an
exercise I should try for the next few weeks, until my next
appointment.
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“Paint one of your thumbnails blue,” she said. “And every time
you notice your blue nail, take a long, slow breath in through your
nose and a long, slow exhale through your mouth.”
At the time, I found the suggestion to be a bit unusual, to say
the least. But over the course of the next few years, I learned
that breathwork is an important tool in many healing modalities,
from massage to yoga to natural childbirth. Practitioners use
breath to help their patients relax their bodies and calm their
minds, as well as for specific ailments such as fatigue. According
to Andrew Weil, M.D., in his book Natural Health, Natural Medicine
(Houghton Mifflin, 1995), “Breath is the master key to health and
wellness, a function we can learn to regulate and develop in order
to improve our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.”
BREATHWORK & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Lesley Tierra, a Santa Cruz, California-based acupuncturist and
the author of The Herbs of Life (The Crossing, 1992), says that
breathwork is an important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM).
“I think breathwork has a very powerful overall effect,” Tierra
says. “It helps you to change your focus and can calm your mind.
The breath itself and breathing exercises are vital. In TCM, the
lungs give strength to the whole body and improve immunity. The
lungs and large intestine are organ pairings in TCM, and so
breathwork may also help balance elimination.”
Tierra says she often recommends breathing exercises to her
acupuncture patients because they can be useful for a wide range
of conditions.
“Breathwork is very helpful for people who get frequent colds
and flus or have any weakened lung condition, such as shortness of
breath or tiredness upon exertion,” she says. “Really, it’s great
for any type of long-term chronic disease. Breathwork oxygenates
the body and the brain, which brings in energy.”
Tierra says that in TCM, breathwork is thought to help build
blood and energy in the body. In addition to the conditions listed
above, she likes breathwork for treating nervousness, indigestion,
poor circulation, low energy, fatigue, and memory problems.
The breathing exercise Tierra recommends most is called
alternate nostril breathing (See “Breathing exercises to try at
home” on page 47 for instructions.)
“Alternate nostril breathing is specifically good for calming
the mind,” she says. “It’s also excellent for stress, insomnia,
depression, mood swings, and PMS.” Tierra says alternate nostril
breathing can be done daily, just before bed, before meditation, or
in a stressful situation.
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