How to Breathe?

Probably the greatest curse of the present mode of living is the alarming waste of lungpower, a condition that is sadly impairing the health of the majori ty of people, particularly those of the crowded cities. Whether this condition i s the result of forced restraint, caused by the reluctance on the part of people to breathe foul air, or carelessness, neglectfulness, and lack of understanding of the tremendous importance of this body function, we do not know. The fact re mains that the lungpower of the great majority of people is sub-normal, that the actual act of breathing is far below standard and full rhythmic breathing is a forgotten art. Correct breathing is a coordinated, rhythmic, muscular action bringing int o play and affecting all of the vital organs. It is a purely involuntary, natura l action, which, in normal health, operates to great bodily benefit but in subno rmal physical conditions, merely operates. The utter dependence of normal or good health upon correct breathing is so easy to understand that even a child has no trouble comprehending it. Consider, for a moment, that the average inner surface of the lungs, if spread out, would cover an area of from 700 to 1,000 square feet. Every square inch of this vast surface is designed to act as a purifying agent for the blood. Your circulatory system can be considered as two separate blood streams, o ne coming from the heart, which traverses the arteries, and one going to the hea rt through the system of veins. The outgoing system pumps clean, fresh red blood to all parts of the body, feeding, nourishing, strengthening and rebuilding the entire body. The return flow of the blood through the veins extracts infinitesi mal fractions of waste tissues, microorganisms, gases, etc., acting as a sewage system for useless body poisons. Your heart pumps this impure blood to your lungs where, by coming in contact wit h the sir you have breathed, it becomes purified and is again returned rich and red to your heart to be pumped again around your body. It is estimated that a pe rson's blood circulation, if measured in its course through the lungs, ranges fr om 17,000 to 35,000 pints every twenty-four hours. Without going into the exact technical description of the system of purifi cation of the blood in the lungs through oxygenation, combustion, etc., etc., le t us consider it just in terms of capacities. We'll say that in your case it takes 1,000 square feet of lung area to take of a nd purify 35,000 pints of blood every twenty-four hours. Now let us suppose that , due to incorrect breathing, with each breath you are filling only one-third of your lung capacity-simple arithmetic should convince you that you are actually getting only one-third of the purifying effect that your blood needs. What happe ns? Either only one-third of your blood stream is undergoing the purifying proce ss, or your entire blood stream is only one-third purified and remains two-third s impure, or below standard. "Follow this reasoning and realize that no blood stream which is constantl y two-thirds below par can do a full-time, efficient job of nourishing, cleansin g and rebuilding your body. Remember, every part of your body, every nerve, ever y organ in your body depends entirely upon your blood stream to keep it healthy and functioning in a normal manner. Poor breathing means uncompleted blood purif ication and a consequent loss in health. The answer is, you should learn all ove r again to breathe naturally, as you did in your infant life. If you get into th e habit of taking in twice as much air at each breath as you are now doing-if yo u fill your lungs to say 60 percent instead of 30 percent-you will double the pu rifying effect and extract twice as much of the impurities within your blood as you now are doing. There is an easy, simple method to regain normal breathing co ntrol. Remember, breathing is an involuntary muscular action. You breathe withou t having to think about breathing. Thus, the power, which is necessary to make y ou breathe, is entirely dependent and measured by the energy of the involuntary muscular action. . Modern life, especially in the cities, invariably brings about curtailment of physical action. People, particularly those in sedentary occupations, drift

into a condition of physical lassitude-the vigor of youth becomes the sluggishne ss of age-muscles become soft, lose their punch, power and driving force. They l ay down on the job until the whole physical system operates about like a decrepi t used car. The result is that the lungs fail to get the full cooperation and ai d of those muscles necessary to the breathing mechanism. There is a gradual less ening of lung in taken and a gradual decrease in the response of the lungs to de creased muscular action. Very, very few of the people you know are doing a healt hy job of breathing. Most of them fill just the top of heir lungs and let it go at that. Watch them going upstairs or running for a bus or train. Hear them gasp for breath and complain about being short-winded. Who have they to condemn but themselves? How much better it is to regain control of health by putting the entire breathin g machinery back on a natural basis. This is so easy to do and everyone, regardl ess of age, health or physical condition, cats does it by following just a few s imple directions. Do not believe in violent and strenuous exercises. Leave those to the professional strong-armed men. I have never indulged in such exercises, yet I believe I am as strong as any man of my age anywhere and I am nearing seve nty. I am concerned only with health and my system of correct breathing bring go od health; with good health comes strength, vitality and vigor; with these come that "fit as a fiddle" feeling, exuberance and-happiness. I frequently hear peop le say: "Breathing is all right, put I know what's wrong with me-it's my stomach Breathing can't cure my stomach-there's no connection." Statements like this pr ove the colossal ignorance of people. Before you finish reading this article you will have definite proof that not only the stomach but also every vital organ i s absolutely dependent upon the proper functioning of the lungs or breathing. Full, deep, easy, regular breathing benefits the whole body and produces i mmediate improvement to any defective part of the body I shall go further and sa y it is the greatest single curative force at your command, though of course the importance of proper food cannot be too strongly emphasized. Your condition of health equals your measure of breathing. Your lack of normal health is equal to or measured by your deficiency in breathing Regardless of your present state of health, regardless of the cause of poor health-you will show immediate improveme nt, immediately you learn to breathe correctly. THIS is not magic in the commonly accepted sense, but it is the magic of Mother Nature in the true sense. No one has completely unraveled all of the mysteries o f the human body, but I have unraveled the full meaning of correct breathing and it has given me almost fifty years of life, which would have been denied me, ha d I followed the pill and powder advice of the long buried medical men whom I co nsulted when I was a young man I had tuberculosis and they said I had a ear or s o longer to live at the most. The breath of life has meant just that to me. My own experience, my own living example in the flesh, has been so undenia bly proven that it need cause no wonder that I was appointed instructor in corre ct breathing to such organizations as the New York Police Department, New York C ity Fire Department, the New York Board of Education, the New York Athletic Club , the Boy Scouts of America, the New York Metropolitan Opera Company, and many, many others. Many outstanding industrial, business and professional leaders have come to realize the importance of breathing correctly-including prominent medic al authorities. I have conducted clinics for their personal observation, produci ng amazing hospital physicians for my demonstrations have selected results in im proved health among such patients as. These results have removed every vestige o f doubt from the minds of the most skeptical critics. It is not my purpose to claim any great superiority over anyone else. I ho ld no brief for or against the practice of any form of medical aid. I merely fou nd myself desperately up against it, on the spot, with a death sentence in my ha nd and in my trouble I turned to the real Mother of us all-Nature. She gave me t he inspiration, the understanding, the encouragement to find the secret of good health, and now I want to pass it along to you, you and you. If you follow these simple directions you will find them of untold benefit to you and in practicall y no time at all you will begin to feel better and experience a new exhilaration , and a zest to keep on the road to better and better health.

First stand erect, feet at right angles, heels together, holding abdomen i n, chin up. Now gently raise arms and stretch them out at sides and level with y our shoulders. Continue to stretch your fingertips further and further until you feel you cannot reach out another fraction of an inch. While doing this keep re peating the word "stretch"-s-t-r-e-t-c-h, s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Hold this outstretched position for a moment or two, saying the reminder word "H-o-l-d" Now, keeping th e arms outstretched, gradually move them backward until you have brought your sh oulder-blades as close together as possible. At the start of this gradual backwa rd motion say the word "Back." Completing this backward motion, say the word "Ho ld," then gently let the arms downward to your sides. This entire exercise is a gradual movement, gentle in every way. Just go through this three times. Note th e many muscles it brings into play, especially in your chest. Note at the end of the three complete motions that you will experience a new sensation in your fin gertips. Place the fingers of one hand at the back of your neck, and notice the warm, tingling sensation resulting from circulation stimulation. You have starte d to awaken lazy and forgotten muscular action, which should be on the job helpi ng with every breath yon take. Forget about breathing while doing this exercise. Just breathe as you usually do. Your breathing will take care of itself and wil l adjust itself as you go along. Now for your next directions. Stand erect as before, chin up, hands on wai st. Draw in the abdomen gradually, repeating the word "In"-in-in-in-in, about fi ve times in all. Do not raise your chest or force your chest muscles. This is st rictly an abdominal action. When you feel you have drawn your waistline in as fa r as possible, say the word "Hold." Then gradually push out the abdomen, repeati ng the word "Out" about five times until you feel you cannot push any further. R epeat this three times. Remember this is purely a muscular movement and not to b e confused with breathing. As before, let your breathing take care of itself and it will adjust itself. The purpose of this gradual and gentle exercise is to ge t your diaphragm back on the job to where it will o to work again assisting your lungs g y responsive muscular, action. This apparently inconsequential exercise is of untold importance to your b odily welfare. By making a daily habit of this you will tone up the diaphragm, s trengthen it and permit it to resume its responsibility as the floor of the ches t and the ceiling of the abdomen. By contracting and expanding as I have directe d you force the strong diaphragmatic tissue and muscles to massage your vital or gans. Your lungs, heart, stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder and intestines ell derive great benefit from this internal massage action. Thes e two simple exercises will help you tremendously. They take but a minute or two . They are gentle, not violent. Anyone can do them regardless of age or physical condition, providing they can stand up. It is a good plan to do these as soon a s one awakens in the morning. The effect upon the intestines can be still furthe r improved by drinking a tumbler of water, preferably warm and containing the ju ice of half a lemon, before starting the exercises. The diaphragmatic action of gently massaging the intestines is also helping the lemon water to squeeze its w ay through the intestinal tract, thus cleansing it and aiding the most important work of elimination. Nasal Cleanser The Nasal Cleanser is a method of clearing excess mucus out of your head. Sit in any straight-backed position. Take a deep breath and expel it through bot h nostrils in six sharp blasts arising from your diaphragm. Now, close off your left nostril with the forefinger of your left hand and blast the next breath in the same manner as above. Close your right nostril and repeat exhaling from your left nostril. Repeat the double nostril six-blast exhalation. That is enough fo r the first day. On the next day, add another right nostril, left nostril, and double nostr il cleansing. This would be two rounds. On each of the next five days, add a rig ht, left and double cleansing breath so that on the seventh day, you will be doi ng seven rounds. Repeat later as desired.

Ear Cleanser The Ear Cleanser is done much as the nasal cleanser. After taking in a big breath, hold your nose, keep your mouth closed, and sneeze the air up into your head. Make this sneezing effort six times. Now, cup your hands and place them o ver your ears. Press and release six times in rapid succession to equalize the p ressure on your eardrums. As you sneeze the air up into your head, you will probably hear popping an d crackling sounds. You will probably hear well after this cleansing action. The above directions are to be followed the first day. On each following day, incre ase by one round for seven days. You may repeat this series of cleansing breaths whenever you feel the need. Alternate Nostril Breathing Yogis believe that your frame of mind at the time of breathing affects you r whole process of electrical and neurological function of your body. Positive m ind control makes for healthy living. It has been proven scientifically that bre ath taken through the right nostril sets up a positive electromagnetic field in the lungs and that breath taken in through the left nostril sets up a negative f ield. To learn Alternate Nostril Breathing, we use a rhythmic pattern like 6 x 3 x 6 x 3, which is an easy rhythm for learning the exercise. Put your right hand over your face with the tip of your middle finger pressing lightly on your Thir d Eye (the spot just over your nose and between your eye brows). This leaves you r forefinger available for closing your right nostril, and your ring finger free to close your left nostril. Exert pressure to close your nostril high up on the bony part of your nose, not at the tip. Form a "V" by spreading your thumb and little finger to either side of your face. Close your left nostril. Breathe in 6 counts with your right nostril. Clos e both nostrils for 3 counts. Close your right nostril. Breathe out left nostril 6 counts. Close both nostrils and hold your breath out 3 counts. Close your rig ht nostril and breathe in with your left nostril 6 counts. Hold this breath in f or 3 counts. Breathe out right 6 counts and hold your breath out 3 counts. This would be one round. In right - hold - out left - hold - in left - hold - out rig ht - hold out. Repeat nine or ten rounds. Alternate Nostril Breathing helps you to develop equal ability to breathe well with either nostril. It can improve a deviated septum. Dog Pant The Dog Pant breath is useful training for childbirth. You are getting ple nty of oxygen without pushing, and that is sometimes necessary in the last stage s of labor. Take a deep breath to start this practice. Let this breath all out with one big whoosh. Loll your tongue out over your chin as far as it will go. Take quick sho rt breaths in and out of your upper chest. Keep this up as long as you can. It w ill shake your body in rhythm with your breath. As soon as you come to a stop, y ou will no doubt find your mouth and throat very dry. To relieve this dryness, c lose your eyes and imagine yourself cutting a lemon. Raise a piece of this imagi nary lemon to your lips and take a lick. I like to recall how long haired dogs, like Collies, breathe with their tongues lolled out. This gets me in the right mood for the Dog Pant Panorama. Rib Cage Stretching Rib Cage Stretching is a Panorama that creates an inward drive of energy b y the pulling action. At the same time, your held in breath creates an outward d rive of energy to help correct spinal-rib positions. Take a comfortable sitting position and imagine a slender tree in front of you. Clasp your hands around this tree with fingers entwined. Hold your arms with elb ows lifted high in front of your chest. Take a Grand Yoga Breath and pull for al l you are worth while you hold your breath in. Let your breath out with a whoosh and relax. Repeat holding your arms in front of your mid-chest and repeat again

" with your arms at low-chest level.